Termites in trees in Sydney

Because there are many national parks and bushland areas in and around Sydney the prevalence of termites that like to nest in trees is very high. It is a misconception held by the general public and also some members of the pest control community that termites that live in trees do not attack homes. This could not be further from the truth. In fact for the termites to live in the trees they must 1st excavate enough room inside the tree for their entire colony, this in itself should surely be enough evidence that termites eat timber. Houses are made from timber. 2+2=4
The termites that cause the most damage in the Sydney basin are a species that almost always lives inside of a tree. This species, Coptotermes are very prevalent. There is another species which is also known to nest on and sometimes in, trees, and that is Nasutitermes Walkeri, and these are the termite nests that you might see high up in a tree, they build large round or oval shaped mud nests. These nests are only half of the actual termite Colony with the other half of the colony being in a separate area underground. These termites to, can cause great deals of damage and have been known to damage a house to the point that it needs to be demolished.
If you have trees around or near to your property then it pays to have them checked when you have your annual termite inspection.

What does a Termite sound like?

Termites communicate with the use of pheromones, Termites also have the ability to communicate with sound. Particularly when there has been an incursion into the colony by ants or there has been damaged sustained to their workings, the soldier termites will whack their head against the timber resulting in a clicking sound. have a listen to the sound on this video.

What do termites sound like?

Termites do not have the ability to make sound as humans do for communication. Termites communicate via pheromones most of the time. Occasionally when termites are disturbed, for instance when a piece of timber that they are working inside collapses and distorts opening up the workings to our atmosphere the soldier termites rapidly run to the open area to defend the colony from potential predators.
The instant that this disturbance has happened, the soldier termites start to bang their heads against the timber making a clicking or tapping type of sound, this sound is repeated by all of the soldiers that are within earshot and very rapidly the message that there is a disturbance or an incursion into the colony gets back to the Queen.
The sound that the termites may have varies depending upon the area within which they are working, often because the timber is hollow, the sound is amplified and is quite drummy. When the timber within which they are working has been extensively damaged and has little structural integrity left the sound is often quieter.
People will often hear termites when the termites are working in the wall next to the bed. It can be quiet enough overnight that the sounds of biting can be heard. This is quite rare but does happen on occasions.
Click here to hear what termites sound like.