| Reticulitermes hesperus | |
|---|---|
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| Reproductive adult on the wing | |
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| Workers in the colony | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Blattodea |
| Infraorder: | Isoptera |
| Family: | Rhinotermitidae |
| Genus: | Reticulitermes |
| Species: | R. hesperus |
| Binomial name | |
| Reticulitermes hesperus Banks in Banks & Snyder, 1920 | |
Reticulitermes hesperus, the western subterranean termite, is a species of termite in the family Rhinotermitidae. It is found in Central America and North America. [1] [2] [3] R. hesperus is native to the coast between British Columbia and Southern California. [4] Like other subterranean termites, they live underground, where they have elaborate eusocial societies composed of a queen, workers, and soldiers, as well as a rotating case of sexually reproductive adults and their larval and immature offspring. [5] The reproductive adults are the only ones with functional wings. [5] The reproductive adults will swarm on warm days in spring and fall, particularly after a rain event, looking for mating partners. [5] These termites prefer moist living environments and prefer to consume wood that has already been partially decayed by saprotrophic fungus. [5]
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A similar species, Reticulitermes tibialis , is more common in the interior of western North America. [4]
