162 BULLETIN 108, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



and the Black Mountains of North Carolina. As the greater alti- 

 tudes are attained, termite colonies in the earth under stones are 

 more common. 



R. virginicus diffei"3 from Jiavipes in the smaller size, in certain 

 structural details, and in the time of swarming. R. virginicus is 

 subterranean in habit, and, like jiavipes, is destructive to wood 

 products. Apparentl}^ all of our native species of Reticulitermes 

 pass through a life cycle similar to that oi jiavipes. The colonizing 

 adults swarm about one month later i\i?a\ jiavipes; after shedding 

 the wings, they form new colonies in the ground under and in decay- 

 ing wood. 



SWARMING. 



Reticulitermes virginicus swarms approximately one month later 

 th.2^Ti. jiavipes in Maryland and Virginia and in the vicinity of Wash- 

 ington, District of Columbia, that is, at the end of May or early in 

 June. The swarm usually occurs during the forenoon. At Falls 

 Church, Virginia, on June 8, 1912, fuUy developed or matm-e nymphs 

 of the first form, of virginicus, with opaque wing pads, were observed 

 to molt, after a quiescent stage. Nymphs in all stages described for 

 jiavipes were observed molting until June 11. On April 30, 1913, 

 these nymphs passed through the final molt and on Jime 1 the swarm 

 occm-red. On April 30, 1913, nymphs of the second form were 

 mature in colonies. On May 18, 1915, at Falls Church, nymphs of 

 the first form of virginicus were mature and they passed through 

 the Imal molt from May 18 to May 27. On June 5, 1915, the swarm 

 occurred. In 1916, virginicus swarmed on June 12, at Falls Church 

 and at Washington; in 1917 the swarm occurred on June 21 at Falls 

 Church. In 1918 flying adults of virginicus were collected at Falls 

 Church on June 1 in the morning and June 20 at 2 p. m. 



In Washington, this termite swarmed on June 19, 1911, near Chain 

 Bridge, and June 9, 1915 in Washington, from colonies outdoors. 

 In an infested building at Washington, virginicus swarmed on April 

 16, 1916; and in 1916, outdoors on June 12; in 1917, on March 19, 

 24, and 26, also July 7 in infested buildings; in 1918 numerous 

 adults of virginicus flew in a window of the third floor of the Natural 

 History Building of the United States National Museum on June 4. 

 In 1919, at Washington, District of Columbia, swarms occurred in 

 infested buildings on April 7 and 9 in the afternoon. Another swarm 

 occurred in an infested building on May 18. 



At Laurel, Maryland, betAveen Washington and Baltimore, vir- 

 ginicus sv/armed on June 25, 1912. At Roanoke, Virginia, this 

 species swarmed on March 3, 1917, in an infested building. 



On March 12, 1917, virginicus swarmed at Paducah, Kentucky. 

 At Memphis, Tennessee, the swarm occurred in a building on May 26, 

 1915. At Collins, Georgia, E. B. Griffen collected winged adults on 

 November 20, 1917, in a telephone pole; the only autumn record. 



