Formosan Subterranean Termite
Coptotermes formosanus
This subterranean termite lives in soil, buried wood, and shelter tubes that keep its body moist while it travels to feeding sites. It eats cellulose from wood, roots, and other plant material, using symbiotic gut microbes to digest what most animals cannot. Individuals avoid open air and are most effective in enclosed tunnels or damp cavities. The species is notable as a major invasive structural pest, with some defensive castes producing sticky chemical secretions from the head.
- Type
- Burrow
- Conservation status
- NE
Growth chain
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- Formosan Subterranean Termite
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