Bug FAQConehead Termite
Nasutitermes corniger · Order: Blattodea · Family: Termitidae
Also called: Tree Termite
Conehead termites are arboreal and live in the neotropics, especially studied on Barro Colorado Island, Panama. Reproductive individuals have dark bodies, black wings and eyes that are set apart from their ocelli. Alates develop through five stages over several months before leaving the colony to mate, and colonies may start with many queens and later become monogamous.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Reproductive termites have black wings, dark bodies, and ocelli positioned far from the eyes.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Fertile individuals are dark-colored with black wings and have ocelli set relatively far from the eyes.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
This species lives in trees in tropical regions of the Americas. It has been intensively studied on Barro Colorado Island in Panama.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Colonies build large nests or mounds that contain abundant wood for the termites to eat.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Alate nymphs pass through five instars and remain in the colony for 5 to 8 months before dispersing to mate. New colonies often have many queens and a king; older colonies may have up to 33 queens but only one king before eventually becoming monogamous.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Mature alates can make up about 35 % of the colony’s total biomass.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is endemic to the neotropical region.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
What do conehead termites look like?
Reproductive individuals have dark bodies, black wings and ocelli set far from the eyes.
Source: Wikipedia
Where are conehead termites found?
They are native to the neotropics and are commonly studied in Panama’s Barro Colorado Island.
Source: Wikipedia
How do conehead termite colonies start?
New colonies often begin with several queens and a single king, later reducing to one queen and one king.
Source: Wikipedia
Do conehead termites damage wood?
Their nests contain large supplies of wood that the termites consume.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Termitidae)
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Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasutitermes_corniger
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 2026-10-22.