There are some termite pest species that prefer not to infest people’s houses, but this does not make a particular species harmless. For example, there are plenty of termite species in the world that avoid feeding on man made structures; instead, many of these termite species focus on certain trees grown in the wild. Generally speaking, if a termite species is considered a major pest to native plant life, then it is likely to be considered at least a moderate risk to man-made structures. However, the termite species known as Porotermes adamsoni could be considered an exception to this generality. These insects are major pests to several types of valuable wood products in southeast Asia, Australia and Tasmania, but they rarely attack man-made structures.

The above named species belongs to the genus of termite known as Porotermes. This genus is not the most notable as it only includes one species of termite that is considered a major pest. Most of the time, the highly damaging subterranean termite species in the Coptotermes genus gets most of the attention as a pest. This is understandable given that the Coptotermes family of termites have earned their notorious status as major pests. Surprisingly, Porotermes adamsoni can be considered even more damaging than the Coptotermes species since they consume more types of valuable wood. The P. adamsoni species feeds on both sapwood as well as heartwood.

Most people know the  P. adamsoni as a significant pest to Eucalyptus. These termites are particularly well known by residents of New South Wales and Tasmania for their ability to quickly damage eucalyptus. In rare cases, P. adamsoni can infest wood being traded with other countries. Keeping these insects out of wood can be accomplished with little difficulty. Simply heating the internal core temperatures of wood products to fifty six degrees celsius for a half an hour will kill all termite life within the wood.

Do you think that there exists any termite species dwelling in America that attack healthy trees?