Monitoring Termites in the Azores Archipelago: A Comprehensive Dataset (2011–2024)

Occurrence Observation
Versão mais recente published by Universidade dos Açores on jul. 11, 2025 Universidade dos Açores
Publication date:
11 de julho de 2025
Published by:
Universidade dos Açores
Licença:
CC-BY 4.0

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Descrição

Four species of termites were surveyed and monitored in the Azorean island between 2011 and 2024 by the Azorean Government under two main monitoring programs, "House Inspections" and "Monitoring Traps": the Drywood termite Cryptotermes brevis (Walker, 1853), the Yellownecked dry-wood termite Kalotermes flavicollis (Fabricius, 1793), the European subterranean termite Reticulitermes grassei Clément, 1978 and Eastern subterranean termite Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar, 1837). The records of C. brevis dominate over the remaining three surveyed species, with 1801 out of the 1832 events (98%). These records are mostly from two islands, Terceira (919 records) and São Miguel (755 records). Three islands (Faial, Pico and Santa Maria) have around 40 records each and São Jorge only seven records. Annual counts for all islands rose from ~ 40 records in 2011 to 154 records in 2024, with a peak of 185 records in 2023. Concerning, K. flavicollis, this was the second most recorded species with 24 records, most of them from São Miguel Island. The two subterranean termites were recorded as expected from the historical data from Faial and Terceira. Now established on every surveyed island, with an upward trajectory in annual record‐counts, C. brevis remains the single greatest urban termite threat in the Azores. Sustained focus on early detection (e.g., year‐round trap checks) and high‐level public awareness (e.g., instructing residents to report tiny, pin‐sized fecal pellets) is vital to prevent further outbreaks of heavily infested structures.

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Versões

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Como citar

Pesquisadores deveriam citar esta obra da seguinte maneira:

Borges P A V, Bettencourt S, Vargas D, Melo J, Medeiros R, Rodrigues A (2025). Monitoring Termites in the Azores Archipelago: A Comprehensive Dataset (2011–2024). Version 1.2. Universidade dos Açores. Occurrence dataset. http://ipt.gbif.pt/ipt/resource?r=termites_scit&v=1.2

Direitos

Pesquisadores devem respeitar a seguinte declaração de direitos:

O editor e o detentor dos direitos deste trabalho é Universidade dos Açores. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY 4.0) License.

GBIF Registration

Este recurso foi registrado no GBIF e atribuído ao seguinte GBIF UUID: 781731ba-9e43-434a-9950-38ac37b3959f.  Universidade dos Açores publica este recurso, e está registrado no GBIF como um publicador de dados aprovado por GBIF Portugal.

Palavras-chave

Occurrence; Observation; Urban Termites; Azores; Monitoring

Contatos

Paulo A. V. Borges
  • Associate Professor
Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (cE3c)/Azorean Biodiversity Group, CHANGE – Global Change and Sustainability Institute
  • School of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of the Azores, Rua Capitão João d´Ávila, Pico da Urze
9700-042 Angra do Heroísmo
Azores
PT
  • +351968933212
Sónia Bettencourt
  • Originador
  • Technician
Secretaria Regional do Ambiente e Acão Climática, Direção Regional do Ambiente e Ação Climática
  • Rua Cônsul Dabney, Colónia Alemã, Apartado 140
9900-014 Horta
Açores
PT
Dejalme Vargas
  • Originador
  • Technician
Secretaria Regional do Ambiente e Acão Climática, Direção Regional do Ambiente e Ação Climática
  • Rua Cônsul Dabney, Colónia Alemã, Apartado 140
9900-014 Horta
Açores
PT
João Melo
  • Originador
  • Technician
Secretaria Regional do Ambiente e Acão Climática, Direção Regional do Ambiente e Ação Climática
  • Rua Cônsul Dabney, Colónia Alemã, Apartado 140
9900-014 Horta
Açores
PT
Raquel Medeiros
  • Originador
  • Technician
Secretaria Regional do Ambiente e Acão Climática, Direção Regional do Ambiente e Ação Climática
  • Rua Cônsul Dabney, Colónia Alemã, Apartado 140
9900-014 Horta
Açores
PT
Ana Rodrigues
  • Originador
Secretaria Regional do Ambiente e Acão Climática, Direção Regional do Ambiente e Ação Climática
  • Rua Cônsul Dabney, Colónia Alemã, Apartado 140
9900-014 Horta
Açores
PT
Paulo A. V. Borges
Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (cE3c)/Azorean Biodiversity Group, CHANGE – Global Change and Sustainability Institute
9700-042 Angra do Heroísmo
Azores
PT

