A termite is a soft-bodied insect belonging to the order Isoptera, often mistaken for white ants, that lives in social colonies with a highly developed caste system . They are related to roaches and feed mainly on cellulose from wood, grass, and other plant matter, with workers feeding the entire colony. Termites can be destructive pests, causing damage to wooden structures and crops, but they also benefit ecosystems by recycling plant cellulose. New colonies are formed by winged adults dispersing from a mature colony. They build nests in wood, soil, or mounds using dirt, clay, chewed wood, saliva, and excreta.

What do termites look like?

Termites are soft-bodied insects, generally light in color, and range from small to medium in size. They have a caste system consisting of reproductives, soldiers, and workers. Workers, usually the most numerous, are pale, soft-bodied, and wingless, with chewing mouthparts. Soldiers, also wingless, have large, dark, hard heads and powerful jaws (mandibles) for defense. Lacking eyes, they locate enemies through tactile and chemical means. Some soldiers use chemical defenses, like sticky liquids, to entangle enemies. Both worker and soldier termites can be either male or female, but they lack fully developed reproductive organs.

Where do termites live?

Termites are widely distributed, with approximately 2,750 species inhabiting the earth, and are most abundant in tropical rainforests. They can be found as far north as Vancouver, British Columbia, and Maine and eastern Canada. Termites live in nests that maintain warmth, humidity, and darkness. Termite nests vary. Some termites, such as those in the family Kalotermitidae, nest in the wood they consume, creating irregular tunnels and partitions made of fecal matter. Other termites build subterranean nests in the soil or create mounds above ground using dirt, clay, saliva, and excreta. These mounds, prominent in tropical landscapes, can be domelike or conical, with complex internal chambers. Arboreal nests are also common; termites construct these ovoid structures from a mix of fecal matter and wood fragments, connecting them to the ground through covered runways.

What do termites eat?

Termites primarily consume cellulose, which they obtain from various sources such as wood, grass, leaves, humus, and even paper-based products like cardboard and cotton. Lower termites and many higher termites feed on either sound or partially decayed wood. Some termites, known as foragers or harvesters, specialize in collecting grass, leaves, and straw. Certain higher termites, known as humivores, subsist exclusively on humus. Termites rely on symbiotic flagellate protozoa in their hindgut to digest cellulose. These protozoa produce enzymes that break down cellulose into simple sugars and acetic acid. Higher termites, however, lack symbiotic protozoa and depend on bacteria or their own enzymes for digestion. In addition to cellulose, termites need vitamins and nitrogen, which they get from fungi in decayed wood.

How do termites build their colonies?

Termites construct their colonies in warm, damp, dark nests sealed from the outside to prevent desiccation. Workers or old nymphs build these nests, maintaining high humidity (90 to 99 percent) through metabolic water production. These nests, built from dirt, fine clay, or chewed wood glued with saliva or excreta, provide shelter and protection from predators. Fecal matter is deposited during construction to cement particles in place. Some species nest in wood, while others create subterranean nests with chambers or build mounds above ground. Ventilation is facilitated through nest architecture, such as ventilation pores, convection currents, and diffusion through the nest wall.

Why are termites sometimes considered pests and how can they affect buildings?

Termites are sometimes considered pests because they can feed on and destroy wooden structures and vegetable matter valuable to humans. While only about 10% of termite species are reported as pests, they can cause severe and costly damage. Termites can affect buildings in different ways, depending on the species. Subterranean termites, for example, need contact with soil moisture and often reach wood in structures through the foundations. Dry-wood termites, on the other hand, nest in the wood they feed on and don't invade structures from the soil.

termite

Images & Videos

Queen termite (genus Macrotermes) surrounded by workers.

A tall, irregularly shaped termite mound rises from grassy savanna with trees and a dramatic cloudy sky in the background in the Okavango region of Botswana.

