Editing Termite (section)

=== As pests ===
[[File:Termite mound on runway at Khorixas (2018).jpg|thumb|Termite mound as an obstacle on a runway at [[Khorixas]] ([[Namibia]])]]
[[File:Termite damage.JPG|thumb|200px|left|Termite damage on external structure]]
Owing to their wood-eating habits, many termite species can do significant damage to unprotected buildings and other wooden structures.<ref name=pests2000/> Termites play an important role as decomposers of wood and vegetative material, and the conflict with humans occurs where structures and landscapes containing structural wood components, cellulose derived structural materials and ornamental vegetation provide termites with a reliable source of food and moisture.<ref>{{cite book|last=Thorne, Ph.D|first=Barbara L. |date=1999 |title=NPMA Research Report On Subterranean Termites |location=Dunn Loring, VA |publisher=NPMA|page=22|url=https://entomology.umd.edu/thorne-barbara-l.html}}</ref> Their habit of remaining concealed often results in their presence being undetected until the timbers are severely damaged, with only a thin exterior layer of wood remaining, which protects them from the environment.<ref>{{cite web|title=Termites|url=http://www.vba.vic.gov.au/consumer-resources/building/pages/termites|work=Victorian Building Authority|publisher=Government of Victoria|access-date=20 September 2015|date=2014|archive-date=3 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180203051240/http://www.vba.vic.gov.au/consumer-resources/building/pages/termites|url-status=dead}}</ref> Of the 3,106 species known, only 183 species cause damage; 83 species cause significant damage to wooden structures.<ref name=pests2000>{{cite book|last1=Su|first1=N.Y.|last2=Scheffrahn|first2=R.H.|title=''Termites as Pests of Buildings'' in Termites: Evolution, Sociality, Symbioses, Ecology|date=2000|publisher=Springer Netherlands|doi=10.1007/978-94-017-3223-9_20|isbn=978-94-017-3223-9|pages=437–453}}</ref> In North America, 18 subterranean species are pests;<ref>{{cite book|last=Thorne, Ph.D|first=Barbara L. |date=1999 |title=NPMA Research Report On Subterranean Termites |location=Dunn Loring, VA |publisher=NPMA|page=2|url=https://entomology.umd.edu/thorne-barbara-l.html}}</ref> in Australia, 16 species have an economic impact; in the Indian subcontinent 26 species are considered pests, and in tropical Africa, 24. In Central America and the West Indies, there are 17 pest species.<ref name=pests2000/> Among the termite genera, ''Coptotermes'' has the highest number of pest species of any genus, with 28 species known to cause damage.<ref name=pests2000/> Less than 10% of drywood termites are pests, but they infect wooden structures and furniture in tropical, subtropical and other regions. Dampwood termites only attack lumber material exposed to rainfall or soil.<ref name=pests2000/>

Drywood termites thrive in warm climates, and human activities can enable them to invade homes since they can be transported through contaminated goods, containers and ships.<ref name=pests2000/> Colonies of termites have been seen thriving in warm buildings located in cold regions.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Grace|first1=J.K.|last2=Cutten|first2=G.M.|last3=Scheffrahn|first3=R.H.|last4=McEkevan|first4=D.K.|title=First infestation by ''Incisitermes minor'' of a Canadian building (Isoptera: Kalotermitidae)|journal=Sociobiology|date=1991|volume=18|pages=299–304}}</ref> Some termites are considered invasive species. ''Cryptotermes brevis'', the most widely introduced invasive termite species in the world, has been introduced to all the islands in the West Indies and to Australia.<ref name=Heather1971/><ref name=pests2000/>

[[File:House stumps eaten by termites.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Termite damage in wooden house stumps]]
In addition to causing damage to buildings, termites can also damage food crops.<ref name=Sands1973>{{cite journal|last1=Sands|first1=W.A.|title=Termites as Pests of Tropical Food Crops|journal=Tropical Pest Management|date=1973|volume=19|issue=2|pages=167–177|doi=10.1080/09670877309412751}}</ref> Termites may attack trees whose resistance to damage is low but generally ignore fast-growing plants. Most attacks occur at harvest time; crops and trees are attacked during the dry season.<ref name=Sands1973/>

