ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on insect groups that cause major structural damage to human habitations. Termites and carpenter ants are the most widely known structural pests, but a variety of other insects also can cause serious damage. Cryptotermes, soldiers’ heads are short and flattened in front to plug entrance holes or repair penetration of nests. Soldiers in species of Nasutitermes have reduced mandibles, but the head is elongated into a snout and the frontal gland is enlarged to project a sticky, repellent secretion at predators. Termites are native to virtually all forest, grassland and desert ecosystems, where they are instrumental in the decomposition of cellulosic materials. Termites are incapable of discriminating between dead plant material in their natural environment and the dead plant materials used to build human structures. Subterranean termites require moisture to survive, so typically live in moist soil and feed on wood in contact with soil.
