TEXAS TERMITE TECHNICIAN NEWESET 2025/2026 / COMPREHENSIVE STUDY
GUIDE – EXPERT VERIFIED QUESTIONS & ANSWERS(REAL DEAL).
Question 1
Which type of termite poses the least problem as a structural pest and is primarily found in
dead, damp, and rotting logs?
A) Subterranean Termites
B) Dampwood Termites
C) Drywood Termites
D) Formosan Termites
Correct Answer: B) Dampwood Termites
Rationale: Dampwood termites require wood with a very high moisture content, which is why
they are typically found in decaying logs or water-damaged structures, making them less of a
widespread pest than subterranean or drywood termites.
Question 2
Termites rely on soil moisture for survival. In which type of soil are they generally more
prevalent and better able to survive?
A) Clay soils
B) Sandy soils
C) Loam soils
D) Silty soils
Correct Answer: B) Sandy soils
Rationale: Sandy soils allow for easier tunneling and better moisture retention at the depths
where termites build their colonies, creating a more favorable environment for survival and
infestation.
Question 3
What enables termites to digest cellulose, the primary component of wood?
A) Specialized enzymes in their saliva.
B) An unusually acidic digestive tract.
C) Protozoa and bacteria in their hindgut.
,D) Chewing mouthparts that grind wood into a paste.
Correct Answer: C) Protozoa and bacteria in their hindgut.
Rationale: Termites themselves cannot digest cellulose. They have a symbiotic relationship
with microorganisms (protozoa and bacteria) in their digestive system that break down the
cellulose into nutrients the termites can absorb.
Question 4
A termite colony is divided into three primary forms, or castes. What are they?
A) Workers, Soldiers, and Drones
B) Kings, Queens, and Alates
C) Nymphs, Larvae, and Adults
D) Workers, Soldiers, and Reproductives
Correct Answer: D) Workers, Soldiers, and Reproductives
Rationale: These are the three main functional groups within a termite colony. Workers
perform foraging and construction, soldiers defend the colony, and reproductives (kings,
queens, alates) are responsible for procreation.
Question 5
Which caste is by far the most numerous in a termite colony and is responsible for foraging for
food and building tunnels?
A) Soldiers
B) Reproductives
C) Workers
D) Nymphs
Correct Answer: C) Workers
Rationale: Workers typically make up over 90% of the colony's population and are responsible
for all the labor, including feeding the other castes.
Question 6
Termite soldiers can be distinguished from workers by what prominent characteristic?
A) They are winged and darker in color.
,B) They have greatly enlarged, reddish-brown heads with large mandibles.
C) They are significantly smaller than workers.
D) They have functional eyes, unlike workers.
Correct Answer: B) They have greatly enlarged, reddish-brown heads with large mandibles.
Rationale: The soldier caste is morphologically adapted for defense, featuring a heavily
sclerotized (hardened) head and powerful jaws (mandibles) used to fight off predators like
ants.
Question 7
The winged, swarming form of a reproductive termite is known as a(n):
A) Tertiary reproductive
B) Nymph
C) Primary (alate) reproductive
D) Secondary reproductive
Correct Answer: C) Primary (alate) reproductive
Rationale: Alates are the winged primary reproductives that emerge from a mature colony to
swarm, mate, and attempt to establish a new colony. They are the future kings and queens.
Question 8
Under what conditions do secondary reproductives typically develop?
A) When the colony is young and growing rapidly.
B) When the primary king and queen die, or a part of the colony becomes isolated.
C) Annually, just before the spring swarm.
D) Only in Formosan termite colonies.
Correct Answer: B) When the primary king and queen die, or a part of the colony becomes
isolated.
Rationale: Secondary reproductives are supplementary reproductives that can mature and
begin laying eggs if the primary queen is lost or if a satellite colony is formed through
"budding," ensuring the colony's survival and expansion.
, Question 9
In Texas, subterranean termites typically swarm during which period?
A) Late fall, from October to December.
B) Mid-summer, from July to August.
C) Early spring, from January to June, often after a warm rain.
D) Swarming can happen at any time of year.
Correct Answer: C) Early spring, from January to June, often after a warm rain.
Rationale: Swarming is triggered by environmental cues. In Texas, the combination of
warming temperatures and moisture from spring rains signals mature colonies to release their
alates.
Question 10
Outside of a primary swarm, a new termite colony can be formed when a group, including one
or more secondary reproductives, separates from the main colony. This process is called:
A) Swarming
B) Budding
C) Dispersal
D) Fission
Correct Answer: B) Budding
Rationale: Budding allows a colony to expand its territory without the high-risk dispersal
flight of a swarm. A small group can split off to form a new, independent colony nearby.
Question 11
Subterranean termites can enter a structure through cracks in the foundation as small as:
A) 1/2 inch
B) 1/4 inch
C) 1/8 inch
D) 1/32 to 1/64 inch
Correct Answer: D) 1/32 to 1/64 inch
Rationale: Termites are able to squeeze through incredibly small openings. This is why any
crack in a slab or foundation wall is a potential entry point that requires treatment.
