Termite swarm on old Trachycarpus trunks

[LeonardHolmes]

 I was looking over an area behind my house where I had allowed some trachycarpus trunks to remain on the ground after the 2018 freeze that killed them.  I recently moved the trunks around to provide a bit of erosion protection around volunteer plants coming up near where the old palms were - and I today noticed a swarm of termites emerging and flying all over the place.  I will call the service that inspects and treats our house to see if they need to re-treat around the foundation.  I did a quick search here and I see that this is not uncommon and maybe not a disaster.   I was able to get video of the termites emerging from the half-rotten palm trunks.  It's creepy but kinda cool - except that it was happening 25 feet from my deck.  I'd welcome any tips from others who have had to deal with termites. 

 

 

[Looking Glass]

Tis the season...  Fliers start to emerge in spring and early summer.  They come out heavy at sunset after a rain around here.  I assume those are subterranean termites but not Formosan termites.  Drywood termites are common here, and harder to control, and there’s nothing like seeing a ton of them flying around the yard and probing the house at sunset on a humid night.  Tenting the house periodically is probably the only way to control them effectively.  

I wouldn’t leave any dead wood laying around.   I’d personally burn those logs asap.   Subterranean termites are a bit easier to keep at bay, but it’s best not to actively feed them. 

Edited April 3, 2023 by Looking Glass

[RJ]

Aren’t those carpenter ants? 

[Looking Glass]

1 hour ago, RJ said:

Aren’t those carpenter ants? 

 

[RJ]

1 hour ago, Looking Glass said:

 

I had no idea termites had a winged stage. That’s why I thought those were carpenter ants.

learned something new today 👍

 

 

[Phoenix_Canariensis]

14 minutes ago, RJ said:

I had no idea termites had a winged stage. That’s why I thought those were carpenter ants.

learned something new today 👍

 

 

the winged ones are the kings/queens

[miamicuse]

There is an active nest near by.

The swarmers are winged reproductives and are out swarming to mate.  Once mated they lose their wings and find a new place to nest.  Both drywood and subterranean termites swarms but during different months of the year.

If you can locate where there the nest may be...look for decaying tree hollows, areas of the ground where water tends to sit like a depression etc...you can try products such as Termidor SC or Taurus SC and follow dilution instructions carefully and try treating around heavy infested areas if it's sub termites.  They are attracted to lights, so turning off security lights around the eave may help not attracting them near the house.  Especially lights under the eaves, as hundreds of them fly to the lights, some of them bound to find their way into your roof through the tiny space behind the fascia, or through soffit vents etc...then bore into the framing there, drywood termites would just start there and begin living there, but the damage may take a while to be noticed as they tend to go slow.  Sub termites destroy fast, but they need a source of moisture so they tend to need to go back into the ground to look for moisture, hence why treatment is done around the perimeter of the foundation, in anticipation of the need to cross there back to the moisture source or back into the house.  Sub termites can develop a nest inside the house if you have a moisture source inside such as a leaking roof or plumbing that goes unnoticed.  If you start to see wings near the inside of the window sills, countertop or tables then there is a big problem.

[Looking Glass]

Speak of the devil….   The lizards were getting all hyperactive at sunset tonight, out perching on the top of the fence and darting around, when they’d normally be finding their hideouts for the night.  Then I noticed it.  A few fliers fluttering around, then a whole bunch clumsily flying around the yard and congregating at the streetlights.  Ugh….  Stresses me out.  

Edited April 5, 2023 by Looking Glass

[Fusca]

Here's a shot of some subterranean types tunneling up on a W. filifera juvenile a couple of weeks ago.  Thankfully none near the house.  Yet.

Edited April 5, 2023 by Fusca

[mnorell]

Termites are ubiquitous in nature and a vital part of the ecosystem (remember, that's how Mother Nature breaks down dead trees back into the earth), though I totally identify with the panic you feel when you first see them in large numbers. In the Florida Keys, we would have massive swarms of drywood termites every spring, April-June, and it would really give me some sleepless nights since I had never seen such an air force, but it is accepted practice there to tent your house periodically to make sure they haven't gained a foothold, and that is good advice to live by. And I was reminded, reading the note by "Looking Glass" above...one day I was digging to plant something, and I hit with my shovel the stump of some old tree (I think a seagrape), and it split open, and a huge number of termites were exposed in their nest. I swear...within a minute there was one, then three, then five, then 10, anoles...I watched as they ate EVERY termite that emerged from that trunk. There must be some way they can communicate with each other, like a dog-whistle. Vittles! I always loved the anoles, but after that experience I REALLY loved them! I've also witnessed Florida bull-ants (many northerners as well as myth-influenced Floridians confuse these with their distant and far more dangerous relatives, the northern carpenter ants, incorrectly pronouncing them a threat) chase down and carry off termites. In nature, ants are I believe the number one hunter-destroyer of termites, even though they are cousins.

The subterraneans can usually be spotted by their mud-tubes and can be treated fairly easily with Termidor. It's the drywood termites, as well as the voracious and clever Formosans, that you really have to be prepared for, and have a good termite company to get them away from your house. Horrifying to see what the Formosans have done to some of the historic buildings in New Orleans.

[LeonardHolmes]

The termite guy confirmed that they are termites but he said that there was no need to re-treat the house - just keep an eye on the area.  He suggested leaving the old trunks alone, but get any wood away from the house.  I cut a 15' trunk that had been standing for 2 or 3 years since the tall palm finally succumbed. It was much closer to the house.  I rolled it down the hill.  He believes that these are just native termites.  The company has been treating the perimeter annually with relatively mild agents I think.  No Termidor - which would probably be really expensive through the concrete floor of the basement.