Australian scientists have shown (published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) that drywood termites (Cryptotermes domesticus) listen to their wood, before eating it. The termites also listen to the sound they produce while chewing, which helps them detect other species of termites, and help control the development of immature workers into sexually-active breeders. According to the researchers (CSIRO, University of New South Wales), this might lead to better ways of protecting wood from termite damage.

Termites! (Courtesy: NewScientist)The termites detect sound through their legs and antennae. They choose smaller wood blocks when in a new environment, and avoid larger blocks that are being fed upon by termites from other species. Over time, they get more confident and start feeding on the large blocks as well.
It is still to be seen if termites from other continents make similar sound, or if termites from different continents hear each others' sound as threats. It might be possible to stop termites from doing damage to a house by piping vibrations from another species through the wood framework. This will make the house termite-free, without having to use pesticides! Hopefully, the termites do not have a very discerning 'ear' :-)