Pacific Dampwood Termite

Pacific Dampwood Termite

Zootermopsis angusticollis

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at San Francisco

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%

22 Verified sightings at San Francisco
52 In all 4 parks From 2019 to 2026
October Best month
🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted

About the Pacific Dampwood Termite

Zootermopsis angusticollis is a species of termite (Order: Blattodea (formerly 'Isoptera)[1]') in the family Archotermopsidae, a group known as the Pacific dampwood termites, or the rottenwood termites. As their name suggests, the dampwood termites can only survive by living off of wood that contains high amounts of moisture. They are found along the wet environments of the Pacific coast of North America. Most are found in the states of California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Western Nevada and in southern British Columbia. Termites are well known to be destroyers of wood, and although the dampwood termites can cause some damage, they are not as notoriously known to cause as much damage to buildings as the drywood termites. They occasionally have been carried to other parts of the country through wood shipments, but have not been able to become established in these areas due to undesirable environmental conditions.

Zootermopsis angusticollis is a hemimetabolous, diploid species. Upon hatching from their egg, they are quite similar to adults except for their lack of genitalia. Their series of morphological instars allows them to increase in size until they reach their... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Pacific Rim National Park Reserve 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
2 Redwood National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
3 Great Bear Rainforest 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
4 Olympic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Seattle 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
2 Portland 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
3 Vancouver 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
4 San Francisco 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Pacific Dampwood Termite in San Francisco?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Pacific Dampwood Termite sighting in San Francisco on a given day, based on 22 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 336th most-seen of the 737 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Pacific Dampwood Termite in San Francisco?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Pacific Dampwood Termite in San Francisco on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Pacific Dampwood Termite?

Between 6 and 9 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Pacific Dampwood Termite sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.

Is San Francisco the best place to see a Pacific Dampwood Termite?

4th of 4

Of the 4 cities where we can rate Pacific Dampwood Termite sightings, San Francisco ranks 4th at under 5%. The best odds are in Seattle (United States, about 10%), Portland (United States, about 10%) and Vancouver (Canada, under 5%).

Where does the Pacific Dampwood Termite sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Pacific Dampwood Termite is recorded against all the insects logged in San Francisco (22 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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