Termites in New South Wales

Termites are pallid, secretive creatures colloquially known as 'white ants'. Although termites and ants are very different types of insect, the confusion is understandable as they share some remarkable similarities. Both follow trails, live in nests or colonies in the ground, in timber and in trees and sometimes invade buildings. Nests are generally under the control of a single queen, and other members of the colony can have a range of specialised forms. Despite the similarities, termites differ from ants in a number of important ways (Figure 1). One major difference is that termites almost always remain hidden from view. Another is embodied in the name Isoptera, the insect group termites belong to. Isoptera (from the Greek Isos meaning the same, and ptera meaning wings) describes the paired wings of the reproductive caste, which are of equal size. In contrast the forewing of an ant is usually larger than the hind wing.