May 19, 2012 – Got Wings, Barely Fly
QUESTION:
We all know that drywood termites have their short swarming flights in search of light, but how short are they really? Ten meters, one kilometer? Thank you and have a good day.
ANSWER:
Termite swarmers in general are very weak fliers, and according to one major resource they typically fly only a few feet away from where they emerged before dropping to the ground, shedding their wings, mating, and seeking that new place to establish a new colony. Their wings are so poorly attached to their thorax that they have little more than a fluttering flight that gets them up and out of the escape holes or tubes from the colony. If there is any breeze, though, they may get carried quite a long distance, since they may not have the strength to overcome that breeze that is carrying them along, and one observer noted they were transported up to a mile in this manner. The stronger the wind the further they may go.
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We all know that drywood termites have their short swarming flights in search of light, but how short are they really? Ten meters, one kilometer? Thank you and have a good day.
ANSWER:
Termite swarmers in general are very weak fliers, and according to one major resource they typically fly only a few feet away from where they emerged before dropping to the ground, shedding their wings, mating, and seeking that new place to establish a new colony. Their wings are so poorly attached to their thorax that they have little more than a fluttering flight that gets them up and out of the escape holes or tubes from the colony. If there is any breeze, though, they may get carried quite a long distance, since they may not have the strength to overcome that breeze that is carrying them along, and one observer noted they were transported up to a mile in this manner. The stronger the wind the further they may go.
Presumably it is consistent among the related drywood termites that they normally swarm in the middle of the day, their release from the colony triggered by bright light intensity and warm temperatures. This is also about when native subterranean termites will swarm, whereas dampwood termites swarm after the sun has gone down and it is still light enough to see. I have been camping in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California in July when swarming began, and it was really a sight to see. Clouds of these weakly fluttering termites floating around near the ground. In still air they probably went no further than those 10 meters before pairing off and starting things over again.
As you say, swarmers may be strongly attracted to light once they emerge, and may gather at porch lights for the kinds that swarm after sundown. I often find dampwood swarmers at my own porch lights, and it is common to find subterranean swarmers in window sills after they emerged indoors.
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