  Coptotermes formosanus. Photo: Partho Dhang, PhD Termite control is a major enterprise in most parts of the world, undertaken to protect structures and properties. Historically the interaction of termites and humans probably started when termites attacked crops and manmade structures containing cellulosic material. This interaction has now taken a shape resembling a confrontation, thanks to extensive land use by humans for agriculture and development.
Urbanisation is playing a big role, with large areas of the earth’s landmass being rapidly converted into real estates. Trade in wood and wood derived products also play a role in transporting infestation across the globe. In this manner invasive termite species have found new shelters in territories where they were previously unknown. The number of invasive termites has jumped from 17 to 28 in little over half a century. In this situation it is important to know if climate, a limiting factor in termite bio-ecology, will play any role in making them a bigger concern.
Termite distribution is mainly around the tropical countries. Globally, termite diversity is greatest in tropical areas and decreases with increasing latitude, and only a few termite genera are found beyond 40° latitude (Eggleton,2000). It is observed that termite distribution and abundance is closely linked to distribution and abundance of rainfall (Wood and Johnson, 1986; Buxton, 1981), temperature, and relative humidity (Cabrerra, 1994).
Also, termite foraging patterns are linked to key abiotic parameters (Haagsma and Rust 1995; Dibog et al. 1998; Haverty et al. 1999; Evans and Gleason 2001; Mesenger and Su 2005; Moura et al. 2006). In studies it was shown that foraging activity of Coptotermes lacteus was correlated with both soil and air temperature (Evans and Gleason 2001). In another study, the preferred soil temperatures of the western subterranean termite, Reticulitermes hesperus was reported to be in the range from 29-32°C (Smith and Rust 1994), indicating the role of temperature as a dominant factor in determining distribution.
Read the full article in the JanFeb 2024 sample copy
Author: Dr Partho Dhang, Independent consultant. Belarmino Street, Makati
City, Philippines
Published in International Pest Control – January/February 2024 issue. The post Impact of climate change on subterranean termite first appeared on International Pest Control Magazine. 
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