It is native to tropical India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka but has extended its range into the subtropics and warm temperate areas of the Himalayan foothills to altitudes of about 2,000 m (6,600 ft).

[7] These termites are known to attack and feed on many economically important species on a large scale, reducing their yield.

Trees and woody plants attacked include:[8] This subterranean termite causes extensive damage in houses to wooden structures, as well as feeding on paper, cloth and other cellulose-containing products.

It hollows out the timber, leaving a thin external layer intact and plastering the interior surfaces with excreta.

Timber buildings can be badly affected by this termite, and in the 1940s, the small town of Sri Hargobindpur in Punjab had to be abandoned because of the destruction wreaked by this species.