Termite Season 2021 and beyond

[PeteC]

I think so. Rotting flesh is rotting flesh. You get them in the thousands (like at my house last night after rain) many will die and rot. The birds seem to clean up most of ours at dawn so at present we have a lot of fat birds walking around. I've smelled what you smell in the past as well.

[PeteC]

Everyone's house should be blacked out completely during these weeks. Just leave the gate lights on out by the street and they will congregate there and not near your house where they could go in and under and set up colonies.

[bigston]

Thanks Pete
2 hours cleaning hosing, and its all gone, smell and all

[hhinner]

I don't know if it's worth starting a new thread for a new year yet. But these little buggers (ants probably) are back. Three evenings in a row now.

flyers.JPG (83.55 KiB) Viewed 4207 times

[Big Boy]

Tell me about it. My son teaches outside most evenings, and they are a real pain. They arrive about 18:45, and have vanished by 19:30, but a real pain when they are here.

[404cameljockey]

I don't know if it's worth starting a new thread for a new year yet. But these little buggers (ants probably) are back. Three evenings in a row now.

So easy to tell the difference, ants have a pinched waist, termite just look like little grubs. Also I believe wings of termites are symmetrical in length.

If others are seeing swarms (wrong time of year, really) it's strange that in my area (Hin Lek Fai, near to Black Mountain) we've had zero so far, although no rain since last week.

But I'm afraid I've had a few small ones coming through my ceiling downlighters. Bug team coming on Monday to pump underfloor, loft space and wooden eaves!

[PeteC]

To me this is way too early in the year for them to be swarming. Climate change no doubt has them confused.

Picture of the difference between a flying ant and termite is above in the opening post.

Edit: 2022 thread merged into this thread

[404cameljockey]

To me this is way too early in the year for them to be swarming. Climate change no doubt has them confused.

Picture of the difference between a flying ant and termite is above in the opening post.

In Thailand I've always found that they swam after the rains start. If that's changing it's worrying.

[hhinner]

It's always rainy season in our garden . Temperatures don't seem to be as low as in usual cool seasons though.

[Big Boy]

These beasties are a smaller version of the rainy season termites, but termites they most certainly are; and they come quite regularly January through to March each year,

[404cameljockey]

These beasties are a smaller version of the rainy season termites, but termites they most certainly are; and they come quite regularly January through to March each year,

Yep the ones in my loft are small. But I've never had Jan/Feb termites before and didn't outside this year either, only a few in my house. Must be different in different areas I suppose.

https://termite.agri.cmu.ac.th/
These people are trying to get a handle on the many termite species in Thailand, and want to identify samples or even just good photos for ID. Good to know if you have the dangerous (to wood) type or a harmless type. I'm waiting to hear from them.

[Big Boy]

There is a huge area of vacant land in front of my house, which most likely makes us more vulnerable to such swarms. I usually sit outside whilst my son is teaching, and I can vouch for every one of those beasties that have crawled down the back of my shirt.

[404cameljockey]

https://termite.agri.cmu.ac.th/
These people are trying to get a handle on the many termite species in Thailand, and want to identify samples or even just good photos for ID. Good to know if you have the dangerous (to wood) type or a harmless type. I'm waiting to hear from them.

They have quickly identified my termites as Coptotermes gestroi, commonly known as the Asian subterranean termite, a small species of termite that lives underground. Very destructive....

They must be travelling up the electrical conduits in my walls to the loft.

[PeteC]

So far this season here in the East we have not had a sighting of a single termite, and no termite swarms at all. I'm afraid that with the first hard rain at night in the coming days/weeks it will be Armageddon here. If we're really lucky they have all perished underground with the heat and very dry conditions in the soil. I wouldn't bet on it though.

[Big Boy]

Thanks for reminding me - I haven't actually seen one for weeks, which is very unusual.