78 



LOWER PTERYGOTA 



appear to be wingless, although the stubs of the broken-off 

 wings may be noted. At the time of flight the different 

 individuals come to rest at different places, so that they 

 are pretty generally distributed. They then set to work 

 to form a new colony. This, however, is impossible unless 

 some of the w^orkers are also located at the same place. 

 It often occurs that many die off, without establishing a 

 new colony, for lack of workers. 



The colonies are located in the earth, or for some species 

 upon the trunks of trees, or in some of the tropical forms 



Fig. 39. — Leiicotermes flavipes: a, newly hatched larva; h, same from 

 below; c, egg. All enlarged. (From Marlatt, Div. Ent., U. S. Dept. 

 Ag.) 



large ant hills are built above ground which accommodate 

 immense numbers of individuals. 



The white ants feed upon wooden fil)er and make attacks 

 upon trees or upon dead timber and are especially destruc- 

 tive to wooden structures, so that in regions where they are 

 abundant they constitute a very serious menace to wooden 

 structures. They also feed very extensively upon wooden 

 furniture, books or papers in places accessible to them, and 

 the damage occasioned by such attacks is often very exten- 



