Ethyl oleate has been identified as a primer pheromone that delays the onset of foraging in honey bee workers. We tested the effect of ethyl oleate on the onset of presoldier and soldier formation in Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae). Ethyl oleate was applied on filter paper at 3 doses (10µg, 100µg, and 500µg) and fed to 100 workers in Petri dishes (6 replicates per colony). This resulted in a delayed effect on the first molted presoldier but not on soldier formation in 2 of the 4 tested colonies. There was no dose-response relationship. Results of topical applications will also be presented.