Termites try to remain hidden, building tunnels in earth and wood. When they have to cross some impermeable material they build several feet long shelter tubes (from packed earth/feces).

Fighting termites

Precautions:

• Avoiding contact of wood with ground by using termite-resistant concrete, steel or masonry foundation with appropriate barriers. Even so, termites are able to bridge these with shelter tubes, and it has been known for termites to chew through even lead piping to reach moisture.
• Timber treatment.
• Use of wood that is naturally resistant to termites and other boarers such as Canarium australianum, otherwise known as the Turpentine Tree. Note that there is no such wood that provides guaranteed proof against termite damage, only some that would be less favorable.

When termites have already penetrated a building, removing their means of access and destroying the colony with insecticides are usually effective means of stopping further damage. Another common method of treating termites in houses, used in Australia since the early 1930's, is topical application of arsenic trioxide powder. This slow-acting poison is distributed by the workers before any symptoms occur and is capable of destroying the colony. More modern variations include triflumuron, fipronil and imidacloprid which are much less toxic to mammals. Slow-acting toxins are also delivered by a range of methods involving poisoned feed.

In 2005, a group of Australian scientists discovered a treatment based on a plant extract (false sandalwood) that repels termites ^[2]. Research thus far indicates that termites will stay on the other side of treated wood (even so far as starving rather than crossing). Ongoing tests conducted by BioProspects Limited have shown that termites will stay on the other side of treated wood (even so far as starving rather than crossing) and when exposed and forced to keep close proximity to the extract (in the stated case within a petrie dish) become disoriented and eventually die.