Termites do fly ?

All termite species fly at some point for the proliferation of the species! Once a termite colony is mature the queen starts to pick individuals that will be able to grow wings, fly at the correct time from the nest and set up a new home. Check this link for more in depth information.

At the start of November in Mount Hunter near Picton in Western Sydney, on dusk, and just after a storm had passed through, an interesting and common (at this time of year) event happened. At first we noticed one slowly hovering insect, followed by another, then more floated past, as the day turned to night many of these creatures started to gather around lights on the outside of the house.

Termites were gathering around these lights and doing what termites do. Landing, choosing a mate and setting up a place to nest. We took this video that shows the termites buzzing around a light and then landing and trying to interact with other termites. Termites do fly each year on a humid, still afternoon (usually) and this is how they spread throughout a region.

If you see a flight of termites around your home then ensure you have a termite inspection to check you do not have an infestation of termites / white ants and to find out what you can do to never have an infestation. Many suburbs throughout the Wollondilly shire had termite flights at the same time, we had reports from Tahmoor, Thirlmere, Bargo and Buxton as well as Picton and Warragamba.

Some of the basic things that you can do to ensure termites do not infest your home are removing stored timber or firewood from next to the house, reducing soil levels in gardens next to the house, ensure that there are no water leaks around the house.