Formosan Subterranean Termite
Scientific name:
- Coptotermes formosanus
- Place of birth: East Asia
- Body: segmented, 3 body parts
- Length: 2-3 mm
- Hair: none
- Eyes: blind
- Color: Pale white
- Food: cellulose, plant material
- Shelter: underground, in the soil
- Life style: social insects
- Colony size: 2-10 million
Where do they live?
Subterranean termites live in the ground, unlike drywood termites which living inside the wood they eat. The ground provides the moisture needed by the subterranean termites. When they find a food source above ground they build a safe pathway or “mud tube” to create a connection from their home to the food.
What do they eat?
Termites feed on cellulose found in wood, paper, cardboard and other plant material.
How do they eat wood?
Termites are unable to digest cellulose on their own so they have friendly inhabitants helping them. There are symbiotic protozoa or microorganisms found inside the termite gut that help termites digest cellulose.
What are social insects?
Social insects develop organized society where individuals perform tasks to help each other ande live together within a colony. There are different forms or castes members that have different duties and responsibilities within a colony.
What are the castes?
- Reproductives: King and queen are responsible for laying eggs. They are the parents of the entire colony.
- Soldiers: Protector of the colony. They have large mouthparts that allow them to fight but they are unable to feed themselves.
- Workers: Responsible for building tunnels and nests. They also tend to the eggs and young. They’re primary duty is to feed all the other termites within the colony.
- Alates: Winged termites that swarm primarily during the summer months. These termites leave the colony, form a pair, find a suitable shelter, drop there wings and establish their own new colony. Their primary purpose is dispersal.
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