EENY-212 Native Subterranean Termites: Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar), Reticulitermes virginicus (Banks), Reticulitermes hageni Banks (Insecta: Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae)1 Nan-Yao Su and Rudolf H. Scheffrahn2 Introduction Most pest species of subterranean termites in North America belong to the endemic genus Reticulitermes. Reticulitermes species are found in every state in the conti- nental United States except Alaska but are most common in the warm and humid southeastern region. The eastern subterranean termite, Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar), is the most widely distributed and is found in the entire eastern region of North America as far north as Ontario, Canada, and south to Key Largo, Florida. Its counterpart, the western subterranean termite, Reticulitermes hesperus Banks, is found along the entire Pacific Coast ranging from southern California to British Columbia. R. eticulitermes tibialis Banks occurs in the inter-mountain region of the Figure 1. Indoor swarm of eastern subterranean termite, Reticulitermes West. In addition to Reticulitermes flavipes, two other flavipes. Reticulitermes occur in Florida: Reticulitermes virginicus Credits: T. Myles, University of Toronto (Banks), and Reticulitermes hageni Banks. Description and Identification Because of their cryptic nature, structural infestations of subterranean termites are usually not visible. Most people become aware of an infestation when annual flights of winged termites (called alates) occur in structures. The alates of Reticulitermes flavipes and Reticulitermes virginicus are dark brown, while those of Reticulitermes hageni are yel- lowish brown. Alates of Reticulitermes flavipes are generally 1. This document is EENY-212, one of a series of the Entomology and Nematology Department, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date May 2004. Revised September 2007, April 2009, January 2013, April 2016, and May 2019. Visit the EDIS website at https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu for the currently supported version of this publication. This document is also available on the Featured Creatures website at http://entomology.ifas.ufl.edu/creatures. 2. Nan-Yao Su, entomology professor; and Rudolf H. Scheffrahn, entomology professor; UF/IFAS Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, Davie, FL, 33314–7719. The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other UF/IFAS Extension publications, contact your county’s UF/IFAS Extension office. U.S. Department of Agriculture, UF/IFAS Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A & M University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Nick T. Place, dean for UF/IFAS Extension. larger (approximately 0.4” long including wings) than those of Reticulitermes virginicus or Reticulitermes hageni (ap- proximately 0.3” long). Alate wings of Reticulitermes species have two hardened and thickened veins that are visible along the entire front end, but lack the small hairs that are characteristic of the Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki. After indoor flights, most alates are found dead near windows or in sinks and bath tubs—usually with their wings still attached. Figure 4. Life cycle of Reticulitermes subterranean species. Credits: Nan-Yao Su and Rudolf H. Scheffrahn, UF/IFAS Soldiers of subterranean termites (Rhinotermitidae) are dis- tinguished from those of drywood or dampwood termites (Kalotermitidae) by their smaller size and the relative width of the pronotum. In subterranean termites, the pronotum (segment immediately behind the head) is narrower than the head, while in kalotermidis they are equally as wide. Reticulitermes soldiers are further distinguished from those of Coptotermes formosanus by the rectangular-shaped head of the former compared to the oval-shaped head of the Figure 2. Alates of eastern subterranean termites, Reticulitermes latter. flavipes (R.f.), and other native subterranean termties, Reticulitermes virginicus (R.v.) and Reticulitermes hageni (R.h.). Credits: Nan-Yao Su and Rudolf H. Scheffrahn, UF/IFAS Figure 5. Queen (bottom) and soldier (top) castes of the eastern subterranean termite, Reticulitermes flavipes. Credits: Lyle J. Buss, UF/IFAS Figure 3. Wing of Reticulitermes, a subterranean termite genus. Subterranean termites form a network of interconnected Credits: Nan-Yao Su and Rudolf H. Scheffrahn, UF/IFAS feeding sites beneath or above the soil surface. A single colony of subterranean termites, especially those of Reticu- As with other termite species, Reticulitermes colonies litermes flavipes, may contain 100,000–1,000,000 