Stats

Lifespan: 1-2 yrs
Size: Tiny
Diet: Herbivore
Activity: Cathemeral
Social: Colony
Biome: Temperate forest
Range: North America
Movement: Walking
Breeding: Egg-laying
Defense: Burrowing
Status: Uncommon

About

The most economically destructive termite in North America, Eastern Subterranean Termites live in underground colonies of up to a million workers and build telltale mud tubes to reach above-ground wood. A single mature colony can consume roughly 13 pounds of wood per year, causing billions in structural damage annually across the continent.

Life cycle

1.
egg
A small egg is laid on or near the larval food source and hatches within days or weeks.
2.
juvenile
An immature insect feeds and molts, growing through successive instars.
3.
subadult
A near-adult insect has wing buds or near-mature form, one molt away from full size.
4.
adult
Fully grown, with full wings and adult coloration.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Blattodea
Family: Heterotermitidae
Genus: Reticulitermes
Species: Reticulitermes flavipes