Mother’s Day marks an unusual rite of passage for the Formosan Subterranean Termite.
In the two weeks before Mother’s Day swarms of winged pests come out at night, drawn by porch lights, street lights, headlights, you name it.
WWL went to an LSU entomologist with a specialty in termites, Dr. Karen Sun for an explanation as to why the pests always seem to be around for Mother’s Day.
“So, these termites have a kind of internal clock, so they always swarm around this time of the year,” Dr. Sun explains. “Starting in late April and lasting through May or June and the weather can certainly promote their swarm.”
What exactly are these swarms of termites doing, other than being a major annoyance to just about everyone?
“When they swarm, the swarming termites, they are winged and they fly out of their natal nest, to find a mate and start new colonies, that’s what they do,” Dr. Sun says. “An we have noticed however large swarms in the past two weeks and this very likely will continue for one more, maybe two more weeks.”
What is it about this particular termite that makes them so damn annoying and destructive, more than any normal termite.
“In Louisiana we have this invasive Formosan Subterranean Termite. We also have four species of the native subterranean termite species, they are less destructive compared to the Formosan Subterranean Termite.”
So, the reason we see them flying around is they’re all out for a good time and looking to get lucky…
“When they swarm, the swarmer termites, they are winged and endowed so they fly out of the natal nest to find a mate. And to start new colonies, that’s what they do.”
