Hybrid termite colonies confirmed in Florida, raising concerns over spread and damage

[DBoon]

https://phys.org/news/2025-05-hybrid-termite-colonies-florida.html

Scientists confirm that two of the world's most destructive invasive termite species are not only spreading in the United States but also hybridizing—the process of two different species crossbreeding to produce a hybrid.

This raises concerns about their potential to spread farther and cause even greater structural and environmental damage.

A new study from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) confirms that hybrid termite colonies have now been established in South Florida. Just published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, the study documents how the invasive Formosan subterranean termites and Asian subterranean termites are not only coexisting in urban environments but also breed with each other.

"About 10 years ago, we first observed males and females from the two species interact through interspecies courtship behaviors during spring termite dispersal flights," said Thomas Chouvenc, associate professor of urban entomology at the UF/IFAS Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center and lead author of the study. "This was unexpected, and it raised red flags about the possibility of hybrid populations forming in the field."

The coming termite apocalypse!