It begins on a sunny morning in spring each year, just as the ground temperature reaches sixty degrees or more…
Eastern Subterranean Termites emerge in unison from a nest located in the soil beneath a log. Each of these swarming “alates” is a potential king or queen seeking to find a location with an ample supply of fallen timber to provide food for establishment of a new colony. They are escorted to the surface by a soldier (lower center) equipped with powerful jaws for protecting the existing nest. Similar-looking worker termites tend the nest, the queen, her eggs, and their siblings, but usually remain hidden from view. The workers feed upon wood, hosting cellulose-digesting protozoa and bacteria in their guts to break down the fibers. This symbiotic relationship is an important mode of decomposition in the forest, the process that turns wood into the organic matter that enriches soil and helps it to retain more moisture.Termites are among the numerous arthropods that join fungi and a variety of microbes to decompose dead wood and other plant matter into the nutrients and organic materials used by living plants to thrive and grow.Within moments of emerging, swarming “alates” ascend a tree trunk or other vertical surface from which they can take flight.Eastern Subterranean Termite “alates” gather atop a stump before launching skyward.Termites swarm in massive numbers in an attempt to overwhelm the predators that are inevitably attracted to their sudden appearance. The few “alates” that survive to find a source of rotting wood in which to begin a new colony are the only hope for continuing their king and queen’s legacy.Soon after lift off, the majority of swarming termites are consumed by swallows, swifts, and other birds, but some are discovered at ground level.A lightning-fast strike with its tongue and this Green frog has snatched up yet another termite. Those that slip by the dragnet of terrestrial and aerial predators can sometimes start a new colony in the ground beneath a dead tree or in a vulnerable house or other wooden structure. To keep a small clan from invading your home, be certain the wood elements of your building(s) are kept dry and are not in contact with dirt, soil, bark mulch, etc. Regular inspections for evidence of their presence can head off the long-term damage termites can inflict on the stuff we construct with tree skeletons.A Green Frog wearing its breakfast. Its next chance for a termite feast may come during the autumn when the Drywood Termites (Kalotermitidae) swarm.
Of course, termites aren’t the only groups of insects to swarm. As heated runoff from slow-moving thundershowers has increased stream temperatures during the past couple of weeks, there have occurred a number of seasonal mayfly “hatches” on the Susquehanna and its tributaries. These “hatches” are actually the nuptial flights of newly emerged imago and adult mayflies. The most conspicuous of these is the Great Brown Drake.
Seen here with a much smaller and more typical regional mayfly to its left, the Great Brown Drake was for several years infamous for swarming the lights and creating traffic hazards on bridges spanning the Susquehanna. During the past two weeks, nighttime flights of these giants have ventured out to gather at well lit locations in housing and business districts more than a dozen miles from the river. Earlier this century, this proclivity to wander probably led the Great Brown Drake to first invade silty segments of the Susquehanna as a colonizer from its native range in the Mississippi watershed.
Swarms of another storm-related visitor are being seen throughout the lower Susquehanna valley right now. Have you noticed the Wandering Gliders?
Throughout the month, swarms of Wandering Gliders, the most widespread dragonflies in the world, descended on areas hit by localized slow-moving thundershowers. Large numbers of these global travelers are known to get swept up within the thermal air masses that lead to these storms. In suitable terrain within the path of the downpours, they linger to search for flooded places where they can mate and deposit eggs. Wandering Gliders frequently mistake large parking lots at shopping malls, grocery stores, etc. for wetlands and will be seen in these areas depositing eggs upon the hoods and roofs of shiny motor vehicles, surfaces which appear puddle-like in their eyes.More dragonfly swarms are yet to come. Adult Common Green Darners are presently in the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed mating and depositing eggs within vegetated ponds, lakes, and wetlands. Beginning in August, adult Common Green Darners and other migratory species including Black Saddlebags, Carolina Saddlebags, Wandering Gliders, and Twelve-spotted Skimmers will begin swarming as they feed on flying insects (including lots of mosquitos and gnats) and start working their way toward the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Along the barrier islands by September, concentrations of southbound dragonflies can reach the thousands, particularly at choke points like Cape May, New Jersey, and Cape Charles, Virginia. So be sure to keep an eye on the sky for swarms of dragonflies during coming weeks. And don’t forget to check out our “Damselflies and Dragonflies” page by clicking the tab at the top of this page.
