Subterranean termites feed on wood or other items that contain cellulose, such as paper, fiberboard, and some fabrics derived from cotton or plant fibers. Termites have protozoa in their digestive tracts that can convert cellulose into usable food. Formosan termites have been found in the Gulf Coast states, along the eastern seaboard north to North Carolina, as well as in Tennessee, California, and Hawaii. Formosan termites are subterranean termites which usually live in the ground, build mud tubes, and construct carton nests which consist of soil and wood cemented together with saliva and feces. The carton nests of Formosan termites retain moisture and enable colonies and satellite colonies to establish aerial nests and survive without maintaining contact with the soil.
Swarms appear on warm and rainy days, around dusk, and continue into the evening.
Formosan swarmers are often attracted to light. Ten million or more. The largest known single Formosan termite colony was found in a public library building in Algiers, Louisiana. The colony exceeded 70 million termites within a nest weighing approximately 600 pounds. Termite shields are less effective.