Fauna
Insect

Western Drywood Termite

Incisitermes minor

Also known as Dark Drywood Termite

Western drywood termites live out their entire life cycle completely sealed inside sound, dry timber, requiring no contact with soil or external water sources. Colonies remain comparatively compact, often numbering only a few thousand individuals who excavate smooth, clean galleries across both structural framing and utility poles. Winged reproductive alates take flight on warm, sunny autumn afternoons, shedding their dusky wings immediately after landing to bore initial nest cavities into dry wood.

Wood-BoringSocial InsectUrban Pest
Western Drywood Termite reference1 / 7
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—observations
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Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Key facts
Diet & preyDry wood, Dead tree limbs, Cellulose
Predators
  • Ants
  • Spiders
  • Woodpeckers
ThreatsStructural fumigation, targeted heat treatments, and localized pesticide applications
HabitatsCoastal sage scrub, oak woodlands, chaparral, and human-built wooden structures
Life spanPseudergates 2–4 years; primary queens over 10–12 years
Classification
  1. OrderBlattodea
  2. FamilyKalotermitidae
  3. GenusIncisitermes
  4. SpeciesIncisitermes minor
Range & activity
Range data is not available yet.
Safe observation
Interaction riskLow
  1. Low
  2. Moderate
  3. High
  4. Very high
Why interaction risk is low
Harmless to humans and pets, though highly destructive to dry structural lumber.
Responsible observation
  • Check Frass: Inspect windowsills and baseboards for mounds of tiny, six-sided fecal pellets discarded from gallery kick-out holes.
  • Observe Swarms: Watch sunny building exteriors during warm late-summer and autumn afternoons to see dispersing alates in flight.
Related species
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