150 BULLETIN 108, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



building as well as its contents. In reality, this swarm should be 

 regarded as a warning and a danger signal. 



Damage occurs in large cities as well as in rural communities. 

 Much trouble is due to the fact that many buildings are carelessly or 

 poorly constructed. Methods of preventing damage by termites in 

 this genus, due to their injuriousness, have been made the subject of 

 special study. The measures found successful have already been 

 discussed. 



RETICULITERMES FLAVIPES Kollar. 



For taxonomy see pp. 45-46. 



The common species of the genus Reticiditermes in the United 

 States, jlavijjes, was described by Kollar in 1837. This termite is 

 widespread in the eastern United States, its geographical distribu- 

 tion being from (Canada?), Kittery, Maine (Thaxter), southward to 

 the Florida Everglades. However, colonies are not as common in 

 southern Florida as they are in Virginia; nor is the damage to the 

 woodwork of buildings as great. 



The Superior Highlands appear to be a northern limit of this 

 termite. It does not occur or is rare in certain regions of the extreme 

 north and is not so common in the far south. There is a doubtful 

 record of termites occurring in Wisconsin. In October, 1917, a paper 

 mill located at Rothschild, Marathon County, Wisconsin, shipped 

 some paper in wooden cases to New York for export. The paper was 

 found to be damaged by termites (Beticulitermes , species) workers of 

 which were in the paper. These insects may have been in the case 

 lumber in Wisconsin since it had been in the pile for several years. 



R. flavi/pes occurs in northern Mexico (Matamoras), (C. R. Osten 

 Sacken.) 



Thus this species occurs from the Atlantic Ocean westward beyond 

 the Mississippi River in Missouri, Arkansas, and Texas, but is re- 

 stricted to the region east of the Great Plains. 



R. jlavipes has been introduced into Europe and, according to 

 Hagen (1876), our species has caused great damage, some years ago 

 gaining access to one of the Imperial hothouses at Schoenbrunn, 

 Vienna, and in spite of all efforts to save the building it was necessary 

 ultimately to tear it down and replace it with an iron structure. 



Out-of-door colonies in the vicinity of Washington, District of 

 Columbia, and the northeastern United States, are dormant during 

 the winter months, the insects retiring into the subterranean passages 

 of the nest by the middle of November to December, depending upon 

 the season. By the last part of February or early or late in March, 

 depending on weather conditions, signs of activity are to be observed 

 in colonies in the vicinity of Washington. 



