F-520104 
FIGURE 7.—Soldier castes of the Formosan subterranean termite 
Coptotermes formosanus. 
Formosan subterranean termite nests are constructed from a 
friable material called carton. It consists of a mixture of masti- 
cated wood, saliva, and excrement. A nest may be several cubic 
feet in size. Tunnels radiate from nests constructed in the soil. 
They can be found at depths of 10 feet in the earth, and they can 
extend horizontally to 200 feet. Their walls are lined with essen- 
tially the same materials used in constructing the nest and they 
are nearly impervious to water. Primary queens can lay up to 
1,000 eggs per day, and a single colony may contain hundreds of 
thousands of individuals. Winged reproductives swarm during 
May and June. They are poor fliers, and the majority drop to the 
ground within 100 yards of the nest unless carried farther by 
the wind. First evidence of a colony’s presence may be the ap- 
pearance of these winged adults at swarming time. 
Large colonies can cause severe damage in a short time (fig. 
8A). In Hawaii, walls of new buildings have been hollowed out 
in three months’ time. Living trees are also hollowed out (fig. 8B) 
and weakened. Known susceptible trees in the South are the 
Chinese elm, several species of oak, hackberry, and Arizona ash. 
Dead trees are highly susceptible. Extensive damage all the way 
to the top of 70-foot-tall cypress snags has been observed in 
Louisiana (43). 
51 
