Termites are social and can form large nests or colonies, consisting of very different looking individuals (castes). Physically the largest individual is the queen. Her function is to lay eggs, sometimes thousands in a single day. A king is always by her side. Other individuals have large heads with powerful jaws, or a bulblike head that squirts liquid. These individuals are called soldiers. But the largest group of termites in a colony is the workers. They toil long hours tending the queen, building and maintaining the nest, or gathering food. While other species of social insects have male workers, termites are unique among insects in that workers can be male or female. Surprisingly, termites can be long-lived: queens and kings can live for decades while individual workers can survive for several years.

Residents of Tucson should learn to see the signs of termite infestation. The signs of infestation include swarming of winged forms in fall and spring and evidence of tunneling in wood. Darkening or blistering of wooden structural members is another indication of an infestation; wood in damaged areas is typically thin and easily punctured with a knife or screwdriver.

There are more than 2,500 different types of termites in the world. However most of this diversity can be lumped into four distinct groups: dampwood, drywood, subterranean, and mound builders. Mound builders do not occur in North America, but the other three species do. Dampwood termites are very limited in their distribution: most species are found only in California and the Pacific Northwest. Although the Desert Dampwood Termite can be found in small quantities in Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. Drywood termites are common on most continents and can survive in very dry conditions, even in dead wood in deserts. They do not require contact with moisture or soil. Subterranean termites are very numerous in many parts of the world and live and breed in soil, sometimes many feet deep. Lastly, the mound builders are capable of building earthen towers 25 feet or more in height. Mounds may be located either in the soil or in trees, and where they occur in Africa, Australia, Southeast Asia, and parts of South America, they are very noticeable, and quite remarkable.

Termites are sometimes confused with winged forms of ants, which also leave their underground nests in large numbers to establish new colonies, and swarm in a manner similar to that of reproductive stages of various termites. However, ants and termites can be distinguished by checking three features: antennae, wings, and waist.

Drywood termites infest dry, undecayed wood, including structural lumber as well as dead limbs of native trees and shade and orchard trees, untreated or decaying utility poles, posts, and lumber in storage. From these areas, winged reproductives seasonally migrate to nearby buildings and other structures usually on sunny days during fall months.

Drywood termites have a low moisture requirement and can tolerate dry conditions for prolonged periods. They remain entirely above ground and do not connect their nests to the soil. Piles of their fecal pellets, which are distinctive in appearance, may be a clue to their presence. The fecal pellets are elongate (about 3/100 inch long) with rounded ends and have six flattened or roundly depressed surfaces separated by six longitudinal ridges. They vary considerably in color, but appear granular – and salt and pepper like in color and appearance.

Winged adults of western drywood termites (Incisitermes minor) are dark brown with smoky black wings and have a reddish brown head and thorax; wing veins are black. These insects are noticeably larger than subterranean termites.

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