Asian Subterranean Termites in South Florida: A Fast-Moving Threat

The Asian subterranean termite, Coptotermes gestroi, is one of the most serious termite threats in South Florida because its colonies are huge, hidden and fast to do damage once they reach a building. UF/IFAS warns that its damage can become severe in a relatively short time, especially when a large, mature colony invades a structure.

This invasive tropical species arrived in Miami in the 1990s and is now established in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and the Keys. Until its spread to Tampa, its known Florida range was limited to the southeast coast and the Keys; a 2026 University of Florida study found it established as far north as Brevard and Hillsborough counties. For homeowners, condo associations and property managers, that means two of the most destructive termites in the world, the Asian and the Formosan, now live side by side here.

What Is the Asian Subterranean Termite?

The Asian subterranean termite is a close relative of the Formosan subterranean termite; UF/IFAS scientists call it the Formosan’s “tropical cousin.” Both belong to the genus Coptotermes, and according to UF/IFAS they are biologically similar in life history, damage and management.

Like other subterranean termites, it nests in the soil, needs moisture and reaches wood through mud tubes. What sets Coptotermes apart is scale. A mature colony can contain millions of termites, and these termites fill wall voids and hollow trees with carton, a nest material of soil, chewed wood and saliva. Carton lets parts of the colony live inside a structure, away from the main nest.

How It Spread Across South Florida

The species’ Florida history reads like an invasion timeline. UF/IFAS records these milestones:

Boats Are the Main Highway

UF/IFAS documented shipboard infestations on private boats docked in Fort Pierce, Hollywood and Fort Lauderdale that had arrived from the Caribbean, and researchers consider infested boats the most likely way people move this termite. Swarmers can fly from a docked boat to land and start new colonies. In 2023, UF/IFAS scientists reported that the species had also been intercepted on private boats near St. Petersburg, Fort Myers and Naples, and that the South Tampa infestation probably began 7 to 10 years before it was found.

More Structures at Risk Every Year

Once established, the termites spread by flight and in infested material moved by people. Using the UF Termite Collection’s records, UF/IFAS researchers found that the number of structures infested by Asian and Formosan termites in Southeast Florida grew exponentially from 1990 to 2015, and projected that half of the structures in South Florida could be at risk of subterranean termite infestation by 2040, as Entomology Today reported. Our article on how Asian subterranean termites spread through entire neighborhoods looks at that pattern street by street.

Why Asian Subterranean Termites Are So Destructive

Several traits combine to make this termite dangerous to South Florida buildings:

• Very large colonies. Mature colonies hold millions of termites, so feeding is fast once they reach a structure.
• Hidden nesting. Carton nests inside walls and voids let the colony feed inside a building with few outward signs.
• Trees as bases. UF/IFAS scientists note that colonies typically infest and hollow large, healthy trees, which can weaken them and serve as a base near homes.
• Above-ground colonies. Mississippi State University Extension explains that when part of a subterranean colony with backup reproductives is cut off, it can survive as a separate colony, and that this is how most aerial colonies in buildings form.
• Two invaders at once. Broward and Miami-Dade were the first counties where UF/IFAS documented both the Asian and Formosan subterranean termites established, one of the few places in the world, along with Taiwan, where the two species are known to live side by side.

The result is damage that grows quickly and stays hidden. By the time doors stick, floors soften or paint bubbles, a colony has usually been feeding for a long time. For more on that hidden phase, see when termites go undetected.

When Asian Subterranean Termites Swarm

Swarms are often the first sign homeowners notice. UF/IFAS reports that Asian subterranean termites fly at dusk or at night, with Florida flights recorded from February through April. Their season ends about when the Formosan swarming season begins, so late-winter evening swarms in South Florida point toward the Asian species.

Both species are drawn to lights, so swarmers often end up on windowsills, in light fixtures and around pool cage lights. UF/IFAS notes that finding hundreds to thousands of swarmers indoors usually indicates a structural infestation.

How to Identify Asian Subterranean Termites

Telling the two Coptotermes species apart takes magnification, but a few features help, according to UF/IFAS:

Signs of an infestation include:

• Swarmers or piles of shed wings near windows, doors and lights
• Mud tubes on foundations, walls, slab edges or tree trunks
• Carton material in hollowed wood or wall voids
• Blistered paint, hollow-sounding wood or soft spots in floors

Why DIY and Spot Treatments Fall Short

UF/IFAS recommends the same strategies for the Asian subterranean termite as for the Formosan, and its Formosan guidance is blunt: over-the-counter products are unlikely to be effective, and control requires professional pest control services. Spraying the termites you can see kills a few workers and leaves millions in the soil, in trees and in wall voids.

Tenting does not solve it either. Fumigation targets drywood termites inside a structure; for subterranean termites, the rest of the colony can move right back in after the tent comes off.

How Professionals Control Asian Subterranean Termites

The proven tools are baits and soil treatments. Bait stations hold a slow-acting growth inhibitor that workers share with the colony; termites die when they try to molt, and UF/IFAS notes it takes about 3 months to eliminate a Formosan colony this way. Above-ground stations can be placed directly on active foraging sites in buildings and trees, and UF/IFAS scientists say above-ground baits can eliminate active tree colonies before damage to the trees becomes a problem. Liquid soil termiticides protect the structure but may not eliminate colonies nearby; our guide to termite ground treatment compares the two.

At Toro, a free inspection comes first: a trained technician identifies the species and checks how far the damage goes. For subterranean termites, including the Asian species, Toro installs the Sentricon baiting system around the property, with no drilling into the slab and no trenches. Termites carry the bait back to the colony, which is designed to eliminate it, including the queen, and the stations stay in place for year-round protection against new colonies. We treat single-family homes, condos, apartment buildings and commercial properties and can coordinate with your association or property manager.

Toro has protected South Florida since 1969, with technicians trained at the TORO Institute alongside our on-staff entomologists. If you have seen swarmers or mud tubes, book a free inspection through our termite control service, and if the bugs come back, so will Toro, at no additional cost to you.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Educational content. This article is for general information about pests in South Florida and is not medical, legal or professional advice. If you have a bite, sting or allergic reaction, contact your doctor; in an emergency, call 911. Pest problems vary from home to home, so a licensed professional should inspect before treatment. When using any pesticide, always read and follow the product label.

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