They May Not Get Along With Home Owners, but at Least They Have Each Other

Being social has many positive aspects.  For highly social creatures, being alone is not an acceptable state of existence.

There is always at least one other individual present with which to interact.  There is work, play, eating and many other activities to share.

Social does not mean always coexisting on a friendly basis.  In some cases this collective existence can strike terror in the heart of other social creatures, like home owners.

While the social aspects of life are agreeable to most of panhandle Florida’s human residents, there are other creatures which engage in this cooperative activity to the detriment of the people population.

Social insects, both native and exotic, work collectively for the betterment of their respective interests. Their social activity assures the continuation of the group and many, if not all, of the members instinctively engage in some aspect of communal effort to accomplish this end.

Subterranean termites are currently swarming in search of a new home. This group is assessing available food and water at a prospective location. To confuse matters flying ants are searching for new home sites now, also.

North Florida’s social insects include ants, bees, wasps and termites.  Each species has a society in miniature where individuals have specific functions within the colony.

Termites, likely with the most notorious reputation for destruction, are colonizing new territory this time of year. The three principal types of termites in Florida are subterranean, which nest in the soil, dampwood, which infest moist wood, and drywood termites, which infest dry wood.

Subterranean termites live in colonies which can consist of millions of individuals. These colonies are composed mostly of workers, but also include soldiers and reproductive adults where they share resources and cooperatively care for their young.

Workers are immature cream-colored males and females without wings and are about 1/8 inch in length. As their name suggest, most of the labor in the colony is done by the workers, including searching for food, caring for the young and repairing the nest.

The soldiers are wingless immature males and females responsible for defending the colony. They are easily identified by their larger head, which is darker than their body. Their mandibles have evolved to be used for colony defense but have made them dependent on the workers to feed them.

Adult winged termites, known as alates or swarmers, are the only ones with fully functional wings and eyes. They are darker in color and easily distinguished from the other colony members.

Winged termites emerge from colonies in large numbers, usually in the spring, in search of a suitable new colony site. Each one then sheds its wings, mates, and becomes a primary reproductive member of the new colony.

Sometimes other insects are misidentified as termites. A good way to distinguish termites from flying ants is their thick waist, straight antennae, and wings of equal length to their body.

Ants usually are seen busily scurrying around on the ground or other surfaces.  To the casual observer, this appears as nothing more than random and meaningless motion, but reality is quite different. 

These are the worker ants which are most commonly viewed, and they are seeking food for their nest mates.  It is their job during their short lives to procure an endless source of nutrition for those left in the nest.

Remaining in the nest are many soldier ants which defend their home territory.  When an intruder invades, they counterattack and will move the eggs to safer locations if necessary. 

The queens, and there can be several in a colony, produce the next generation of ants.  Their title implies royal treatment, but their subterranean existence and repetitive task have little nobility associated with it.

In many cases, the only time the ant queens see the light of day is when they swarm in the spring and early summer to establish new homes. With minor variations, the social existence of ants is a caste system of assigned jobs from the moment of hatching.  The society is rigid and fixed with no potential for upward mobility.

Regionally, there are many native species of ants.  As with most insects, they seek a specialized environment which fits their requirements for food and shelter. Usually these natives are a minor nuisance, at most.

Still, it is prudent to be certain which small flying social insect is lurking nearby. One’s home, and bank balance, may depend on proper identification.