Cobertura Geográfica

Six Islands were surveyed in Azores archipelago (Faial, Pico, São Jorge, Terceira, São Miguel, Santa Maria)

Coordenadas delimitadoras Sul Oeste [36,938, -28,643], Norte Leste [38,782, -25,012]

Cobertura Taxonômica

Four species of termites belonging to two families were monitored: the Drywood termite Cryptotermes brevis (Walker, 1853), the Yellownecked dry-wood termite Kalotermes flavicollis (Fabricius, 1793), the European subterranean termite Reticulitermes grassei Clément, 1978 and Eastern subterranean termite Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar, 1837).

Reino Animalia
Filo Arthropoda
Class Insecta
Ordem Blattodea
Família Rhinotermitidae, Kalotermitidae

Cobertura Temporal

Data Inicial / Data final 2011-02-16 / 2024-12-27

Dados Sobre o Projeto

In 2022, a monitoring program was conducted with the aim of assessing the status of the West Indian drywood termite (Cryptotermes brevis Walker, 1853) throughout the entire archipelago; the Iberian subterranean termite (Reticulitermes grassei Clément, 1978) on Faial Island, in the parish of Angústias; and the Eastern American subterranean termite (Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar, 1837)) on Terceira Island, in the parish of Lajes. This monitoring was carried out by placing baited stations on every island of the Azores. Additionally, the Termite Infestation Certification System (Sistema de Certificação de Infestação por Térmitas – SCIT) was analyzed, mapping a total of 1,882 certificates that contained evidence of insect damage

Título Monitoring of urban termites in Azorean Islands
Identificador TERMITES-SCIT
Financiamento This research was funded by the Azorean Government. The work of Paulo A. V. Borges was funded by FCT through national and European funds by UID/00329/2023 - Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (CE3C)
Descrição da Área de Estudo All the Azorean Islands (Portugal) were surveyed.
Descrição do Design This study was conducted on the nine islands of the Azorean Archipelago, in all municipalities, through the distribution of 1,314 external chromotropic traps, placed in street lamps. Of these, 300 were placed on Terceira Island, 401 on São Miguel, 151 on São Jorge, 92 on Santa Maria, 150 on Pico, 40 on Graciosa, 50 on Flores, 100 on Faial, and 30 on Corvo. In addition , the Termite Infestation Certification System (Sistema de Certificação de Infestação por Térmitas – SCIT) was analyzed, mapping a total of 1,882 certificates that contained evidence of insect damage.

O pessoal envolvido no projeto:

João Melo
  • Autor
Sónia Bettencour
  • Autor
Dejalme A.M.G. Vargas
  • Autor
Raquel Medeiros
  • Autor
Ana Rodrigues
  • Autor

Métodos de Amostragem

Chromotropic Light Trap Network For the execution of this sampling and monitoring, external traps were placed on public lighting poles and fixtures, in collaboration with the Island Environment and Climate Change Services of the nine islands of the Azores, under the Regional Secretariat for Environment and Climate Change. The traps used consist of a yellow, chromotropic, sticky plastic material (measuring 25 × 20 cm) and were attached beneath the public lighting fixture. The traps were deployed during April and retrieved at the end of September, and were subsequently analyzed by the Regional Secretariat for Environment and Climate Change to confirm the presence or absence of alates (winged, flight-capable) termites. Monitoring was carried out by capturing winged individuals in the traps and performing counts. Infestation Inspection Certificates (SCIT) Since 2011, every home, commercial building or public facility offered for sale or rent in designated “at‐risk” parishes must present a valid Termite Infestation Inspection Certificate (“SCIT”). Trained technicians—graduates of the University of the Azores’ dedicated pest-inspection course—survey interior woodwork (floors, door‐ and window‐frames, skirting boards), attics and crawl-spaces for six key signs of infestation (live insects, alate wings, mud tubes, frass, damage galleries and feeding holes). Results are logged centrally, driving annual updates of geographic risk maps used by municipalities to target preventive treatments and to inform prospective buyers.

