The termites do not tunnel into wood, but rather remove only surface materials. Being readily apparent on over-grazed rangelands or during droughts, the tubes and sheetings cause great concern to ranchers in the Southwest. They are most active on the surface from March through September, with few to no termites present above ground from December through February.
Desert termites often consume entire above-ground portions of plants.
Blue grama is preferred during most of the feeding period. Live grass plants are consumed during spring and early summer, but the importance of grasses as a food source declines during early fall. Consumption of standing dead grasses is low in spring and increases steadily until October. However, controlling termites increased standing crop of grass by 22 percent and litter accumulation by 50 percent in two years. Spears et al.