In Australia, at a cost of more than {{AUD|1.5 billion}} per year,<ref>[https://www.uts.edu.au/research-and-teaching/our-research/sustainability/our-research/termites-quietly-reveal-their-secrets Termites quietly reveal their secrets] [[University of Technology Sydney]]. Retrieved 3 April 2023.</ref> termites cause more damage to houses than fire, floods and storms combined.<ref>[https://www.vba.vic.gov.au/consumers/guides/termites Termites] Victorian Building Authority. Retrieved 3 April 2023.</ref> In Malaysia, it is estimated that termites caused about RM400 million of damages to properties and buildings.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/leisure/property/2021/10/02/a-guide-to-termite-infestations-in-malaysia/|title=A guide to termite infestations in Malaysia &#124; Free Malaysia Today (FMT)|date=2 October 2021 }}</ref> The damage caused by termites costs the southwestern United States approximately $1.5&nbsp;billion each year in wood structure damage, but the true cost of damage worldwide cannot be determined.<ref name=pests2000/><ref name=agricultural2010/> Drywood termites are responsible for a large proportion of the damage caused by termites.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Su|first1=N.Y.|last2=Scheffrahn|first2=R.H.|title=Economically important termites in the United States and their control|journal=Sociobiology|date=1990|volume=17|pages=77–94|url=http://flrec.ifas.ufl.edu/pdfs/su_pub/su045_ecotmt.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110812214933/http://flrec.ifas.ufl.edu/pdfs/Su_pub/Su045_EcoTMT.pdf|archive-date=2011-08-12}}</ref>  The goal of termite control is to keep structures and susceptible ornamental plants free from termites.;<ref>{{cite book|last=Thorne, Ph.D|first=Barbara L. |date=1999 |title=NPMA Research Report On Subterranean Termites |location=Dunn Loring, VA |publisher=NPMA|page=40|url=https://entomology.umd.edu/thorne-barbara-l.html}}</ref>  Structures may be homes or business, or elements such as wooden fence posts and telephone poles.  Regular and thorough inspections by a trained professional may be necessary to detect termite activity in the absence of more obvious signs like termite swarmers or alates inside or adjacent to a structure.  Termite monitors made of wood or cellulose adjacent to a structure may also provide indication of termite foraging activity where it will be in conflict with humans. Termites can be controlled by application of [[Bordeaux mixture]] or other substances that contain [[copper]] such as [[chromated copper arsenate]].<ref name="cus">{{cite web |last1=Elliott |first1=Sara |title=How can copper keep termites at bay? |url=https://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/household-safety/copper-stop-termites2.htm |publisher=HowStuffWorks |date=26 May 2009}}</ref>  In the United states, application of a soil termiticide with the active ingredient [[Fipronil]], such as Termidor SC or Taurus SC, by a licensed professional,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Questions and Answers About Termites|url=https://www.pestboard.ca.gov/forms/termites.pdf|access-date=19 April 2021|website=Department of Consumer Affairs, Structural Pest Control Board of California}}</ref> is a common remedy approved by the Environmental Protection Agency for economically significant subterranean termites.<ref>{{Cite web|title=EPA Registration and Label for Taurus SC Termiticide|url=https://www3.epa.gov/pesticides/chem_search/ppls/053883-00279-20110915.pdf|website=EPA.gov}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=EPA Registration and Label for Termidor SC|url=https://www3.epa.gov/pesticides/chem_search/ppls/007969-00210-20041015.pdf|access-date=19 April 2021|website=EPA.gov}}</ref>  A growing demand for alternative, green, and "more natural" extermination methods has increased demand for mechanical and biological control methods such as [[orange oil]].

To better control the population of termites, various methods have been developed to track termite movements.<ref name=agricultural2010>{{cite news|last1=Flores|first1=A.|title=New Assay Helps Track Termites, Other Insects|url=http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2010/100217.htm|access-date=15 January 2015|work=Agricultural Research Service|publisher=United States Department of Agriculture|date=17 February 2010}}</ref> One early method involved distributing termite bait laced with [[immunoglobulin G]] (IgG) marker proteins from rabbits or chickens. Termites collected from the field could be tested for the rabbit-IgG markers using a rabbit-IgG-specific [[assay]]. More recently developed, less expensive alternatives include tracking the termites using egg white, cow milk, or soy milk proteins, which can be sprayed on termites in the field. Termites bearing these proteins can be traced using a protein-specific [[ELISA]] test.<ref name=agricultural2010/> [[RNAi]] insecticides specific to termites [[insecticide development|are in development]].<ref name="Assay for RNAi resistance in termites"/> One factor reducing [[investment]] in its [[research and development]] is concern about high potential for [[Pesticide resistance|resistance evolution]].<ref name="Assay for RNAi resistance in termites">{{Cite journal|number=1|volume=43|year=2023|department=Review paper|pages=55–68|last1=Mogilicherla|first1=Kanakachari|last2=Chakraborty|first2=Amrita|last3=Taning|first3=Clauvis Nji Tizi|last4=Smagghe|first4=Guy|last5=Roy|first5=Amit|doi=10.1127/entomologia/2022/1636|title=RNAi in termites (Isoptera): current status and prospects for pest management|journal=Entomologia Generalis |hdl=1854/LU-01H7T2H1DB5XMEKN7APN3SEPYR|url=https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/01H7T2H1DB5XMEKN7APN3SEPYR |hdl-access=free}}</ref>

In 1994, termites, of the species ''[[Reticulitermes]] grassei'', were identified in two bungalows in [[Saunton]], [[Devon]]. Anecdotal evidence suggests the infestation could date back 70 years before the official identification. There are reports that gardeners had seen white ants and that a greenhouse had had to be replaced in the past. The Saunton infestation was the first and only colony ever recorded in the UK. In 1998, Termite Eradication Programme was set-up, with the intention of containing and eradicating the colony. The TEP was managed by the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (now the [[Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities]].) The TEP used "insect growth regulators" to prevent the termites from reaching maturity and reproducing. In 2021, the UK's Termite Eradication Programme announced the eradication of the colony, the first time a country has eradicated termites.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Pidd|first=Helen|date=21 December 2021|title='A world first': Devon calls victory in 27-year war on termites|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/dec/21/a-world-first-devon-calls-victory-in-27-year-war-on-termites|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221234612/https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/dec/21/a-world-first-devon-calls-victory-in-27-year-war-on-termites|archive-date=21 December 2021|access-date=22 December 2021|website=The Guardian|language=en}}</ref>