Conehead Termite

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Conehead Termite Control in South Florida

Conehead Termite
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Conehead Termite Quick Facts

Size

Workers are about 1/8 to 3/16 inch long; soldiers are similar in size

Color

Workers are pale cream to tan; soldiers have a distinctive dark brown, cone-shaped head

How to Identify

Look for narrow brown surface tunnels, aboveground carton nests, and soldiers with pointed cone-shaped heads

Active Season

Potentially active year-round in South Florida; swarming and visible foraging may increase in warm, humid weather

Indoor or Outdoor

Primarily outdoors in trees and landscape vegetation, but colonies can spread into buildings and wooden materials

Day or Night

Workers remain protected inside covered tunnels and may forage at varying times; swarmers are often noticed during seasonal flights.

Diet

They consume cellulose in dead bark, trees, shrubs, grasses, roots, structural wood, furniture, cardboard, and paper products.

About Conehead Termites

Conehead termites, Nasutitermes corniger, are invasive, tree-nesting termites known in the United States only from localized areas of Broward County. Their name comes from the soldiers’ pointed, cone-shaped heads. Unlike subterranean termites, they build visible aboveground nests and narrow brown tunnels across trees, fences, walls, and other surfaces.

Conehead termites can feed on living and dead vegetation, structural wood, furniture, cardboard, and paper products. Because Florida is working to eradicate this invasive species, suspected nests or tunnels should not be disturbed. Proper identification and prompt reporting to FDACS are important before a treatment plan is developed.

Where Are Conehead Termites Found?

Outdoor Nesting Areas

Conehead termites build aboveground carton nests and covered foraging tunnels. In affected South Florida areas, inspectors may find them in or around:

  • Tree trunks, branch unions, and tree bases
  • Sabal palms, oaks, sea grapes, and other landscape plants
  • Dead trees, stumps, and woody debris
  • Wood fences and landscape timbers
  • Wood piles and discarded lumber
  • Fence posts and exterior wooden features
  • Dense vegetation and protected landscape areas
  • Exterior walls, sheds, and other structures reached by surface tunnels

Their irregular, dark carton nests may be attached to trees or formed near the ground, while narrow brown tunnels connect the nest to feeding sites.

Building and Structural Sites

Conehead termites can extend covered tunnels from landscape nests onto buildings. Activity may occur in:

  • Exterior wall surfaces and wall voids
  • Window and door framing
  • Rooflines, soffits, and attic wood
  • Utility and plumbing penetrations
  • Spaces behind siding or exterior finishes
  • Wooden sheds, decks, and attached structures
  • Structural lumber, trim, and furniture
  • Cardboard, paper products, and stored cellulose materials

Visible tunnels on a house may lead from an outdoor nest to concealed feeding areas. Because colonies can spread through vegetation and structures, the full extent of activity may not be obvious from one tunnel.

South Florida Conditions That Support Activity

Conehead termites are not established throughout South Florida. Florida detections have been concentrated in designated survey and treatment areas in Broward County. Conditions that can help a colony spread locally include:

  • Connected tree canopies and dense landscaping
  • Dead wood and storm-damaged branches
  • Wood structures located near an active nest
  • Unremoved stumps, wood debris, or discarded lumber
  • Fences and vegetation that create continuous travel routes
  • Wood piles and discarded lumber stored against the structure
  • Trees, palms, or shrubs close to exterior walls
  • Cardboard and paper materials in accessible storage areas
  • Openings that allow covered tunnels to continue into a structure

Conehead Termite Behavior and Colony Activity

Feeding Habits

Conehead termite workers feed on cellulose from many plant- and wood-based materials, including:

  • Dead bark on living or dead trees
  • Trees, shrubs, grasses, and roots
  • Structural wood and wooden furnishings
  • Fences, landscape timbers, and lumber
  • Cardboard, paper, and other cellulose products

Workers travel from nests to feeding sites through covered tunnels that help protect them from drying conditions, sunlight, and predators.

