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KonchuMay 2nd, 2009, 10:40 am
Site Editor
Indiana

Posts: 505		I just saw a "hatch" of termites, and many were "riding" on the stream after they got trapped there.

These come out in incredibly large numbers and look alot like a stonefly with a black body and clear, silvery wings that usually wind up stuck out to the sides by the surface tension of the water.

Here is a pattern from Australia:

http://www.gvffc.com/Information/Fly%20Patterns/fly%2028%20termite.htm
TroutnutMay 2nd, 2009, 4:58 pm
Administrator
Bellevue, WA

Posts: 2737		Very cool. Do they look a lot like flying ants? Maybe some of the flying ant hatches we all love so much have actually been termites... or is this really rare?
Jason Neuswanger, Ph.D.
Troutnut and salmonid ecologist
LittleJMay 2nd, 2009, 7:18 pm
Hollidaysburg Pa

Posts: 251		I could be wrong but I thought termites only swarmed in the spring. This is coming from a pest control guy that was treating my neighbors house... so the scientific background may not be there.
KonchuMay 3rd, 2009, 10:40 am
Site Editor
Indiana

Posts: 505		It's mostly a springtime thing for the termites in my experience. I checked an old entomology textbook to confirm this, but it only said "certain times of year," which isn't all that helpful.

The numbers with the termites can be pretty amazing and usually exceed what I've seen with ants. In contrast to termites, the ants have pinched waists, forewings that are longer than the hindwings and elbowed antennae.

My guess is that termites are a bigger event in some areas than the ants.

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