Bug FAQArid Land Subterranean Termite
Reticulitermes tibialis · Order: Blattodea · Family: Rhinotermitidae
Winged adults are about 10 mm long, black with a broad prothorax and black legs. They live in arid deserts, prairies, canyons, river valleys and sand dunes, and also attack wood and feed on creosote and greasewood bushes.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
They are black with black legs and have a broad prothorax.
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
Because they prefer dry, sparsely populated areas, they cause relatively little damage to human structures compared with other Reticulitermes species.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
They also infest wooden structures, logs and fallen timber, and in deserts feed on creosote and greasewood bushes.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
In addition to wood, they feed on creosote and greasewood bushes in desert habitats.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Winged reproductives (alates) emerge above ground in fall, winter or spring, depending on location.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Alates appear above ground in fall, winter or spring, varying with location.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Overall they have a wider North American distribution than other Reticulitermes species.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Other similar species in the area are Reticulitermes flavipes, R. virginicus and R. hageni; R. tibialis prefers drier habitats and can be distinguished by gene sequencing.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 13 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Arizona, New Mexico, California, Kansas, Oklahoma, Massachusetts, Texas, Nevada.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
Questions people ask
What do Arid Land Subterranean Termites look like?
They are black with black legs, have a broad prothorax, and winged adults are about 10 mm long.
Source: Wikipedia
Where are these termites found?
They live in deserts, arid prairies, canyons, river valleys, sand dunes, and also in wooden structures and fallen timber.
Source: Wikipedia
Do they damage homes?
They cause relatively little damage to human structures because they favor dry, low-population areas.
Source: Wikipedia
When do winged termites appear?
Alates emerge above ground in fall, winter or spring, depending on the location.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Rhinotermitidae)
Eastern Subterranean TermiteReticulitermes flavipesCan damage your home
Western Subterranean TermiteReticulitermes hesperusCan damage your home
Formosan subterranean termiteCoptotermes formosanusCan damage your home
Asian subterranean termiteCoptotermes gestroiCan damage your home
Desert Subterranean TermiteHeterotermes aureusCan damage your home
Dark Southern Subterranean TermiteReticulitermes virginicusCan damage your homeSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reticulitermes_tibialis
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.