9 replies to this topic

[Foogoo]

Landed on my head today when I was outside, brushed it on my hand where it immediately shed its wings. Thought it was an ant queen but doesn't quite look like one. Termite? Roughly 3mm long.

 

 

[dspdrew]

Definitely a termite. Looks like a subterranean termite to me.

[gcsnelling]

Yup subterranean termite for sure.

Edited by gcsnelling, December 14 2015 - 3:38 AM.

[Foogoo]

Great, thanks! Much smaller than I thought they were....

[dspdrew]

Species can vary in size quite a bit from what I've seen.

[James C. Trager]

Actual size of these is about 4mm long, but still way smaller than 7-8mm dry wood termites, or the 10-12mm damp wood termites, also found in California.

[Foogoo]

Actual size of these is about 4mm long, but still way smaller than 7-8mm dry wood termites, or the 10-12mm damp wood termites, also found in California.

Thanks, I'm used to seeing the larger drywood termites, I had no idea the subterranean ones were so much smaller.

[dspdrew]

I have noticed the majority of the ones I've found have been about that small, but two years ago while I was in the desert, there was a huge swarm after a storm went through, and I saw only a few of the small ones, and tons of them that were about 2 to 3 mm larger. They looked just like the small ones, so I assumed they were also subterranean termites.

[Vendayn]

The subterranean termites I found today have a bunch of alates. Will probably fly on the porch lol, but hopefully they mostly go back into their aquarium.

 

Drywood termites fly in the heat of Summer, they never fly this late in the year. Maybe in Florida where they are imported, their flight is different since its a different climate, or maybe its the same.

 

No idea when Dampwood termites fly, I've never found them yet, but I don't go in the mountains much or places they'd be more likely to be found.

 

Subterranean termites however (in California) fly in the Winter and early Spring. When its a sunny warmish day, after a Winter rain, they all start flying.

 

Subterranean termites rely on moisture a lot more than Drywood termites, and don't like it hot and dry. There are Desert subterranean termites and Arid-land subterranean termites, which can live in drier conditions, but are both still vastly more active in the Winter.

 

Since you live in LA, you probably found Western subterranean termites, which are really common. The desert ones are mostly way out, well, in the desert. At least in Orange County, Western subterraneans are the ones I find the most, if not the only ones I've found.

 

The desert ones I think are a bit bigger too, and also Western subterranean termite soldiers have a yellowish color to them, where as desert and arid-land subterraneans soldiers are always white. Western subterranean termites I'm pretty sure are noticeably smaller, but I don't have any Desert subterraneans to compare with.

Edited by Vendayn, December 16 2015 - 9:21 PM.

[dspdrew]

I usually see dampwood termites swarming in spring.