7/28/2019 What Bugs Hawaii: Termites

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GREAT LOCATION FOR INFESTATION

Hawaiis year-round warm weather allows one of the worst insect pests in theworld to infest all of the Hawaiian islands. All species here use wood as a foodsource with the help of micro-organisms in their digestive systems. The twomost destructive are:

>> Formosan subterranean termite: Lives primarily underground andmoves up into structures or trees to feed. Because Hawaii is so warm

and humid, it is likely to swarm any time during the year.>> West Indian drywood termite: Lives in wood at or above ground level. Itswarms at night in the summer.

Sources: University of Hawaii at Manoa; College of Tropical Agriculture & Human Resources; www.termiteweb.com; www.environcontrol.com/termites

HUNGRY HOME HAZARDSGRAPHIC BY DAVID SWANN STORY BY JIM BORG

Left unchecked, termites lit-erally can bring down thehouse. Of the eight species inHawaii all of them alien in-vaders two do the mostdamage: the Formosan subter-ranean termite and the West In-dian drywood termite.

Both have been long estab-lished in Hawaii, allowing forlarge colonies, says J. KennethGrace, an entomologist withthe University of Hawaii Col-lege of Tropical Agriculture andHuman Resources.

A mature colony of 3 millionsubterranean termites eats ap-proximately 1 pound of woodeach day, or about a 1-footlength of a two-by-four, saysGrace.

Methods of fighting the For-mosan termite, Coptotermesformosanus, include the use ofpreservative-treated wood in

housing construction, treat-ment of the soil with an insecti-cide, and physical barriersmade of basalt or wire mesh.Soil treatment with an insecti-cide or termite baits such asthe Sentricon system are the

usual control measures when abuilding is infested.

The West Indian drywoodtermite, Cryptotermes brevis,also found all over the world,spreads easily in furniture andin shipping pallets. Sincedrywood termites livedirectly in wood, controlis focused above ground, withfumigation the most effectivemethod.

The third most damaging ter-mite is the Asian subterraneantermite, Coptotermes gestroi.

We found it in 1999 in a ter-mite survey of Oahu, and as faras we know it is only found atthis point on Oahu, in the areasof Kalaeloa, Ewa Beach andMakakilo, says Grace. Hawaii,Taiwan and southern Floridaare the only spots where bothspecies of subterranean termitecoexist.

Two of the other eightspecies have been long estab-lished in Hawaii but usually at-tack wood in the forest ratherthan in houses. And the othershave not been here longenough to become big pests.

WHAT BUGS HAWAII

Formosansubterraneanworker termite

ChambersWhere

nymphsand food

are stored

GalleriesPaths cut across

wood grain ascolonies expand

Kick holesTiny openings

for ejectingfecal mattercalled frass

THE TERMITE COLONY

Both subterranean and drywood termite coloniesare cooperative groups made up of decentralized

nesting and feeding sites called chambers. Thesesites are connected by tunnels called galleries.

THE ANATOMY OF A TERMITE FOR INFESTATION

Antenna

Mandible

Alate (swarmer)Young, wingedreproductivesof both sexes

Reproductivecaste

Soldier casteDefends the nestwith powerful jawscalled mandibles

Worker casteSterile, winglessand blind, theybuild nests andfetch food

King and queen termiteThese are the main repro-ductive individuals in a colony;the queen can lay manythousands of eggs per day

Eggs

LarvaHatches directlyfrom the eggs

NymphMolts from larvawithin two weeks

Actual size 1/5

Worker

Alate King Queen

West Indiandrywood soldier

Formosan subterraneansoldier

Head

Thorax

Abdomen

Legs

THE

TERM

ITE

LIFE CYC

LE INCLUDESTH

REEDIFFERENTCASTES

WHAT TO DO WHEN TERMITES STRIKE

The fundamental strategy to avoid costly termite damage is preventive man-agement through regular, professional inspections. When termites are found ina building, options for remedial control vary with termite type.

>> Drywood termites: Can be controlled with spot treatments, which can becost-effective if the damage is fairly localized. If the damage is extensive, whole-struc-

ture fumigation (tenting) may be required to effectively combat the infestation.>> Subterranean termites: Infestations frequently involve creating chemical or physical

barriers where the structure meets the soil. Termite baiting can both monitor and con-trol subterranean termites.

HAWAIIS OWN

There are eight species of termites in Hawaii:

>> Lowland tree termite>> Large forest tree termite>> Indo-Malaysian drywood termite>> Western drywood termite>> Pacific dampwood termite>> Asian subterranean termite>> Formosan subterranean termite>> West Indian drywood termite

DealateAlates that cast their wings

and turn into kings and queens

The twospecies

have been in Hawaiifor more than 100 years.

They cause more than$100 million in

damage per yearto structures.

BY THE NUMBERS

1 million+

45

2,800

4,000

Number of termites in a colony

Number of years a queen can live

Number of known species worldwide

Number of estimated species worldwide

20,000 to 30,000 Number of eggs a queen can lay per day

Termites are one of Hawaiis

worst pests in terms of the

damage they cause