These termites are social insects and build a communal nest in the form of a mound.

From this, a network of galleries extends through the nearby soil, enabling the workers to forage in the surrounding area without emerging on the surface of the ground.

C. lacteus soldiers at 4 to 4.8 mm (0.16 to 0.19 in) long are slightly smaller in size than the other two species.

[1] The mound nests of C. lacteus are smaller than those of the magnetic termite Amitermes meridionalis.

The outer layer is thick and hard and inside this is a hard mass of cemented soil particles and a central soft, papery nursery area where the queen and developing nymphs live.