Área de Estudo This study was conducted on the nine islands of the Azorean Archipelago, in all municipalities.
Controle de Qualidade The identification of the four termite species was performed by training experts. Data on Infestation Inspection Certificates (SCIT) is presemted with a lower reolution for the owners privacy reasons.

Descrição dos passos do método:

  1. The taxonomic nomenclature follows Borges et al. (2022)

Citações bibliográficas

  1. Austin, J.W., Szalanski, A., Myles, T.M., Borges, P.A.V., Nunes, L. & Scheffrahn, R.H. (2012). First record of Reticulitermes flavipes (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) from Terceira Island (Azores, Portugal). Florida Entomologist, 95: 196-198. DOI:10.1653/024.095.0131
  2. Borges, P.A.V., Guerreiro, O., Ponte, N.B., Borges, A., Ferreira, F., Ferreira, M.T., Nunes, L., Marcos, R.S., Arroz, A., Scheffrahn, R.H. & Myles, T.G. (2014). Cryptotermes brevis (Isoptera: Kalotermitidae) in the Azores: Lessons after 2 yr of monitoring in the archipelago. Journal of Insect Science, 14(172): 1-7. DOI:10.1093/jisesa/ieu034
  3. Borges, P. A. V., Lamelas-López, L., Assing, V. & Schülke, M. (2022). New records, detailed distribution and abundance of rove-beetles (Insecta, Coleoptera, Staphylinidae) collected between 1990 and 2015 in Azores (Portugal) with an updated checklist. Biodiversity Data Journal, 10: e78896. DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.10.e78896
  4. Guerreiro, O., Cardoso, P., Ferreira, J.M., Ferreira, M.T. & Borges, P.A.V. (2014). Potential distribution and cost estimation of the damage caused by Cryptotermes brevis (Isoptera: Kalotermitidae) in the Azores. Journal of Economic Entomology, 107: 1554-1562. DOI: 10.1603/EC13501

Metadados Adicionais

Acknowledgements This research was funded by the Azorean Government. The work of Paulo A. V. Borges was funded by FCT through national and European funds by UID/00329/2023 - Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (CE3C)
Introduction In the Azores archipelago, our understanding of termite diversity and their ecological and economic impacts has only recently begun to coalesce. Four invasive species now dominate urban and peri-urban environments: the Yellownecked dry-wood termite Kalotermes flavicollis (Fabricius, 1793), native to the Mediterranean basin and capable of infesting live branches and, under high‐moisture conditions, structural timbers with colonies of up to 1,000 individuals (Ferreira et al. 2013); the dry‐wood termite Cryptotermes brevis (Walker, 1853), the most destructive dry‐wood species in the Caribbean, able to tolerate low moisture and to establish hundreds of small colonies within a single piece of timber (Ferreira et al. 2013; Guerreiro et al., 2014); and two subterranean termites Reticulitermes grassei Clément, 1978, confined so far to the city of Horta (Faial Island), where it builds extensive soil nests and can form multinucleate colonies comprising millions of individuals (Ferreira et al., 2013; Hernández-Teixidor et al., 2024) and Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar, 1837) restricted so far to Terceira Island (Austin et al., 2012)
Getting Started We used a single Occurrence Table with event and occurrence data applying Darwin Core Standards
Propósito Monitoring four species of termites (the Drywood termite Cryptotermes brevis (Walker, 1853), the Yellownecked dry-wood termite Kalotermes flavicollis (Fabricius, 1793), the European subterranean termite Reticulitermes grassei Clément, 1978 and Eastern subterranean termite Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar, 1837)) in the Azorean Islands.
Identificadores alternativos 781731ba-9e43-434a-9950-38ac37b3959f
http://ipt.gbif.pt/ipt/resource?r=termites_scit