Bug FAQAsian subterranean termite
Coptotermes gestroi · Order: Blattodea · Family: Rhinotermitidae
Also called: Philippine milk termite, Subterranean termite
Source: Wikipedia
The Asian subterranean termite lives underground and attacks wood, cardboard, paper and even fabric inside buildings.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Workers are tiny, white and translucent, as are their legs. Soldiers are larger, also white, but have a dark brown ovoid head, forward-pointing mandibles, prothorax and front abdominal segments.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The species is small, with workers being especially tiny and translucent.
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
They eat structural timbers from the inside out, leaving a thin, blistered surface.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It lives underground, often in natural woodlands in the West Indies and in man-made structures, nearby trees and boats in Florida.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
It voraciously consumes wood, cardboard, paper and sometimes fabric. It also drills into rubber, plastic and styrofoam while searching for cellulose foods.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Mature colonies produce winged reproductives called alates. It can take several years for a colony to grow enough to produce these winged termites.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Alate flights usually occur in the evening or at night during spring.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is endemic to Southeast Asia.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
They look very similar to the Formosan subterranean termite, but can be distinguished by the number of hairs on the soldier’s head under a microscope.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 1 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Florida.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
How can I identify the workers and soldiers?
Workers are tiny, white and translucent; soldiers are larger, white with a dark brown ovoid head, forward-pointing mandibles and dark front abdominal segments.
Source: Wikipedia
Where does this termite live?
It lives underground, found in natural woodlands in the West Indies and in man-made structures, nearby trees and boats in Florida.
Source: Wikipedia
What does it eat?
It feeds on wood, cardboard, paper, fabric and can drill into rubber, plastic and styrofoam while searching for food.
Source: Wikipedia
How do I tell it apart from the Formosan subterranean termite?
Under a microscope, the number of hairs on the soldier’s head differs between the two species.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Rhinotermitidae)
Eastern Subterranean TermiteReticulitermes flavipesCan damage your home
Western Subterranean TermiteReticulitermes hesperusCan damage your home
Formosan subterranean termiteCoptotermes formosanusCan damage your home
Desert Subterranean TermiteHeterotermes aureusCan damage your home
Arid Land Subterranean TermiteReticulitermes tibialis
Dark Southern Subterranean TermiteReticulitermes virginicusCan damage your homeSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coptotermes_gestroi
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.