Two termite carbohydrolase assays were optimized for pH and buffer. Whole body preparations of Reticulitermes flavipes workers were used for all assays. One assay was a p-nitrophenol generating assay, with p-nitrophenylglucopyranoside as a representative substrate. The other assay was a reducing sugar assay based on 3,5-dinitrosalicylic acid, with carboxymethylcellulose as a representative substrate. Five buffers were assayed at pH levels appropriate to the pKa of each buffer. Two of the buffers were ionic: sodium acetate and sodium phosphate. Three of the buffers were zwitterionic: Bis-Tris, PIPES and MES. Overall pH values were tested at intervals of 0.5, ranging from 4.0 to 7.5. The combination of pH and buffer with the highest enzyme activity was determined for each of the two assays.