CLOSED: Do I have termites?

Live in Woodinville, in the foothills of the Cascade Mountain Range just east of Seattle. Tonight a noticed a spot in the yard with a couple hundred red-winged, red-bodied "guys" climbing around in the grass. I don't know much about bugs, but they looked like they had just emerged and were getting ready to take flight. I didn't see pairs at all, so I'm guessing that there was no mating going on.

The bugs were about 1/2" long. The spot on the lawn was about 10 feet from the house. I've never seen these before, so I'm hoping that they aren't anything that has invaded the house.

Do these sound familiar to any of you experts out there?

I tried to take a picture, but just have a little basci digital, so I'm afraid that this was beyond its (my) photographic capability. Just the same, I'll include it.

Thanks,

Kathy

Okay. From what I can tell, this is the Pacific Damp Wood Termite in its winged form: http://bugguide.net/node/view/31157

Anybody know what I should do at this point? There was a partially-buried decomposing piece of wood under the spot where I saw them. It's dark now and they're gone - presumably into that spot. I would guess that I should dig the root/wood out and move it away from the house.

Kathy

That would be the reproductive form, and they take flight, mate, and then the female lands somewhere, tears off her wings, finds an appropriate site (damp wood) and begins a new colony. They live in damp wood and you live in an area that supplies that, as do I and most people. They are natural decomposers of wood, and unless they are in the house, are considered beneficial. I would just make sure that you have no cracks or openings in your foundation with damp wood beside it through which they can enter. I have seen reproductive flights of our subterannean termites on several occasions, simply because there is wood out there for them to live in. (Note that I live in The Woodlands! LOL) But I try to keep my house secure from our termites. And my fingers crossed!
Here's more info about your species:
http://www.termite.com/termites/damp-wood-termite.html
You might feel better if you had a termite inspection done...But it is useless to try to kill termites living outside. You wouldn't make a dent.

Thanks so much for all the information - I appreciate having someone so knowledgeable as a resource.

I don't think there's anything next to the house that will attract them. And I'm wondering if a buried and decomposing stump/root is what attracted them to that spot. It's about 10 feet from the house. I was digging around it today to see how hard it would be to remove and didn't see any movement, so I'm hoping they're off to the woods to do their bit.

I love the image of the female "tearing off her wings" and being following to an appropriate site. LOL

I'll keep an eye out for them, but right now it sounds like I'm okay (weird - just as I said that I saw one briefly land on an outside window. I hope the zillions of cobwebs that have popped up in the last few days takes care of him. It looks like there are a few already caught. This is about 30 feet from where I originally saw them . . .

Thanks again.

Kathy

There will be a colony of them in that stump/root. What you saw was simply the eggs that developed into reproductive males and females. The workers (in the case of your species, I understand the caste system is different, and the workers are acually the nymphs, or younger members....not sure how that works, quite frankly) are still there, and their queen is still laying eggs that they tend. If you dug down into the stump, you would see them. They won't have wings.

I watched one flight where they were just pouring out of the ground. The birds were having a feast, flying through the hundreds (thousands?) of them, scooping them up in their beaks, and coming back for more. They were having a banquet on the wing!

Here's another image for you: After mating, the male dies. One glorious flight and it's all over!

Heeehee (I'm doing my Betty Rubble laugh). Male termites really got a deal on that one. Not sure if the deal's good or bad. So they mate, he dies, she "rips" off her wings and sails away with the troops following. Sounds like something out of Greek history . . .

I must confess that I was a little freaked by the few that were circling the house and trying to get in, so I sprayed the stump. It's just too close to the house - maybe 6 feet, actually. I'm going to be out of town this weekend and won't be able to keep such a close watch.

Next week I'll start digging and see how big the piece of wood is (it's actually more like a root). I'll toss it into the nearby woods and let them all do their thing in there.

Funny image for you, though. The birds didn't have half a chance. My two younger dogs (1 and 2) were jumping through the air trying to catch them in their mouths. I can't imagine why these tiny creatures seemed worth the effort to them. Nothing else in the back yard to chase, I guess.

Thanks again. It's good to know so much about our little friends. Attached is a picture of my two little hunter friends.

Thanks

Kathy

P.S. I don't think of anything in Texas as being damp - so your termites don't care if the wood is damp or not?

Ah - sweet doggies!!!

Texas is a large place - and the weather reflects that. I live towards the southeast, near the gulf, just north of Houston. Lots of rain. West Texas is dry, desert like. North freezes in the winter and can snow. South is near tropical. Middle is the grasslands. Now that's painting with a wide brush, but you get the idea. We have subterannean termites that live in the ground, eating wood, and they can get into our houses by building tubes from wood they eat and using the tubes as their connecting tunnels from the ground. They have to be able to get back to the ground. But the wood in the house doesn't have to be moist; the ground is moist. We keep a watch for those tubes. Then there is the dry wood termite. That one is more dangerous, because it can enter above ground and is hard to eradicate. Have to have the house tented and fumigated. Fortunately, there are less of them...

Your picture is a little wrong. The female mates during the flight, and she finds a place to build a colony, tears off her wings, and gets to work. The colony is made up of her offspring only. No following. She's pregnant, and all alone....and she never mates again. Just keeps laying eggs her whole life. That one time is the only time she sees the sun.

And you're very welcome!

CJ