Termite infestation is an ever-present pest problem in Singapore and can cause very extensive damage to buildings and may endanger the life of occupants within. Terminator Tube is the world's first non-chemical and non-toxic professional termite monitoring and attractant baiting system. It can create a full property barrier defence system against termite infestation. Specially designed for water injection, the Terminator Tube is suitable for tropical and arid climates. To display this page you need a browser with JavaScript support.
Termites are generally grouped according to their feeding behaviour. Thus the commonly used general groupings are: Subterranean, Soil-feeding, Drywood, Dampwood and Grass eating. Of these, subterraneans and drywoods are primarily responsible for damage to human structures.

All termites eat cellulose in its various forms as plant fiber. Cellulose is a rich energy source (think of the amount of energy released when wood is burned), but remains difficult to digest. Termites rely primarily upon symbiotic protozoa (metamonads) such as Trichonympha, and other microbes in their gut to digest the cellulose for them, absorbing the end products for their own use. Gut protozoa such as Trichonympha, in turn rely on symbiotic bacteria embedded on their surfaces to produce some of the necessary digestive enzymes. This relationship is one of the finest examples of mutualism among animals. Most so called "higher termites", especially in the Family Termitidae can produce their own cellulase enzymes. However, they still retain a rich gut fauna with bacteria dominant. Due to closely related bacterial species, it is strongly presumed that the termites' gut flora are descended from the gut flora of the ancestral wood-eating cockroachs, like those of the genus Cryptocercus.

Some species of termite practice fungiculture - they maintain a 'garden' of specialized fungi of genus Termitomyces, which are nourished by the excrement of the insects. When the fungi in turn are eaten, their spores pass undamaged through the intestines of the termites, to complete the cycle by germinating in the fresh faecal pellets.



This Article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia articles "Termite".
Termite PhotoTermite infestation is an ever-present pest problem in Singapore and can cause very extensive damage to buildings and will endanger the life of occupants within. Learn more about these pests and how to control them with the following termite facts and tips.