earlier than flights in the northern portion, even within buildings. This is not the 
case with in-building flights of R. flavipes (1267). 
All species of Reticulitermes that occur in the Eastern United States are eco- 
nomically important with the possible exception of R. arenincola. The taxonomy of 
the genus is not well established. Although there can be little doubt that there are 
physiological, behavioral, and ecological differences among species, there is no 
evidence to suggest that control methods for one should be different from control 
methods for another. One should be certain of the genus but, except as a matter of 
interest, the particular species cannot now be considered critical from the stand- 
point of control. 
The Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, is an 
introduced species. Active colonies were first recorded in North America in a 
shipyard warehouse in Houston, Tex., in 1965. Since then additional colonies have 
been discovered in Houston and Galveston, Tex.; Charleston, S.C.; and New 
Orleans and Lake Charles, La. The species was described from individuals col- 
lected in Formosa in 1909. Since then it has been reported from Ceylon, China, 
Guam, Hawaii, Japan, and South Africa. Incipient colonies generally start in or 
near the soil where moisture and damp wood are available. Nests are normally built 
in soil near the base of tree stumps, utility poles, or other underground food 
sources, but they may be found almost anywhere if conditions are favorable. 
Colonies have been observed on boats, ships, barges, dredges, water tanks, piers, 
floating drydocks, in living and dead trees, and in buildings. 
Workers are grayish white overall. The head is pale yellow, with a white mark in 
the center and a dark-brownish spot on each side of the clypeus. The pronotum is 
nearly twice as broad as it is long, and the legs are slender and hairy. Soldiers (fig. 
15) have oval heads and slender bodies. The pronotum is short, elliptical, and 
notched at the middle of the frontal margin. A small, short tubelike process extends 
from the frontal gland and exudes a milky, acidulous secretion. The abdomen is 
slender, entirely pubescent, and bears a pair of three-segmented caudal appendages 
(cerci). Alates have large, hyaline wings, 10.6 mm long, about three times as long 
as the abdomen, and about three times as long as they are broad. The head is 
hexagonal and brown; the frons 1s irregularly concave at the center where a globular 
projection occurs; the pronotum is semicircular and as broad as the head; the legs 
are short, heavy, and yellowish brown; and the abdomen is short, elliptical, and 
yellowish brown. The bodies are marked with minute spots, and the wings are 12 to 
14 mm long. 
Nests of Formosan subterranean termites are constructed of a friable material 
called carton. It consists of a mixture of masticated wood, saliva, and excrement. A 
nest may be several cubic feet in volume. Tunnels radiate from nests constructed in 
the soil. They can be found at depths of 3 m in the earth and extend horizontally up 
to 60 m (665). Their walls are lined with essentially the same materials used in 
constructing the nest and are nearly impervious to water. Primary queens can lay up 
to 1,000 eggs per day, and a single colony may contain many hundreds of thousands 
of individuals. Winged reproductives swarm during May and June. They are poor 
fliers, and the majority drop to the ground within 90 m of the nests unless carried 
farther by the wind. First evidence of a colony’s presence may be the appearance of 
these winged adults at swarming time. 
Large colonies can cause severe damage in a short time (fig. 16A). In Hawaii, 
walls of new buildings have been hollowed out in 3 months’ time. Living trees are 
also hollowed out (fig. 16B) and weakened. Known susceptible trees in the South 
59 
