The Formosan termite, scientifically called the Coptotermes formosanus, is an intrusive variety of termites transported internationally from its aboriginal settlement in southern China to Formosa in Taiwan and Japan.
Around the 20th century, it reached the Continental part of the United States, Hawaii, Sri Lanka, and South Africa.
Formosan Termites are similar to most subterranean termites in respect to their appearance. They have three castes – Alates, also called Swarmers, soldiers, and workers.
Nonetheless, the Formosan Termite alate has a yellowish-brown body, usually around 5 to 6 inches long.
The Formosan termite is commonly referred to as the super-termite because of its destructive patterns, which are due to the large size of its colonies and its ability to destroy and consume wood at a fast rate.
A single colony can contain over a million termites compared to the paltry hundred thousand that other subterranean termite colonies can contain.
A developed Formosan termite colony can eat over 13 ounces of wood a day and can cause damage to a structure in as little as three months, severely.
Because of the sheer size and foraging range, which can be over 300ft, the presence of a colony poses considerable threats to nearby structures.
Once established, Formosan termites can never be exterminated from an area. Formosan termites can plague a wide assortment of fabrics and damage trees.
In the US, another species, Coptotermes gestroi, originally from Southeast Asia, is responsible for enormous property damage, resulting in extensive treatment and repair costs.
The Formosan termite received its name because it was first described in Formosa, Taiwan, in the 20th century.
However, endemic to Southern China and Taiwan, this destructive species was transported to Japan at the start of the 17th century and Hawaii at the end of the 19th century; by the 1950s, it was recorded in South Africa, and by the l 1960s, it was found in South Carolina, Texas, and Louisiana. in 1980 well functioning colony was found thriving in a house in Hallandale Beach, Florida.
The soldiers have curved mandibles and white bodies. Their distinctive feature is that they secrete a milky white substance from their head when they attack, and their wings are all covered up in hairs.
The Formosan termite is generally a colonial and social insect that builds underground or above-ground colonies. They have a caste system, which includes a Queen, King, Alates, soldiers, and workers.
The soldiers defend the nest, workers provide the food, and reproductives spawn the colony. The queen has a lifespan of about 15 years and can lay up to 2,000 eggs daily. The workers and soldiers can live around 3 to 5 years.
A colony is covered by an extensive foraging system with tunnels underneath the ground. Older and less viable colonies comprise workers with a larger body mass than workers in younger colonies.
Scientific Classification
- Scientific Name: Coptotermes formosanus
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Class: Insecta
- Order: Blattodea
- Family: Rhinotermitidae
- Genus: Coptotermes
- Species: C. formosanus
Habitat
The Formosan termites swarm in the spring and summer months, which often happens at night. After this flight, the alates will shed their wings, locate a safe place to mate (usually in moist wood) and establish their colony by laying eggs.
Fully developed colonies can have from 1-10 million termites. Nonetheless, a settlement generally takes 3 to 5 years to mature fully. As soon as the Formosan colony matures, the damage it can inflict is usually massive.
Mature colonies can encompass one or more acres of land and go through 13 ounces of wood daily. At this pace, one colony of Formosan Subterranean Termites can destroy a wooden structure in virtually three months.
The Formosan Termites construct carton nests of saliva, fecal matter, and chewed wood. They are usually created within structures that the termites have eaten out.
What differentiates the Formosan Termites from the Native Subterranean Termites is that they make carton nests out of wood that looks like packed cardboard inside a wall. It is not unfound to discover entire walls full of this carton material.
The Formosan termite termites aren’t selective about where they habit. Their only requirement is that it is near moisture and food. While most colonies were discovered in places close to the ground, some have been found in aerial surroundings.
Formosan Termites can be found under porches, foam insulation, piers, logs, tree trunks, wooden beams, utility poles, and moist places that are accessible. It’s also not uncommon to find them in crevices, underneath sinks, crawl spaces, and even attics.
When looking for Formosan termite infestations, one should look for signs that may include vast swarms of alates in the Spring and Summer evenings, mud tubes, carton nests inside a wall, or even hollow-sounding walls.
Feeding Habits
Like all termites, the Formosan Termites feed on paper products and wood fiber due to the amount of cellulose they contain, as they possess cellulose-digesting bacteria and other one-celled protozoa in their digestive system that provide nutrition and energy.
Nevertheless, they have also been recorded to destroy over 50 plant species, including crops like sugarcane and trees like water-bound cypress, oaks, and even some non-cellulose items, which include plastic, mortar asphalt, creosote, soft metals, and rubber when searching for moisture and new food sites.
Have you ever experienced the Formosan termite infestation? Share your thoughts and experiences with us in the comments below.
