Insect Taxonomy
Roaches and Termites by Picture
Termites - Texas A&M
University of Florida - "Featured Creatures"
Termite colonies contain three primary castes (the term used for the roles in a termite colony): the reproductives (king, queen, alates, alate nymphs, and supplementary reproductives), soldiers, and workers. Alates are winged termites that swarm in groups for the purpose of creating new colonies. Male and female alates copulate to produce new kings and queens, which produce all the other termites. Soldiers defend the colonies against intruders like ants, and workers maintain the colony and its structures. I have only had one sighting of a termite on the lot, and it was an alate (winged reproducing termite). The Houston area has a handful of termite species, and subterranean ones are the most common.
- Reticulitermes virginicus
- Reticulitermes hageni
- Formosan termites (Coptotermes formosanus)
This video shows the one termite alate I encountered in my home. It was on May 8, 2018.
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