Termites live in colonies with populations of between 4 to 6 million including the queen, secondary reproductives, winged reproductives, soldiers and workers. Worker termites are sometimes confused with ants, however are distinguished by their off-white colour and that they are about the size of a grain of rice. One termite colony will usually attack at least one half of an entire city block over a period of time. When the colony becomes over-crowded, the termites move through the soil to establish satellite colonies. In addition, during periods of hot, humid weather, winged reproductives, also known as "swarmers", may leave the nest to form new colonies.

Property damage resulting from termite infestations can be quite extensive. For example, in the United States, termite damage costs American homeowners approximately $2 billion dollars annually. Unfortunately, most homeowners are unaware of the damage caused by termites until it becomes quite evident.

How Termites Invade a Building Subterranean termites build their nests in the ground. They require a highly moist environment in order to survive. They facilitate this by constructing mud tubes (also referred to as "shelter tubes") which help them to maintain hospitable conditions, provide transportation channels to explore for food and link food sources to the underground nests. Colonies will usually be found at the water table, which may be as deep as 50 feet below the grade.

While direct wood to soil contact is the easiest route into a building, termites can also enter through these mud tubes. Common entry points include: rubble foundation walls, voids in concrete blocks and in the centre of brick walls, cracks and crevices, around electrical wiring and plumbing expansion joints and rigid foam insulation. A common misconception is that only buildings constructed primarily of wood are vulnerable to termites. In fact, any structure whether built from steel, concrete, brick or wood can be susceptible to termite infestations.