At a Glance

termite summary

termite

insect

Also known as: Isoptera, white ant

Written by

Kumar Krishna

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Nov. 6, 2026 •History

General features

Distribution and abundance

Termites, which number about 2,750 species, are distributed widely, reaching their greatest abundance in numbers and species in tropical rainforests around the world (see video). In North America termites are found as far north as Vancouver, British Columbia (Zootermopsis), on the Pacific coast, and Maine and eastern Canada (Reticulitermes) on the Atlantic coast. In Europe the northern limit of natural distribution is reached by Reticulitermes lucifugus on the Atlantic coast of France, although an introduced species, Reticulitermes flavipes, occurs as far north as Hamburg, Germany. The known European species of termites have a predominantly Mediterranean distribution and do not occur naturally in Great Britain, Scandinavia, Switzerland, Germany, or northern Russia. In the Far East Reticulitermes speratus ranges as far north as South Korea, Peking, and northern Japan. Termites occur also in the Cape region of South Africa, Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand.

In addition to naturally occurring termites, many species have been inadvertently transported by humans from their native habitats to new parts of the world. Termites, particularly Cryptotermes and Coptotermes, have been accidentally transported in wooden articles such as shipping crates, boat timbers, lumber, and furniture. Because dry-wood termites (e.g., Cryptotermes species) live in small colonies in wood and tolerate long periods of dryness, they can survive in seasoned wood and furniture and can easily be transported over long distances. Members of the family Rhinotermitidae (e.g., Coptotermes) require access to moisture and cannot survive prolonged dry periods. Coptotermes formosanus, widely distributed in Japan, Taiwan, and South China, has been introduced into Sri Lanka (Ceylon), the Pacific islands, South Africa, East Africa, Hawaii, California, and the southern United States. C. formosanus is unusual for the family in that it can survive without direct soil contact as long as a moisture source is present. In the United States the species has been found to have well-established colonies in the upper reaches of buildings, using small leaks in the roof as a moisture source. A termite native to the United States, Reticulitermes flavipes, was found in the hothouses of the Royal Palace in Schönbrunn, in Vienna, and the species was reported and described in that location before it was discovered in the United States. The termites presumably had been shipped from North America in wooden containers of decorative potted plants.

Importance

Termites are important in two ways. They are destructive when they feed upon, and often destroy, wooden structures or vegetable matter valuable to humans. Introduced species, because they are not so well equipped as native species to adapt to changes in their new environments, tend to seek shelter in protected, man-made environments such as buildings and thus are likely to become the most serious pests, causing significant damage to houses and wooden furnishings. Some termites feed on living plant materials and can become serious crop pests. Termites are also extremely beneficial in that they help to convert plant cellulose into substances that can be recycled into the ecosystem to support new growth.

Although only about 10 percent of the 2,750 known termite species have been reported as pests, many of these cause severe and extremely costly damage. For effective control, it is essential to determine whether the pest is a subterranean or a wood-dwelling species, as treatment methods differ.

Sea otter (Enhydra lutris), also called great sea otter, rare, completely marine otter of the northern Pacific, usually found in kelp beds. Floats on back. Looks like sea otter laughing. saltwater otters

Britannica Quiz

Animal Group Names

Subterranean termites are dependent on contact with soil moisture and normally reach the wood in man-made structures through the foundations. The most common traditional control used around a structure is to flood a shallow trench with an insecticide and cover it with soil. Insecticides also are useful around cracks and crevices in foundations. A recent development has been to establish permanent monitoring stations around the perimeter of a foundation. When termites are discovered in a station, the wooden “bait” is replaced with a cellulose material containing a chitin inhibitor that is consumed by the foraging workers and returned to the colony and fed to others. This material disrupts normal formation of the exoskeleton (cuticle) of molting workers (the only caste capable of molting), resulting in death of the workers and, eventually, the rest of the colony. Construction and design practices that can prevent the initial entry of subterranean termites into a structure include the use of pressure-treated wood, treated concrete foundation blocks, and reinforced concrete foundations that extend at least 15.2 cm (6 inches) above the ground and have no cracks or contact with any outside wood. Removal of scrap lumber from building sites will also reduce the termite population.

Dry-wood termites nest in the wood on which they feed and do not invade a structure from the soil. Because their colonies are within the structure, they are difficult to control. Preventive measures include the use of chemically treated wood in building construction and the use of paint or other durable finish to seal cracks in wood surfaces. Fumigation is the most effective method for eliminating a dry-wood termite infestation. Another method is to place insecticide into small holes drilled into galleries of infested wood.

Explore Britannica Premium!

The trusted destination for professionals, college students, and lifelong learners.

termite

General features

Distribution and abundance

Thank you for signing up!

Importance