[2] They feed themselves by gathering cellulose from natural sources including dead tree logs, stumps, and branches as well as from man-made wooden structures such as buildings, books and paper.

Heterotermes are considered to be highly adaptable, having a relatively fast growth rate in mature colonies with good conditions.

However, many Heterotermes gynes are more lightly pigmented (color range is usually pale yellow-brown to orange-brown) than Reticulitermes.

[citation needed] The only type of secondary reproductive found in Heterotermes are nymphoid neotenic individuals.

Soldiers will excrete a light grey-tinted sticky liquid when disturbed, and are also found to bump their heads into nest walls to alert fellow colony members about arriving danger.