Bug FAQSouthern Harvester Termite
Microhodotermes viator · Order: Blattodea · Family: Hodotermitidae
Also called: Karoo harvesting termite, wood-eating harvester termite
Alates are about 14 mm long, while soldiers range 7 to 13 mm and workers 6 to 8 mm. They live on the west coast of South Africa and Namibia, foraging in the day in winter and at night in summer. Workers cut grass and woody plant pieces and bring them underground, where the colony digests cellulose as an important desert decomposer.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The holotype has a clear red-brown head about 3.8 mm wide, an opaque yellow-orange body with a dark transverse band on the prothorax, and pale yellow legs.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Alates average 14.01 mm in length. Soldier termites are 7 to 13 mm long with long thin jaws that curve only at the tips; workers are 6 to 8 mm long with striped brown abdomens.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Found on the west coast of South Africa and Namibia. They emerge from colonies during the day in winter and at night in summer to forage plant material.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Workers cut grass stalks and woody plants into 1 to 2 cm pieces and carry them underground to store in chambers. They digest cellulose, playing a key role as decomposers in nutrient-poor desert ecosystems.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Colonies contain several thousand individuals with distinct worker and soldier castes. The species shows polymorphism and sexual dimorphism, with males often larger than females.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Foraging occurs in daylight during winter and at night during summer. They may forage at unpredictable times, regardless of temperature, humidity, or rainfall, to avoid predators.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
When are southern harvester termites active?
They forage in the day during winter and at night in summer, sometimes at unpredictable times.
Source: Wikipedia
What do southern harvester termites eat?
They cut grass stalks and woody plant pieces and bring them underground, where they digest cellulose.
Source: Wikipedia
How big are the different castes?
Alates are about 14 mm long; soldiers range 7 to 13 mm; workers are 6 to 8 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Hodotermitidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microhodotermes_viator
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.