The super-termite that arrived in Hallandale four decades ago — and the only protocol that consistently knocks it down.

The first Florida Formosan detection occurred in Hallandale Beach in the early 1980s — most likely arriving aboard infested wooden shipping crates, the same vector responsible for the species’ post-WWII spread from its native East Asia to Hawaii, then Louisiana, then the Gulf Coast. UF/IFAS researchers later estimated the colony had probably been established for five to ten years before the formal detection — meaning the actual arrival predated 1980.

From that initial Hallandale establishment, Formosan colonies spread north into Hollywood, Dania Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and through to Pompano Beach. By the late 1990s, the species had been documented in Palm Beach, Martin, and St. Lucie counties. By 2010, established colonies were confirmed across most of coastal South Florida, with continued northward range expansion.

Three reasons the spread has accelerated rather than plateaued:

• Mature urban tree canopy. Formosans preferentially infest live trees as their primary colony substrate. Pompano Beach’s mature ficus, oak, mahogany, and royal palm canopy provides effectively unlimited habitat.
• Year-round breeding. Unlike northern subterraneans, Formosans swarm and establish satellite colonies throughout the warm months, not just the spring window.
• Above-ground colony capability. Formosan secondary colonies establish inside wall voids, roof spaces, and any pocket of persistent moisture — meaning the queen is not anchored to soil contact, and treatment must address both the ground and the structure.

UF/IFAS researchers published in 2026 that the Asian subterranean termite (Coptotermes gestroi), established later than Formosan and now widespread in Broward, is also moving steadily north. The forecast: roughly half of all South Florida structures at risk from one or both species by 2040.

A documented Formosan × Asian subterranean hybrid colony was identified by UF/IFAS researchers in Fort Lauderdale in 2015 — more aggressive than either parent, with broader environmental tolerance and likely greater reproductive output.

A native Eastern subterranean infestation can be eliminated with either Sentricon® baiting or Termidor® HE liquid barrier — pick one, both work. A Formosan infestation requires both, applied together, for three specific reasons:

1. Speed of perimeter knockdown. Termidor® HE kills foragers within weeks of soil contact. That immediate kill reduces structural damage rate while the slower-acting bait does its job. With Formosans burning through framing in months, the speed differential matters.
2. Above-ground colony coverage. Sentricon® baits are taken back to the primary colony and to any satellite colonies the workers visit — including the above-ground secondaries that Termidor® HE alone never reaches.
3. Redundancy against treatment-resistant survivors. Formosan colony genetics include greater behavioral and physiological variation than native species. A small surviving fraction is more likely to repopulate. Running two active ingredients with two mechanisms reduces the surviving fraction to a number close to zero.

The protocol pricing reflects the double install — typically $2,500 to $4,500 for the combined initial work, plus the Sentricon® annual monitoring fee. Single-method treatment costs less in dollars but delivers an unreliable result against Formosan colonies. We will tell you that on the inspection.