Eastern Subterranean Termites Dominate the Eastern United States

Summary: Eastern subterranean termites get distribution ranges from the Atlantic and Gulf coastal United States north and west into Canada and the Great Plains.

Eastern subterranean termite (Reticulitermes flavipes) worker floats in hand sanitizer; Beltsville, Maryland; Oct. 17, 2012: USGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab (Sam Droege), Public Domain, via Flickr

Eastern subterranean termites are active around July 4th in any area within their American distribution ranges where they associate, under adverse colony conditions and appropriate moisture and temperatures, with Formosan subterranean termites.

Eastern subterranean termites bear their common name because of biogeographies in the eastern United States and colonies in moist soils between frost lines and water tables. They carry the scientific name Reticulitermes flavipes (from the Latin rēticulum, "net"; tarmes, "woodworm"; flāvus, "yellow"; and pēs, "foot") for yellowish limbs and net-like wing membranes. Their taxonomy according to Carl Linnaeus's (May 23, 1707-Jan. 10, 1778) system derives from scientific descriptions in 1837 by Vincenz Kollar (Jan. 15, 1797-May 30, 1860).

Eastern subterranean termites exist east of the Mississippi River and west from Louisiana and Arkansas through New Mexico, Missouri through Utah, Iowa through Nebraska, and Minnesota.

December or January through April, May or November function as swarming months for reproductive alates (from the Latin ālātus, "winged") in eastern subterranean termite life cycles.

Monogamous, permanent kings and queens generate 5,000 to 10,000 eggs a day for three-caste colonies of up to 5 million workers within five to 10 years. Black or black-brown, 0.375- to 0.5-inch- (9.525- to 12.7-millimeter-) long kings and queens have two straight antennae; four equal-sized, front-veined, hairless, translucent wings; and straight-waisted thoraxes. Their workers incubate the bean-shaped, cream- to yellow-white, single-laid, transparent-shelled 0.0313-inch- (0.7938-millimeter-) long eggs at 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21.11 degrees Celsius) for 30 to 90 days.

Eastern subterranean termites journey through immature, multi-molting, nymph stages into blind, sterile, wingless workers; long-winged primary, short-winged secondary and wingless tertiary reproductives; and sterile, wingless soldiers.

The Rhinotermitidae (from the Greek ῥῑνός, rhīnós, "nose" and Latin tarmes, "woodworm") subterranean termite family member keeps one off-white, soft-bodied look until the third nymphal stage.

Cream- to gray-white, eyeless, round-headed, soft-bodied, 0.12-inch- (3-millimeter-) long eastern subterranean termite workers look after eggs and colonists; food and water; and mud-gallery and shelter-tube repairs. Soldiers maintain black, pincher-tipped mandibles curved at 70 to 90 degrees; fontanelle, latex-releasing frontal gland pores; pronotum first thoracic segments narrower than armored, brown-orange-yellow rectangular-shaped heads. The 0.0313-inch- (0.7938-millimeter-) wide, 0.25-plus-inch- (6.35-plus-millimeter-) long soldiers and 0.375-inch- (9.525-millimeter-) long primary, secondary and tertiary reproductives need worker-ingested, worker-regurgitated wood and wood fibers for nourishment.

Queenship offers winged primaries maximally 0.16 inches (4 millimeters) wide, wing-budded secondaries and wingless tertiaries respectively maximum 0.57-inch- (14.5-millimeter-), 0.47-inch- (12-millimeter-) and 0.28-inch- (7-millimeter-) long bodies.

Black to black-brown, sun-tolerant two-plus-year-old primary reproductives possess wings for 150-foot- (45.72-meter-) long new colony-pursuing flights that flightlessness precludes sun-intolerant secondaries and tertiaries from participating in.

Humidity at 70 to 100 percent and temperatures between 80 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit (26.66 and 32.22 degrees Celsius) queue up sustainable eastern subterranean termite colonies. Eastern subterranean termites require timber, wood products and woody plants within 150 feet (45.72 meters) of colonies in moist soils or, if aerial, near moisture sources. They survive ambient temperatures down to minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 30 degrees Celsius) in United States Department of Agriculture cold hardiness zones 4b through 11a.

Eastern subterranean termites typically thrive more on loblolly and slash pines, sugar maples and western larches than on bald cypresses, black cherry, Douglas firs and ponderosa pines.

Eastern subterranean termite (Reticulitermes flavipes) soldiers; USDA ARS image number K8085-6: Scott Bauer, Public Domain, via USDA ARS (United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service)

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Eastern subterranean termite (Reticulitermes flavipes) worker floats in hand sanitizer; Beltsville, Maryland; Oct. 17, 2012: USGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab (Sam Droege), Public Domain, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/usgsbiml/8097751159/

Eastern subterranean termite (Reticulitermes flavipes) soldiers; USDA ARS image number K8085-6: Scott Bauer, Public Domain, via USDA ARS (United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service) @ https://www.ars.usda.gov/oc/images/photos/formosan/k8085-6/

For further information:

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Available @ krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/bitstream/1/2024464/1/36968.pdfa

Köllar, Vincent. 1840. A Treatise on Insects Injurious to Gardeners, Foresters, & Farmers. Translated From the German, and Illustrated by Engravings, by J. [Jane] and M. [Mary] Loudon. London, England: William Smith, MDCCCXL.
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Marriner, Derdriu. 5 July 2014. "Formosan Subterranean Termites Thrive in the Southern United States." Earth and Space News. Saturday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2014/07/formosan-subterranean-termites-thrive.html

Myles, Timothy George. "Eastern Subterranean Termite: Reticulitermes flavipes." In: Michael Hutchins, Arthur V. Evans, Rosser W. Garrison and Neil Schlager (eds.). Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia. Second edition. Volume 3, Insects: 172-173. Farmington Hills MI: Gale Group, 2003.