Is the Formosan Termite Range Still Growing in Florida?

What did the February 2026 study track?

The study tracked records of Formosan and Asian subterranean termites over the period from 1990 to 2025, according to the University of Florida news report. Its subject was where the species have been recorded, and its finding was that the range is still expanding.

A range study looks at where a species has been found over time. It does not count the colonies on any one lot, and it does not say what a particular property will experience. What it does show is the direction of spread over a long record.

The period from 1990 to 2025 covers more than three decades of records. A finding that the range is still expanding over that period means the species has been moving into new places during the time, rather than holding still.

The report is a university news item, and the reader who wants the detail should look at the news report and the study it describes. This guide summarizes the finding for a homeowner and does not add to it.

What does the Extension advice say about establishment?

The UF/IFAS Extension office for Duval County says that once Formosan termites are established in an area, they have not been eradicated from it. That makes the species a long-term question for a home, not a problem that is solved once and forgotten.

The Extension position is about established populations. Once a colony is in an area, the species stays, and the question for a homeowner is how to keep the structure clear of its routes over time.

The Extension brochure also places Formosan termites as concentrated in Riverside, which means the species is not evenly spread across the county. Concentration and expansion are both true at once, and a homeowner's risk depends on where the lot sits and what the trees and structure show.

This is why a termite inspection and a monitoring schedule are the right responses to the finding. Neither can remove a colony that is already in an area, but both can show whether it is using a particular property.

Does a clean history mean the house is safe?

No. A clean history means no sign was recorded so far, not that the colony cannot reach the structure in future. The range finding and the Extension advice both point to the same answer: the property is checked, not assumed safe.

A homeowner who has never seen a sign may feel that the risk is remote. That feeling is understandable, but a colony that is feeding through a neighbor's tree line can reach a house without any sign appearing early.

A clean history is worth recording. A dated inspection with no findings is a baseline that the next inspection can compare against, and it shows that the property was checked at a particular time.

The sensible response to a clean history is a scheduled check and the clearance and moisture steps the Extension advice describes. Those steps lower the risk on a lot that has no sign yet.

What should a Duval homeowner do about the expanding range?

Inspect the foundation, the trees and the framing, remove the conditions termites use, and schedule a check. The steps are the same whether or not a sign has been seen, and they are most useful when they are done before the first sign appears.

The first step is an inspection. A technician can find out whether the property has any sign and what the structure looks like. The inspection is the baseline for the rest of the plan.

The second step is the clearance and moisture work. Keeping landscaping and woodpiles a foot from the foundation, repairing leaks and directing gutters away from the house remove the routes the colony needs.

The third step is the schedule. A monitoring visit set at a sensible interval shows whether anything has changed. The interval is set for the property, and it should be shorter after any sign is seen.

• Inspect the foundation, trees and framing.
• Keep landscaping and woodpiles a foot from the wall.
• Repair leaks and direct water away from the house.
• Schedule a check and record the result.

Why does the range matter for new construction?

A new slab or footing gives access to the soil before it is covered, and a pretreatment placed at that stage is easier to do well than one applied later. The range finding is a reason to consider it, and the record should go in the building file.

On an open lot the soil along the footing line can be reached and treated before the concrete goes in. That is a better position than treating a finished house through its edge.

A pretreatment does not make the building termite-proof. The design, the moisture and the clearance still matter, and the record and the monitoring schedule are how the owner learns whether the barrier is still doing its job.

The range finding is one reason to consider pretreatment. The decision belongs to the builder and the owner, who should weigh it with the advice of the building team.

What is the honest limit of this finding?

The finding is about where the species has been recorded and how the range has changed over time. It is not a count of colonies, a prediction for any street or an estimate of the risk to a particular house, and this guide does not add to it.

A range study can show that a species is moving, but it cannot say when or whether a colony will reach a given house. The honest answer for a homeowner is that the risk is real and that a visit can measure it on the lot.

The finding also does not say what a treatment will achieve. Treatment decisions depend on the routes found on the property, and the record of each visit is what shows whether a plan is working.

The homeowner should read the study's own summary, and should ask a technician how the finding applies to the property. That is the most reliable way to turn the research into a plan.

What a monitoring record shows over time

A single inspection shows one day.

A single inspection shows one day. A monitoring record shows change: a station that was clean and is now feeding, a tube that reappears in a new spot, or a sill that sounds softer than before. Those changes are what a range finding means for a particular house.

Keep the dated records together. When a sign appears, the earlier records show whether it is new or was missed before, and that difference decides whether the plan needs changing or only a closer check.