A team of Taiwanese and US scientists warned of “super termites” after a three-year study suggested that two destructive subterranean species are producing hybridized offspring in the wild.
This research, which consisted of lab tests and a three-year field study in Taiwan, was published in the March issue of Heredity.
Coauthor Lee Hou-feng (李後鋒), a professor of etymology at National Chung Hsin University, said last week that the research conducted by the team showed that the two common invasive termite species are 100 percent more fertile and resilient to climate conditions.
Photo: Su Meng-chuan, Taipei Times
Taiwanese subterranean termites and Asian subterranean termites are deemed the world’s most invasive termite species, causing economic damage worth tens of billions of US dollars every year, he said.
The University of Florida’s Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center previously proved via lab tests that the two termite species have the potential to reproduce fertile hybrids, Lee said.
Taiwanese scientists picked up the research since the two species have for centuries coexisted in Taiwan, a unique proximity not duplicated anywhere else in the world, he said.
Working in collaboration with citizen scientists and companies in the pest control industry, The research team between 2019 and 2021 collected numerous samples of flying termites in Taichung, Chiayi and Yunlin, he said.
The team focused their efforts on these jurisdictions because they showed the highest degree of overlap between the two species, Lee said.
An analysis found that 5 percent of the gathered samples display the traits of Formosan and Asia subterranean termites while being of an intermediate color and size, he said.
The superior fecundity and adaptability to humidity and temperature conditions of the super termites might spell trouble for humans, but an accurate risk assessment would require closer observation, he said.
AGING: While Japan has 22 submarines, Taiwan only operates four, two of which were commissioned by the US in 1945 and 1946, and transferred to Taiwan in 1973 Taiwan would need at least 12 submarines to reach modern fleet capabilities, CSBC Corp, Taiwan chairman Chen Cheng-hung (陳政宏) said in an interview broadcast on Friday, citing a US assessment. CSBC is testing the nation’s first indigenous defense submarine, the Hai Kun (海鯤, Narwhal), which is scheduled to be delivered to the navy next month or in July. The Hai Kun has completed torpedo-firing tests and is scheduled to undergo overnight sea trials, Chen said on an SET TV military affairs program. Taiwan would require at least 12 submarines to establish a modern submarine force after assessing the nation’s operational environment and defense
Yangmingshan National Park authorities yesterday urged visitors to respect public spaces and obey the law after a couple was caught on a camera livestream having sex at the park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) earlier in the day. The Shilin Police Precinct in Taipei said it has identified a suspect and his vehicle registration number, and would summon him for questioning. The case would be handled in accordance with public indecency charges, it added. The couple entered the park at about 11pm on Thursday and began fooling around by 1am yesterday, the police said, adding that the two were unaware of the park’s all-day live
The coast guard today said that it had disrupted "illegal" operations by a Chinese research ship in waters close to the nation and driven it away, part of what Taipei sees a provocative pattern of China's stepped up maritime activities. The coast guard said that it on Thursday last week detected the Chinese ship Tongji (同濟號), which was commissioned only last year, 29 nautical miles (54km) southeast of the southern tip of Taiwan, although just outside restricted waters. The ship was observed lowering ropes into the water, suspected to be the deployment of scientific instruments for "illegal" survey operations, and the coast
A former soldier and an active-duty army officer were yesterday indicted for allegedly selling classified military training materials to a Chinese intelligence operative for a total of NT$79,440. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office indicted Chen Tai-yin (陳泰尹) and Lee Chun-ta (李俊達) for contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法) and the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例). Chen left the military in September 2013 after serving alongside then-staff sergeant Lee, now an army lieutenant, at the 21st Artillery Command of the army’s Sixth Corps from 2011 to 2013, according to the indictment. Chen met a Chinese intelligence operative identified as “Wang” (王) through a friend in November
RSS