Formosan termites are subterranean termites which can cause infestations on living trees such as Cypress, oaks, maple and pine. They are basically distributed in several states of the United States which include; Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Southern California, Tennessee, Louisiana, Hawaii, Mississippi, and South Carolina. The spread and growth of Formosan Termites have been restricted to the Southern parts of the United States because their eggs would not hatch at temperatures lower than 20 degree Celsius.

Formosan termites leave inside the soil and they produce a continuous nests of young swammers which migrate over a wide area to find locating the opposite sex for mating. They thrive and start new colonies where there are enough moisture content and timber food sources. Young Formosan termites take several years to reach maturity, they are located below the frost line but above the water table. They create mud galleries across hard timber woods just to locate food.

Formosan termites can enter buildings through cracks in concrete floors and can travel through parquetry or tile flooring as well as through gaps of less than 1/16" wide. They can start new nests on moist wood of upper storey buildings, and they do not need any soil contact if they can locate moisture sources around them. They specifically thrive in areas where there are high humidity and where moisture regularly collects inside the walls of materials such as water pumps ,broken roof tiles and other cavities of a building.

Formosan termites have been reported to have caused damages worth more than $200 million to properties in the United States alone in the last decade.