#28854
Sir Humphrey
Strataguru

    How are the alates (flying adults setting out from a nest to pair up and start a new nest) getting in? Don’t you have flyscreens on windows? 

    If you have very large numbers, there must be a nest nearby. I think the OC would be most interested in finding the nest, rather than worrying about the short-term matter of a flight of alates. 

    Bear in mind that many termite species are innocuous and don’t attack structural timbers. On the other hand, some species can do serious damage in a short time, especially in coastal and northern areas. 

    Fortunately, where I live (ACT) there are only two species that present a serious threat and neither works very quickly, so there is no reason to panic if active termites are found. Leave them alone and call a pest control person. 

    A considerable annoyance, however, is that our local termite inspectors frequently don’t bother to distinguish two Nausutitermes species, one of which is a serious concern – tunnels 10s of meters and attacks sound timber, the other of which only eats already rotting timber and does not travel far. I am a bit cynical about why they don’t bother to distinguish these two. They are not that hard to tell apart.