Nesting Habits

Colonies are highly social and may build large carton nests above ground in trees or near their bases. Networks of narrow tunnels can spread across vegetation, fences, and buildings to reach new food sources.

Soldiers defend the colony with a sticky defensive secretion released from the tip of the cone-shaped head. Swarmers leave mature colonies during reproductive flights and may be the first sign noticed away from a visible nest.

Tunnels and Shelter

Conehead termites do not depend on underground soil contact in the same way subterranean termites do. Their protected aboveground system may include:

  • Carton nests attached to trees
  • Nests at tree bases or in dense vegetation
  • Brown tunnels running up trunks
  • Tunnels crossing fences or walls
  • Sheltered routes into rooflines and structural openings
  • Multiple connected feeding locations
  • Vegetation that bridges from the landscape to a building
  • Undisturbed cellulose materials near active colonies

Finding and mapping nests, tunnels, and feeding sites is important because visible activity may represent only part of the colony network.

Peak Activity

South Florida warmth can support colony activity throughout the year. Covered tunnels allow workers to remain protected while moving between nests and food sources, so feeding may continue even when few termites are seen in the open.

Winged reproductive termites may emerge during warm, humid periods. Swarm timing can vary with colony maturity and weather, and swarmers alone may be confused with other termites without expert identification.

Conehead Termite Damage and Concerns

Property Damage

Conehead termites are wood-destroying insects that can damage structures, furniture, trees, shrubs, and other cellulose materials. Colonies may expand rapidly through landscapes and buildings when activity is not detected.

Possible signs and concerns include:

  • Brown foraging tunnels on trees, fences, or walls
  • Dark, irregular carton nests in trees or near the ground
  • Damage to structural wood or exterior wooden features
  • Feeding on furniture, cardboard, or paper products
  • Expansion from one property to nearby vegetation
  • Difficulty determining the colony’s full extent without inspection

Conehead termites can be confused with other termites, especially when only workers or swarmers are present. The visible surface tunnels and cone-headed soldiers are useful clues, but suspected activity should be professionally identified and reported to FDACS.

Environmental and Regulatory Importance

Conehead termites are not known for biting people or contaminating food. The primary concerns are structural, landscape, and environmental damage. Because this invasive termite has a limited known distribution in Florida, suspected finds are important to the state eradication effort.

What to Do if You Find Suspected Activity

Do not break open a nest, scrape away tunnels, move infested wood, or apply a do-it-yourself treatment before identification. Disturbing the colony may make activity harder to trace or spread infested material.

Photograph the nest or tunnels from a safe distance and contact a qualified termite professional. Suspected conehead termite activity should also be reported to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Division of Plant Industry.

When Are Conehead Termites Active in South Florida?

Conehead termite colonies may remain active throughout the year in South Florida’s warm climate, although visible activity changes with weather and colony development.

Activity may increase during:

  • Warm, humid weather
  • South Florida’s rainy season
  • Periods following rainfall or storms
  • Times when vegetation growth connects travel routes
  • Warm evenings favorable for reproductive flights
  • Colony expansion into new trees, fences, or structures
  • Movement of infested wood, debris, or plant material

Storm damage can create fresh dead wood and connected debris that offer additional feeding opportunities. Moving wood or plant material from an affected site may also spread termites to a new location.

During cooler or drier periods, termites may remain concealed inside nests, tunnels, wood, and structural voids. A temporary decline in visible activity does not confirm that a colony is gone.

Why DIY Conehead Termite Control Falls Short

Conehead termite control requires accurate identification, a careful survey of nests and tunnels, and coordination with Florida’s eradication program. Store-bought products or removal attempts can disturb visible activity without addressing the full colony network.

