Termites

Winged Termites

I remember seeing swarms of termites flying around at different times when I was growing up in Ohio.  I had always been told that they were termites, but all I knew for sure was that they looked like long ants with wings.  On a particularly day, I approached a swarm of termites as I was walking down the sidewalk near my grandma’s house.  Before I knew it, one had flew up my nose!  I had a burning sensation in my nose, and I knew it was in there.  I ran into my grandma’s house to grab tissue and try to blow it out.  I tried to blow it out to no avail.  Out of desperation, I tried to feel for it with my finger but I couldn’t find anything.  I started thinking that I was crazy and went back outside.  I rejoined my friend, and immediately started feeling the burning sensation again…and I’m pretty sure it was moving around in there.  So I held the opposite nostril shut and blew as hard as I could, and to my relief, it finally came out on the palm of my hand.  It was cover in mucus and took off flying again!!

After I did a little research, I found some photographs that confirmed in was in fact a winged termite.  I also learned that the winged termites are referred to as “Swarmers” or “Reproductives.”  The termites swarm out of the colony in search of a place to start a new colony of their own.  Once a male and a female mate, they will shed their wings.  While termites can be a nightmare for property owners, they are a benefit to nature by aerating soil and breaking down organic matter, like fallen trees.  Ants are a termite’s number one enemy, because ants often forage termite colonies for food and compete with them for resources.  Termites react to pheromones emitted by fellow termites as well as predators.  In some species, soldier ants accompany foragers so that they may venture further away from the colony, and forage for longer periods of time.  The soldier ants in some species use their heads to plug holes in the colony, to prevent predators from entering, while solder ants in other species can spray a sticky liquid that incapacitates the predator.