Bait-Stricken Termites Still Heed Call to Molt in Their Central Nest
A recent study at the University of Florida found that termites baited with an insecticide known as a chitin synthesis inhibitor will still follow their natural compulsion to return to their central nest to molt, an important factor in the efficacy of such baits.
This is What 2,000 Termites Eating a Model House Looks Like
A visual analogy created by termite researcher Thomas Chouvenc, Ph.D., illustrates the damage termites can wreak upon a house. Given a small, two-dimensional wooden replica of a house (30x20 cm, 2 mm thick), a colony of 2,000 Formosan subterranean termites took only three weeks to consume it.
For Termites, Home is Where the Molt Is
Formosan subterranean termites have a strong urge to return to their central nest when it's time to molt.
More Than a Pest: Termites as Models for Evolutionary Transitions
By Thomas Chouvenc, Ph.D. The Formosan subterranean termite (Coptotermes formosanus) is an infamous termite pest species, but it is also an interesting model for studying the evolution of termites and […]
As Termite Range Expands, Half of Structures in South Florida May Be at Risk by 2040
Asian and Formosan subterranean termites cause about $40 billion a year in structural damage globally, and researchers from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences predict these […]
Some Types of Wood Contain Natural Chemicals that Are Toxic to Termites
By some estimates, termites cause about $40 billion per year in damage globally, and they destroy parts of more than 600,000 homes in the United States alone. The amount of […]
Florida Scientists Discover Super Termites, and They’re Not Genetically Modified
By Richard Levine Formosan subterranean termites (Coptotermes formosanus) and Asian subterranean termites (Coptotermes gestroi) are the most damaging pest species in the world. Both are highly invasive and have spread […]