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Alate termite swarm

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Field Notes

Description:

Winged alate termites have a straight waist and straight antennae. Their wings are equal in size and are used to exit the colony to find a new place to colonize. In addition to wings, these alates are also equipped with eyes which are a unique characteristic compared to the rest of the colony. Once out, the termites take flight and head toward the first light they see with their eyes. The wings are very fragile and the termites are poor fliers, so once they start out in a direction it is difficult for them to change directions.Once the termites land, the wings are simply no longer needed. Often times the termites will discard them by arching their backs and the wings will break off. Next, the males will search out a female by honing in on the female pheromones. Once the female and male termites pair up, they will quickly search out a hidden dark and secluded spot to begin the termite life cycle anew.

Habitat:

subterrestrial,

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (7)
EntomologyForKids
Nice pics! They look pretty cool. Also, are they dead? XD just asking
Tukup
How cool is that? Great photos and write-up. Thanks. Congratulations on your SOTW John.
AntónioGinjaGinja
Congratulations John Alaban,your Alate termite swarm, has been voted Project Noah’s Spotting of the Week,by the Ranger team! An Alate Termite Swarm spotted by John Alaban in the Philippines has been voted Project Noah’s Spotting of the Week! From a distance, this swarm might at first look like a flower. But on closer inspection, one will notice an alate termite swarm! Swarming termites are referred to as Alates. Termites only swarm once the original colony is ready to grow. The primary purpose of Alates is to reproduce and grow the colony. Alates are both male and female. When the environmental conditions are right, thousands of alates emerge and look for a mating pair. After the swarmers find a mate, they lose their wings. The female will then search for a location to nest and begin her new colony. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/projectnoah/photos/a.10150595289465603/10162276290875603/?type=3&eid=ARBX3qTr1S0PL6FzE-h6QWdbaEQ1eNAm25LIQpAFnDVGzrtIiLlMiJuvaeJlfCWRZyzaxfu5tDApjDMH&__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARCAV9gW9l3hBM_iTf-IVu-6c35R1vAvCugK8aN60_MCJ7w_OEd_LoF_6IM59VQ8yZbSskVG5WiO2bmfONOnCarG1WNi3XKtv9Cfo3AmpSLDDZCXEHEpaQtr5KqB-tCfRZspx3DXzMgW-beI8sD9AQ0FzyL_ENVeekDsmbzK51GeAa-gGuJse_uPSmG085w8LQccDFcF_RQZxQB5Mbz22pULrhXC4hi5p6bFdKOBFucWZkSR3alWsuhoWRu_mhjzrSGCqWBNCTy0TG58M3DlQGCsw5NcE-53SPeRJA9MZgrUC6NR3hKarRJ8r1HEORVGYy9vR6fF0pAoq-o83hZQarYFctZW6eW3Hw&__tn__=EHH-R Twitter: https://twitter.com/projectnoah/status/1167486560801120257?s=20
AshleyT
Your spotting has been nominated for the Spotting of the Week. The winner will be chosen by the Project Noah Rangers based on a combination of factors including: uniqueness of the shot, status of the organism (for example, rare or endangered), quality of the information provided in the habitat and description sections. There is a subjective element, of course; the spotting with the highest number of Ranger votes is chosen. Congratulations on being nominated!

Spotted for Missions

Mission
Philippine Biodiversity

Tags

Photographed
PublishedAugust 10, 2019

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