Coptotermes formosanus (Formosan subterranean termite).
Abstract C. formosanus is often transported by boats and shipping containers to port cities before being carried further inland via landscape materials such as railroad ties (railway sleepers). This may explain the current C. formosanus distribution in the USA with coastal areas more densely infested than inland areas (Hochmair and Scheffrahn, 2010). Temperature and humidity are primary factors affecting the establishment of C. formosanus, and it is potentially invasive to areas of high humidity approximately 35° north and south of the equator (Su and Tamashiro, 1987). Competition from native species is another limiting factor for many exotic pests, but C. formosanus is more aggressive and is known to out-compete the endemic termites such as Reticulitermes species. Another factor that has allowed the successful establishment and spread of C. formosanus in exotic areas has been the pest control industry's heavy reliance on soil termiticide barriers for subterranean termite control since the 1950s. Numerous studies, using mark-recapture methods, have revealed that a single colony of C. formosanus might contain several million termites that forage up to 100 m in the soil (Lai, 1977; Su and Scheffrahn, 1988). These agree with the results of excavation studies for C. formosanus colonies (Ehrhorn, 1934; King and Spink, 1969). Because of the large colony size, the application of soil termiticides beneath a structure does not usually have a major impact on the overall population, and the surviving colony continues to produce alates that can further infest nearby areas. Once established, C. formosanus has never been completely eradicated from an area. The dependency of soil termiticide barriers as the primary tool for subterranean termite control is probably the main reason for the establishment and spread of C. formosanus from four isolated port cities in the 1960s in the USA to all south-eastern states by 2001.