Editorial photo #11286553 Human Interest
Insect India - Alates - Winged Termites
Winged termites, also known as alates, are attracted to light and are often the first sign of a termite infestation. They can be seen flying towards windows, light fixtures, and other sources of light like street lamps and porch lights in the late afternoon and early evening, like most nocturnal insects. Flying termites become visible when their colony swarms. Heavy rainfall and warm, humid temperatures provoke swarms, among other triggers. After a few minutes, flying termites shed their wings and crawl around on the floor, eventually dying. Termites (Isoptera) are invertebrates belonging to the detritophagous eusocial group of insects, which eat decaying plant material like wood, leaf litter, and soil humus. They are sometimes called ''white ants'' because of their pale color and physical similarities to ants. Here, swarms of alates are flying around an LED light bulb, while a common house gecko lizard waits to prey on them at Tehatta, West Bengal, India, on May 28, 2024. (Photo by Soumyabrata Roy/NurPhoto)
