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TREE TERMITE FACTS |
Identification
Nasutitermes walkeri soldiers have a rounded head and long straight mandibles. The soldiers are pale yellowish brown colour. Not a major pest termite. Nests are visible on tree trunks or forks of branches connected to the ground by galleries. The outside of the nest is soft and crumbly. Underground tunnels just below the surface spread from the base of the tree to their food sources.
Size
Soldier length: 5mm - 7mm
Habitat
bushland and woodland along coastal and mountain regions
Food
like most termites, it feeds on cellulose from wood
Breeding
Colonies establish in the root crowns of trees at the site of decay or fire damage. Once the colony is well established, they construct arboreal nests higher up the trees, maintaining contact with the soil via galleries running down the tree trunk.
Range
eastern NSW and south eastern Queensland
Notes
Nasutitermes walkeri can be a destructive termite. Mostly attacks timber in contact with ground such as fences and poles. Rarely causes significant damage to building timbers. May attack damp timbers such as under floors where wood is damp and wood is starting to decay.
Classification
| Class: | Insecta | | Order: | Isoptera | | Family: | Nasutitermitidae | | Genus: | Nasutitermes | | Species: | walkeri | | Common Name: | Tree Termite |
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