Hatch Out

The alates, or reproductives, of a termite colony, swarming in advance of flight. These “hatch-outs” fill the air with these four-winged, weakly fluttering critters. Keep your mouth closed…

The alates are one of three castes in a termite colony, the others being workers and soldiers. But they’re not ants (Hymenoptera), they’re in the same order as roaches (Blattodea). Mated alates will lose their wings after these nuptial flights and become queen and king of a new colony. Of course, nobody living in a wooden home likes termites, but in the woods they are a vital component.

Such events can attract a mixed flock of birds scrambling to gobbled up the termites. These can be spectacular, with birds normally found much high up in the canopy at eye-level or below.