Indiana Termites 299 



NOTES ON THE TERMITES OF INDIANA— 11.^ 

 Harry F. Dietz, State Department of Conservation, Indianapolis^ 



In 1920% the writer reported for the first time the occurrence of 

 Reticulitermes virginicus Banks in Indiana. He also called attention 

 to the fact that careful collections should reveal the presence of another 

 species, R. hageni Banks in this state. Life history notes and data on 

 the economic importance of the only previously recorded species in Indi- 

 ana, R. flavipes Kollar, were also presented. At that time nothing was 

 known about the distribution and economic importance of R. virginicus 

 in this state. 



Since 1920, twenty cases of termites' damage have been investigated 

 by the writer in response to requests received by the Division of Ento- 

 mology of the State Department of Conservation for help in eliminating 

 these pests. Of these, eleven were R. flavipes, eight were R. virginicus 

 and one was R. tibialis, a new record for Indiana. 



Distribution. — To the known distribution of R. flavipes in Indiana 

 the following localities were added: Morgantown, Richmond, Switz City, 

 and Terre Haute. 



R. virginicus has only been found in Indianapolis. 



The only record of R. tibialis is from the southwest corner of Gib- 

 son County, four miles north of Posejrville. From published records* 

 this species seems to be a western one, the nearest point to Indiana 

 recorded being Iowa City, Iowa. 



Swarming. — The records of the swarming of R. flavipes during 1921 

 and 1922 followed those recorded in 1920 very closely, ranging from 

 April 9 to May 15. 



All specimens of winged colonizing adults of R. virginicus have been 

 obtained between March 16 and April 8, 1922. In all cases the swarms oc- 

 curred in buildings and were therefore independent of out-of-door con- 

 ditions. 



No specimens of fall swarms of either R. flavipes or R. virginicus 

 have been obtained and several cases of such swarms that were investi- 

 gated in 1922 proved to be the swarming of true ants. However, in the 

 case of one dwelling infested with R. virginicus the owner reported that 

 swarming took place early in October in 1921. 



The one and only record of R. tibialis was winged adults obtained 

 on November 3, 1922, from the crowns of strawberry plants, previously 

 tunnelled by the workers. Whether swarming took place prior to or 

 after this date could not be learned. 



damage were reported to the Division of Entomology and investigated 

 by the writer. In 1922, fifteen cases were reported and visited. In some 



Termite Injury. — During the year 1921 only five cases of termite 



^ Presented at the 1922 meeting. 



- Published with the permission of the Chief of the Division of Entomology and the 

 Director of the Department of Conservation of Indiana. 



3 Notes on the Termites of Indiana. Proc. Ind. Acad. Sci., 1920, pp. 87-96 (1921). 



■• A Revision of the Neartic Termites with Notes on Biology and Geographic Dis- 

 tribution. Banks, N., and Snyder, T. E. Bui. 108, U. S. Natl. Mus. (Feb. 15, 1920). 



"Proc. Ind. Acad. Sci., vol. 33, 1923 (1924)." 



