Malagasy Mound-building Termite vs Mountain Pine Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Malagasy Mound-building Termite Mountain Pine Beetle
Scientific Name Microcerotermes subtilis Dendroctonus ponderosae
Order Blattodea Coleoptera
Family Termitidae Curculionidae
Size 3-5 mm 4-7 mm
Habitat Underground Forests
Diet Wood Feeders Wood Feeders
Regions Madagascar North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Malagasy Mound-building Termite

A small termite species that constructs conspicuous carton mounds on tree trunks or the ground. Workers are pale and soft-bodied with darkened head capsules.

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Did You Know?

Its dark carton mounds are made from a mixture of soil, chewed wood, and fecal material cemented together, and they can persist for years even after the colony dies.

Mountain Pine Beetle

A small dark brown bark beetle that bores into pine trees to lay eggs beneath the bark. Massive outbreaks have devastated millions of hectares of North American forests.

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Did You Know?

Mountain pine beetles carry blue stain fungi that block water transport in trees, turning the wood a distinctive blue-gray color.