Identify this BUG <June Termite Invasion>

An insect of some sort invaded one of my bedrooms. Found 8 of them so far crawling around the room. Lived in this home for over 8 years and have never seen this bug before. Can someone help identify it?

termites. once a year flying invasion.

Watch out your wooden bed, closet, desk, etc., migh collapse unexpectedly.

Did some research on the Formosa Termite (it’s actually named after here). And it’s pretty crazy. One article said that once they build a home (mound) no one has successfully destroyed one. And that they are the most destructive type of termite in the world. Much worse than American termites.

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Is a single one crawling around the floor cause to worry? Should I go looking for more?

In each swarming event, several queens emerge that get surrounded by thousands of males. the queens and accompanying males together fly off to found a new colony. most queens fail to found a new colony. even worse, most males fail to follow a queen. the single one you find on it own is likely to be a stupid male, which is no worry, and is destined to just become gecko food.

Even if it had no wings (like the one on the picture?)

Yep, they drop their wings as soon as they land. They fly once in their life. They were everywhere these last few days. They were all over the 7-11 near my house. They need a queen and a damp dark wooden area to breed.

Thanks :bow:

ack. I just got swarmed by these. I noticed one a few hours ago, then a few more, then I walked into my kitchen to find a bunch circling the light, then I had a look at my windows. In both the kitchen and living room they are ALL over the windows and are crawling their way inside through every possible route (and there are many, since apparently my windows suck and are nowhere near bug-tight) :s . I’ve sprayed down the window cracks (as much as I hate to spray that much bug spray in the house), and am killing every one I see, but I’m sure that plenty have made it in and are hiding somewhere. Am I going to end up with a termite nest in my apartment somewhere?

No.

relax.

and turn off your light.

They’re here.
2020 Taiwan Termite Invasion has begun. All over my patio, AC unit, washer and dryer.

Going to wait for the sworn to end before venturing out to do laundry. Those damn things get over everything!

Those are the flying things right? I remember them from last year. :grimacing:

They came last Thursday evening for me actually - I think it was the first warm day in a while. Quite a few of them made it in through the (closed) window while I was on a Zoom call. I remember checking on here to see if anyone else had started complaining about them, but didn’t see anything.

Haven’t seen them since though. Do these things actually eat clothes and wood and stuff, or do they just die if they don’t find a mate?

They just die. They usually come out after a heavy rain, this year they couldn’t wait .

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Would swap my human existence for that of a termite’s.
Imagine the joy, the intensity, of living it all in a single day.

except they mostly don’t. Of all the alates that fly away, some m/f pairs do succeed and find a new home. Yes, most of the others die, but they’ve been alive formonths before.

Alates , the young winged reproductives of both sexes. From time to time about 100 to 1000 alates leave the colony for a mating and colonising flight. After mating a pair settles down at a suitable site like a rotting scar on a tree in order to establish a new colony.

https://www.fzi.uni-freiburg.de/InsectPestKey-long%20version/termit2.htm

Has anyone else experienced these flying f***ers coming in this evening? I just went into my living room to find a couple flying about near the lights, followed by a couple of dozen more in the next few minutes. :grimacing::grimacing::grimacing:

Found out my bug zapper is dead, too. So lights off, curtains closed, bug zapper on to charge.

Someone please remind me again - do these things eat or lay eggs in anything important? I do have a load of (legal) plants, and therefore soil, in my living room, and I noticed that one or two had landed on the soil and shed their wings. Do I need to get my flamethrower out? :grimacing:

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Don’t they only come out in the rain?

It is swarming season for termites and flying ants. They come out to swarm by the thousands and millions to find a new nesting site. Then they shed their wings and mate. Only 1 is the princess, soon to be queen. Most will die.

The swarming happens just before and after it rains in late spring and early summer.

They are swarming all over my patio and windows now.

In the morning, they will be gone…only their wings will be left, littered all over everything.

They are attracted to light.

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So in other words, they mate after shedding their wings, and the odd one landing on my plants most likely won’t result in eggs being laid?