termites contain three primary castes; the reproductives (king, and forage up to 150 feet in search of food (Su et al. 1993). queen, alates, alate nymphs, and supplementary reproduc- When subterranean termites search for food aboveground, tives), soldiers, and workers. Alates and soldiers are used they may enter a house through small cracks or joints for species identification. in the foundation or by building shelter tubes along the foundation wall. These tubes are highways connecting the underground termite population with aboveground food sources. Native Subterranean Termites: Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar), Reticulitermes virginicus (Banks), Reticulitermes hageni Banks… 2 Figure 9. Soldier heads of the Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus (C.f.), and eastern subterranean termites, Reticulitermes flavipes (R.f.). Credits: Nan-Yao Su and Rudolf H. Scheffrahn, UF/IFAS Figure 6. Queen (top) and worker (bottom) castes of the eastern subterranean termite, Reticulitermes flavipes. Credits: Lyle J. Buss, UF/IFAS Figure 7. Queen (bottom) and soldier (top) castes of Reticulitermes hageni, a US native subterranean termite, surrounded by larvae. Figure 10. Soldier caste of Reticulitermes hageni, a US native Credits: Lyle J. Buss, UF/IFAS subterranean termite. Credits: Lyle J. Buss, UF/IFAS Figure 11. Shelter tubes of Reticulitermes, a subterranean termite genus. Figure 8. King caste of Reticulitermes hageni, a US native subterranean Credits: Nan-Yao Su and Rudolf H. Scheffrahn, UF/IFAS termite. Credits: Lyle J. Buss, UF/IFAS Native Subterranean Termites: Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar), Reticulitermes virginicus (Banks), Reticulitermes hageni Banks… 3 Life History Flight seasons differ among the three Reticulitermes species in Florida. Reticulitermes hageni alate flights begin in early December and last until early February, while Reticulitermes flavipes flights start in early January and end in April. Dispersal flights of Reticulitermes virginicus occur between early February and late May. Swarming by Reticulitermes flavipes and Reticulitermes virginicus occurs during warm, sunny, and windless afternoons usually after rain, while Reticulitermes hageni alates swarm at night. Figure 14. Young alate of Reticulitermes hageni Banks, a US native subterranean termite. Credits: Lyle J. Buss, UF/IFAS Figure 12. Flight seasons of the three Reticulitermes species in Florida. Credits: Nan-Yao Su and Rudolf H. Scheffrahn, UF/IFAS After a brief flight, alates drop to the ground and shed their wings. Females begin to search for potential nesting sites such as moist crevices with wood, and males follow closely behind. The pair forms a royal chamber in a moist site near wood and begin laying eggs, thus starting the life cycle of a subterranean termite colony. Individuals hatched from eggs (called larvae) molt into workers. Some workers may molt into the soldier caste or become alates by molting first Figure 15. Eggs and larvae of Reticulitermes hageni, a US native into alate nymphs. Some workers or nymphs are capable of subterranean termite. becoming supplementary reproductives and take over the Credits: Lyle J. Buss, UF/IFAS role of queen or king if and when a primary reproductive Damage dies or is isolated from part of the colony. It may take five to 10 years for a single pair of alates to form a mature colony Because termites consume cellulose, the main structural that produces alates. components of plant cells, any wood material in a house is a potential food source, but they may also damage non-wood material in search of food. Termites rarely show themselves in the open, and infestations can be difficult to detect until damage becomes severe. In addition to the presence of alates and shelter tubes, wood material can be probed with a screwdriver or ice pick to locate infested wood. The surface of severely damaged wood may appear blistered or peeling, as termites hollow out the wood leaving a paper-thin surface. Reticulitermes tend to cover the wood they feed upon with soil, thus giving wood a more “dirty” appearance than Coptotermes formosanus-infested wood. However, it is not advisable to identify the termite species based solely on damage as there are many exceptions. Figure 13. Swarm of the eastern subterranean termite, Reticulitermes flavipes. Credits: Lyle J. Buss, UF/IFAS Native Subterranean Termites: Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar), Reticulitermes virginicus (Banks), Reticulitermes hageni Banks… 4 mandatory in much of the United States. Post-construction treatment consists of drilling holes through slabs and injecting insecticides