  • Treating Only Visible Tunnels | Removing or spraying one tunnel may not reach the carton nest, connected feeding sites, or satellite activity elsewhere on the property.
  • Misidentifying the Termite | Conehead termites require a different response from subterranean, drywood, or dampwood termites. Treatment should not begin until the species is confirmed.
  • Disturbing Nests Before Inspection | Breaking open nests or scraping away tunnels can scatter activity, obscure travel routes, and make the extent of the infestation harder to document.
  • Missing Connected Outdoor Activity | A tunnel on a building may connect to nests in trees, palms, fences, or dense vegetation. Treating one location may leave the primary colony active.
  • Moving Infested Materials | Transporting firewood, branches, furniture, cardboard, or landscape debris from an infested area may spread termites to another site.
  • Using an Uncoordinated Treatment | Because FDACS actively surveys and treats designated areas, suspected conehead termite activity should be reported and managed in coordination with applicable program guidance.
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conehead termite inspection in South Florida

Lower-Impact Options

When appropriate, Pest Busterzz may prioritize precise treatment placement, focused nest and tunnel work, monitoring, and removal or management of infested materials to reduce unnecessary product use.

The Pest Busterzz Conehead Termite Treatment Approach

Pest Busterzz begins with identification and a detailed inspection of visible tunnels, nests, structural activity, and surrounding landscape conditions. Suspected conehead termite findings are handled with attention to FDACS reporting and eradication requirements.

01

Inspection

We inspect trees, palms, fences, exterior walls, rooflines, wooden features, stored cellulose materials, and structural areas for carton nests, covered tunnels, soldiers, swarmers, and feeding damage.

02

Targeted Treatment

The treatment plan depends on confirmed identification, colony location, activity level, property conditions, and current regulatory guidance. Appropriate work may involve targeted nest and tunnel management, structural treatment, exterior management, or removal of infested materials by qualified professionals.

03

Monitoring & Follow-Up

Follow-up may include checking known tunnels and nests, surveying nearby trees and structures, evaluating treatment results, and addressing newly discovered activity in coordination with applicable eradication efforts.

04

Prevention

Recommendations may include avoiding movement of infested wood or debris, reducing unnecessary wood storage, trimming vegetation connections, inspecting trees and fences, and reporting new nests or tunnels promptly.

No. Their known Florida distribution is localized to designated areas in Broward County, including areas associated with Dania Beach and Pompano Beach. A suspected sighting elsewhere is especially important to report because the state is working to eradicate this invasive termite.

The name refers to the soldiers’ dark brown, pointed heads. The cone-shaped head has an opening that releases a sticky defensive secretion used against ants, lizards, and termites from other colonies.

Yes. Conehead termites consume structural wood and other cellulose materials and can cause extensive damage when colonies reach a building. They may also damage furniture, fences, trees, shrubs, cardboard, and paper products.

Their foraging tunnels are narrow, brown, and usually about 1/2 inch wide or less. They may run along tree trunks, fences, exterior walls, or other exposed surfaces. Unlike typical subterranean termite tubes, these routes may connect an aboveground nest to several feeding sites.

They commonly build dark carton nests above ground in trees, palms, or vegetation, and nests may also occur near the base of a tree. Tunnels can extend from these nests to fences, buildings, and other food sources.

Conehead termites are not considered a biting or stinging pest of people or pets. Their main concerns are damage to wood, landscaping, and cellulose materials, along with the environmental risk of an invasive species spreading.

No. Avoid disturbing the nest or tunnels before identification. Photograph the activity, keep infested wood or debris on the property, contact a qualified termite professional, and report the suspected finding to FDACS.

Conehead termites build conspicuous aboveground carton nests and covered tunnels in trees and across exposed surfaces. Subterranean termites generally nest in soil and construct mud tubes upward from the ground. Correct identification matters because management methods differ.

A single tunnel confirms travel activity but does not reveal the colony’s full size. The route may connect to an aboveground nest, several feeding sites, or hidden structural activity. A broader inspection of nearby trees, fences, vegetation, and buildings is appropriate.

Schedule an inspection promptly when you find brown surface tunnels, a carton-like nest, cone-headed soldiers, unexplained termite damage, or swarmers in a localized Broward County area. Suspected activity should also be reported to FDACS so it can be evaluated under the eradication program.

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