Termites, or more commonly called ‘White Ants’, are wood-eating insects that feed on plants, wood and wood-derived products (like paper and cardboard). They are very common, especially in damp and warm climates like Malaysia.

Although newer houses may not face this problem, those who live in homes that are 10 years or older face a higher risk of termite attack. Even apartment dwellers are not spared from this pest, which have been documented to be present even on the top floors of high-rise developments.

The first task of any house dweller when it comes to termites is to know about the insect and it living habits. Here are some of their main characteristics:

• They live in the ground or soil
• They infect the wood in homes when there is wood in contact with the ground
• They may look like ants, but are not easy to spot as they are whitish-transparent in colour
• Just like ant colonies, termite colonies have queen termites as well as king termites which can produce up to 20,000 to 30,000 offspring a day.
• There are also worker termites that gather food and soldier termites that defend the colony
• They enjoy moist ground and will built their colony near these damp areas
• King and Queen termites develop wings and travel to a new places to start new colonies once they mature and pair up
• Termites produce an enzyme called ‘Cellulase’ in their guts that can break down the hard fibre of wood to turn it into food
• Termites build ‘mud tunnels’ made from fecal matter, soil, plant matter and saliva as travel routes by which they can reach a food source
• These ‘mud tunnels’ are supposed to protect them from prey as they travel
• Below ground, their nests are composed of a series of interlocking tunnels as well
• One colony can have up to 60 000 individual termites if left uncontrolled.
• After a meal, a colony of termites can leave faeces that look like a mound of grains or powder that is brownish in colour

White ants resemble normal ants in many aspects, except for the fact that they cause millions of ringgit in losses every year for both home and business owners. Stay tuned for Part 2, where we give you some tips on how to know if your home, office, factory or other buildings are infested with white ants.