Bug FAQYellownecked Dry-wood Termite
Kalotermes flavicollis · Order: Blattodea · Family: Kalotermitidae
Source: Wikipedia
Adults are 8 to 10 mm long with a wingspan of about 20 mm and have a yellow-orange neck region. They live near the Mediterranean coast, nesting in the wood of old trees, and they feed on that wood, which can kill trees and ruin wooden structures.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The body is pale yellow or dark brown, while the neck (pronotum) is bright yellow-orange and the antennae and leg tips are pale yellow.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults measure 8 to 10 mm in length and have a wingspan of roughly 20 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
Their wood-eating habit can destroy structural beams, roofs and even books, causing serious damage to homes and libraries.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
They are most often found close to the sea where it is warm, especially in Mediterranean coastal areas.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
They feed on wood, tunneling through trunks and roots of old trees. They also chew wood in building beams, roofs and even paper in libraries and archives.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Mated males and females take a night flight from mid-July to October to start new colonies. After landing they shed their wings, pair up as a king and queen, and raise a colony of about 1,000 to 2,000 termites.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
The nuptial flights occur mainly at night from mid-July through October.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
How do Yellownecked Dry-wood Termites damage my house?
They tunnel through and eat wooden beams, roof supports and even paper, which can weaken structures and ruin stored books.
Source: Wikipedia
When are they most active?
The winged adults swarm at night from mid-July to October to start new colonies.
Source: Wikipedia
Where are they found?
They live around the warm Mediterranean coast, especially in old trees and wooden parts of buildings.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Kalotermitidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalotermes_flavicollis
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.