Formosan Subterranean Termite

Coptotermes formosanus — the Formosan subterranean termite, often called the 'super-termite' — is the most aggressive and destructive termite species in the United States. Native to southern China and Taiwan (formerly Formosa, hence the name), the species was transported to Hawaii in the late 1800s and to the continental US in the 1960s via WWII military equipment shipped from the Pacific. Today the species is established across the US Gulf Coast (Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida) and Hawaii, with continuing northward range expansion. Three traits make C. formosanus the most damaging termite in North America. First, colony size: a mature Formosan colony contains 1-10 million workers, 10x the size of a native Reticulitermes colony. Second, foraging range: workers travel up to 100 m from the nest (versus 10-30 m for native species). Third, consumption rate: Formosan colonies consume wood at approximately 7x the rate of native subterranean species. Unlike native US termites, Formosan termites also build aboveground 'carton' nests inside wall voids, attics, and other dry spaces — hardened masses of soil, saliva, and frass that can fill an oven and weigh hundreds of pounds. The species is the central culprit in the long-running termite damage to historic structures in the New Orleans French Quarter and across the Gulf Coast. Estimated annual damage in the US exceeds $1 billion.