Formosan Subterranean Termite

Formosan termites represent termite strategy pushed to its extreme. Native to southern China, they've become the most destructive termite species worldwide—not through any novel capability but through amplification of existing strategies. Colonies can contain millions of individuals (versus thousands for native species). They consume wood three times faster than local termites. And crucially, they can establish above-ground carton nests that hold enough moisture to eliminate soil dependency, enabling colonization of high-rise buildings, ships, and other structures where subterranean termites cannot survive.

The carton nest innovation represents strategic flexibility. Formosan termites remain connected to soil when possible, benefiting from traditional moisture sources. But when above-ground food sources warrant it, they build moisture-retaining nests from chewed wood, feces, and soil that create self-sustaining humidity environments. This dual capability means Formosan termites can exploit both traditional and novel niches. They haven't replaced the ancestral strategy; they've added a new one.

Invasive success follows from this flexibility combined with scale. Large colonies produce more reproductives, enabling rapid colonization of new areas. Multiple queens per colony accelerate growth. The combination of fast reproduction, flexible nesting, and aggressive consumption overwhelms native termite species and challenges human structures. The business parallel reveals how scale amplification of existing strategies can create market dominance. Formosan termites didn't invent new capabilities—they scaled existing ones beyond competitors' capacity to match. Companies that achieve similar scale advantages in conventional strategies often prove more successful than those attempting novel approaches. Execution at scale can trump innovation.