Technical Abstract: Colonies of Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki were located and collected from eight sites in Mississippi and Louisiana from January through July 2004 using two different collection methods. Quantitative and qualitative assessments were made of the cuticular hydrocarbons extracted from samples of these termites as they were collected from the field and again after being established as lab colonies using GC/MS. The most abundant fatty acid detected was oleic, followed by stearic, palmitic, and palmitoleic acids. Results of this analysis indicate that diet contributes to variability in the ratios of fatty acids in termite workers, and thus may affect recognition and agonistic behavior between termites.