The U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued a fact sheet concerning the Formosan termite, an invasive pest from East Asia infesting much of the southern United States and Hawaii. Formosan subterranean termites are an aggressive non-native termite species. Formosan termites have a horrific appetite and can destroy wood as long as there is a water source nearby.
Formosan termites can penetrate plaster, plastic and asphalt to get to a new food source.
They build large carton nests above or below ground. A highly fertile queen, a long life span, and an extensive foraging system from a central nest site result in much larger colonies than native termite species. The termite now infests California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, and Hawaii. The pest's destruction is now becoming visible as structural damage, like decaying floors, falling walls and deteriorating trees become more prevalent. The last organo-chlorine termite poison was banned in 1988 because of human health and safety concerns.