Something New Under The Sun

I have been studying and collecting termites in the West Indies for 10 years and I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw one of the species of termites I’ve seen there right in my own back yard,” said Rudolf Scheffrahn, professor of entomology at the University of Florida, of the new termite species he recently identified in Dania Beach, Fla.

Mark Weinberg, general manager of Cobra Termite Control in Lauderhill, Fla., said one of his employees found the termite during a routine home inspection. “He wasn’t sure of what it was — but he knew it wasn’t typical of this area,” Weinberg said. Mystified about the termite’s origin, Weinberg asked Scheffrahn to identify the pest.

“The termite is so new that we do not have a common name for it,” Scheffrahn said. “The species is Nasutitermes costalis, and it’s the first time this type of termite has ever been found in the continental United States.”

The no-name termite is a common arboreal species in the Caribbean and probably found its way to Florida on a ship, according to Scheffrahn. “It was probably a mature colony on board the ship and they probably swarmed onto land at some point and have been incubating on land for at least eight years,” he said.

CONTROL EFFORTS. According to Scheffrahn, the difference between Nasutitermes costalis and other native subterranean termite species is that it does all of its foraging and mound building above or at the ground level. “Therefore, these termites enter buildings by going up outside walls from the soil’s surface,” he said.

Scheffrahn said the Nasutitermes costalis infested area in Dania Beach is about 500 by 400 feet and includes a single-family home on a large wooded lot with many trees and ground nests. The perimeter of the house was treated with a conventional soil treatment using Bayer’s Premise and inside — for drywood termites — with Dow AgroSciences’ Vikane.

So far, the treatment has been a success in the house. “We have already seen dead termites inside and around the perimeter of the house,” Scheffrahn said. However, reinfestation is a strong possibility because the total termite population on the site is probably in the millions. “Also, chances are, the termites have already spread to adjacent properties in the Dania Beach area,” Scheffrahn said. “To find out how widespread the problem is, we are seeking permission to inspect neighboring properties.”

Although it is often difficult to detect aboreal termite damage without tearing into the walls, Scheffrahn said there are nests in the attic of the home, which means the termites were feeding on wood somewhere inside the home.

However, the termites’ dark brown foraging tubes make them obvious inside buildings, making it possible for pest management professionals to control infestations before severe damage is done to a home.

MORE TO COME? Nasutitermes costalis is the third exotic termite discovered in Southeast Florida in the past six years. Two other Caribbean subterranean termites, Heterotermes and Coptotermes havilandi, were found Florida in 1994 and 1999, respectively. Florida has a total of 20 different termite species, split among subterranean, drywood, dampwood and now, arboreal types.

Despite the three new species of termites, Scheffrahn said he doesn’t think there are any more undiscovered species in Florida. “The pest control industry is pretty astute to alerting [entomologists] of unusual species,” he said.

CONTROL METHODS. The next step is for entomologists to do research on the best control methods for Nasutitermes costalis. “The species could eventually spread as far north as Orlando and Tampa. The natural spread would require decades, but people can spread the pest much more rapidly,” Scheffrahn said. “As with the Formosan termite in the New Orleans area, I expect this termite to spread throughout the area over time.”

But unlike the situation in New Orleans, Southeastern Florida does not have a federally funded control plan, such as Operation Full Stop. “If this species were eating citrus trees or carrying a disease, there would be hundreds of people from the state researching control methods,” Scheffrahn said. “It takes termites decades to establish themselves in an area and I think it’s just a matter of time before we have the same situation as New Orleans.”