The discovery was made during an inspection by a Terminix salesperson, who then conferred with Terminix Branch Manager John Mangold. “He went out to the property and noticed that a piece of trim (from the porch) had subterranean termite damage – no different from any other subterranean termite damage we see. But when he collected the swarmers he noticed that they were large and yellow,” Mangold told PCT.
Mangold turned alates and swarmers over to University of Florida Entomologist Dr. Rudy Scheffrahn, who positively identified them as Formosans.
“There really was nothing remarkable about this colony,” Scheffrahn told PCT. “The damage (to the home) was not extensive. Typically, when the first discovery of termites is made they usually turn up in homes close to a waterway. For example, they will fly off a boat and onto someone’s home. This infestation was at a home that was 300 to 400 meters inland, so that was somewhat surprising.” Scheffrahn added that no Formosan-infested railroad ties, which also contribute to the spread of these termites, were discovered on the property.
This discovery is significant since Pinellas is Florida’s most densely populated county. Scheffrahn said he was not surprised that Formosans are now in Pinellas County; Formosans have now spread throughout most of Florida, including neighboring Hillsborough County.
Mangold said the Gulfport homeowner had been experiencing these swarms the past three years (during which time the homeowner used a different pest control company), so it's possible they had been present on the property for several years.