GUIDE – EXPERT VERIFIED QUESTIONS & ANSWERS(REAL DEAL).
Question 1
Which type of termite poses the least problem as a structural pest and is primarily found in
dead, damp, and rotting logs?
A) Subterranean Termites
B) Dampwood Termites
C) Drywood Termites
D) Formosan Termites
Correct Answer: B) Dampwood Termites
Rationale: Dampwood termites require wood with a very high moisture content, which is why
they are typically found in decaying logs or water-damaged structures, making them less of a
widespread pest than subterranean or drywood termites.
Question 2
Termites rely on soil moisture for survival. In which type of soil are they generally more
prevalent and better able to survive?
A) Clay soils
B) Sandy soils
C) Loam soils
D) Silty soils
Correct Answer: B) Sandy soils
Rationale: Sandy soils allow for easier tunneling and better moisture retention at the depths
where termites build their colonies, creating a more favorable environment for survival and
infestation.
Question 3
What enables termites to digest cellulose, the primary component of wood?
A) Specialized enzymes in their saliva.
B) An unusually acidic digestive tract.
C) Protozoa and bacteria in their hindgut.
,D) Chewing mouthparts that grind wood into a paste.
Correct Answer: C) Protozoa and bacteria in their hindgut.
Rationale: Termites themselves cannot digest cellulose. They have a symbiotic relationship
with microorganisms (protozoa and bacteria) in their digestive system that break down the
cellulose into nutrients the termites can absorb.
Question 4
A termite colony is divided into three primary forms, or castes. What are they?
A) Workers, Soldiers, and Drones
B) Kings, Queens, and Alates
C) Nymphs, Larvae, and Adults
D) Workers, Soldiers, and Reproductives
Correct Answer: D) Workers, Soldiers, and Reproductives
Rationale: These are the three main functional groups within a termite colony. Workers
perform foraging and construction, soldiers defend the colony, and reproductives (kings,
queens, alates) are responsible for procreation.
Question 5
Which caste is by far the most numerous in a termite colony and is responsible for foraging for
food and building tunnels?
A) Soldiers
B) Reproductives
C) Workers
D) Nymphs
Correct Answer: C) Workers
Rationale: Workers typically make up over 90% of the colony's population and are responsible
for all the labor, including feeding the other castes.
Question 6
Termite soldiers can be distinguished from workers by what prominent characteristic?
A) They are winged and darker in color.
,B) They have greatly enlarged, reddish-brown heads with large mandibles.
C) They are significantly smaller than workers.
D) They have functional eyes, unlike workers.
Correct Answer: B) They have greatly enlarged, reddish-brown heads with large mandibles.
Rationale: The soldier caste is morphologically adapted for defense, featuring a heavily
sclerotized (hardened) head and powerful jaws (mandibles) used to fight off predators like
ants.
Question 7
The winged, swarming form of a reproductive termite is known as a(n):
A) Tertiary reproductive
B) Nymph
C) Primary (alate) reproductive
D) Secondary reproductive
Correct Answer: C) Primary (alate) reproductive
Rationale: Alates are the winged primary reproductives that emerge from a mature colony to
swarm, mate, and attempt to establish a new colony. They are the future kings and queens.
Question 8
Under what conditions do secondary reproductives typically develop?
A) When the colony is young and growing rapidly.
B) When the primary king and queen die, or a part of the colony becomes isolated.
C) Annually, just before the spring swarm.
D) Only in Formosan termite colonies.
Correct Answer: B) When the primary king and queen die, or a part of the colony becomes
isolated.
Rationale: Secondary reproductives are supplementary reproductives that can mature and
begin laying eggs if the primary queen is lost or if a satellite colony is formed through
"budding," ensuring the colony's survival and expansion.
, Question 9
In Texas, subterranean termites typically swarm during which period?
A) Late fall, from October to December.
B) Mid-summer, from July to August.
C) Early spring, from January to June, often after a warm rain.
D) Swarming can happen at any time of year.
Correct Answer: C) Early spring, from January to June, often after a warm rain.
Rationale: Swarming is triggered by environmental cues. In Texas, the combination of
warming temperatures and moisture from spring rains signals mature colonies to release their
alates.
Question 10
Outside of a primary swarm, a new termite colony can be formed when a group, including one
or more secondary reproductives, separates from the main colony. This process is called:
A) Swarming
B) Budding
C) Dispersal
D) Fission
Correct Answer: B) Budding
Rationale: Budding allows a colony to expand its territory without the high-risk dispersal
flight of a swarm. A small group can split off to form a new, independent colony nearby.
Question 11
Subterranean termites can enter a structure through cracks in the foundation as small as:
A) 1/2 inch
B) 1/4 inch
C) 1/8 inch
D) 1/32 to 1/64 inch
Correct Answer: D) 1/32 to 1/64 inch
Rationale: Termites are able to squeeze through incredibly small openings. This is why any
crack in a slab or foundation wall is a potential entry point that requires treatment.
