Psammotermes is found in deserts and arid regions of Africa, in sand or eroded areas, but not heavy clay or alluvial soils.

It is the termite genus best adapted for desert life and replaces Anacanthotermes in the driest areas.

In is to be found in places with some vegetation or even where there is none, where it is believed to subsist on wind blown accumulations of organic detritus.

They are generalist feeders and consume anything including animal dung, roadside litter (cartons, boxes etc.

), dead grass, leaf litter, discarded material in the waste dumps of the harvester termites Hodotermes mossambicus and Microhodotermes viator, dead bushes, branches and logs lying on the surface, fence posts and the structural timbers of buildings.