Termites are social insects belonging to the order of Isoptera. The Termite colony has three primary castes: workers, soldiers and the reproductives the king and the queen. They can utilize wood cellulose and this is their basic difference from other insects. termites mostly feed on dead plant material and cellulose, in the form of wood, leaflitter and soil. Termites are among the most sucessfull groups of insectson earth and their colonies range in size from a couple of hundred individuals to enormous societies with several million individuals. In nature termites are valuable decomposers as they help convert dead wood and other cellulose materials into humus. There are three majors spieces of termites which occur in the United States: Subterranean Termite, Dry Wood Termite and Formosan Termite. They can travel up to 130 feet from their colony and once they discover food source, they leave a trail for other termites to follow. Termites work 24 hours per day, worker termites bring food to the colony throught tunnels without resting. Termites need moisture to survive and will die if they expose themshelves into sunlight or open air. The tunnels they create protect them. High moisture areas like basements are very attractive to termites and can serve as starting points of an infestation in a structure. Termites cause more destruction to wood products and wooden parts of structures than any other insect. Subterranean termites cause about 95% of other termite related damage in the United States. In New York State Subterranean Termites are the most common.