92 MISC. PUBLICATION 657, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 
reduce the wood to a fine powderlike consistency and in this respect 
differ somewhat from the other dry-wood termites. 
SUBTERRANEAN TERMITES 
Reticulitermes flavipes, the eastern subterranean termite, plays the 
role in the eastern part of the United States that Reticulitermes tibialis 
does in the West. RB. claripennis and R. humilis in the Southwest, and 
R. hesperus on the Pacific coast. Its distribution overlaps that of 
R. tibialis. It also occurs in Ontario, Canada, in northern Guatemala 
and Mexico and in certain localities along the Mediterranean Sea in 
Europe, especially in southern France. This termite attacks and 
destroys the woodwork of buildings and materials stored therein, tele- 
eraph and telephone poles, fence posts, railroad ties, and, oce asionally, 
living trees, shubbery, flowers, and crops. It is a very destructive 
termite, because it weakens the foundation timbers of buildings (U. S. 
Bur. Ent. 478). 
In the United States the colonizing flights of outdoor colonies of 
Reticulitermes flavipes occur in the warmer part of the day in March 
or April, or early in May. Swarms may also occur in September, 
October, or November. Swarms may appear indoors in any month. 
The same colony may swarm as many as four times over a period of 
about a month, with males and females in relatively equal numbers. 
The first swarm is the largest. Young and mature brachypterous 
supplementary reproductive forms are found in fairly large numbers, 
and fewer numbers of apterous (wingless) supplementary forms each 
year in the same colony, usually with a very much greater number of 
macropterous, or winged, reproductive adults. 3ut before the col- 
onizing flight the former two types disappear; presumably, leaving by 
means of subterranean tunnels to establish new colonies. Incipient 
colonies are founded by dealated adults which burrow under pieces 
of decaying wood in or on the soil. Rarely do they utilize crevices 
in trees or logs, probably because of the less certain moisture supply. 
Young colonies established by brachypterous adults are to be found 
in similar locations. Whether crossing occurs between dealated and 
brachypterous reproductive types in young colonies is doubtful, but 
it is certainly to be found in old, well- established colonies. 
Macropterous queens reach a maximum length of 14.5 mm. and a 
breadth of 4 mm.; brachypterous queens, a length of 12 mm.; apterous 
queens, a length of 7 mm.’® Macropterous reproductive adults prob- 
ably head colonies more commonly, with brachypterous forms next 
in frequency, and apterous forms rarest. The last two types are 
polygamous, and large numbers of queens occur with small numbers 
of males. All these reproductive forms are long lived. In artificial 
colonies in the laboratory, workers sometimes kill them if the colonies 
are frequently disturbed and they become greatly excited. 
There is no definite, permanent royal cell; queens are always active. 
The reproductive forms are usually found in the more srotentedl 
inner wood, often near hard knots. If conditions are unfavorable 
in winter, they migrate from wood into the soil or in galleries in 
% All these were the physogastric, or postadult stage, with abdomen greatly 
enlarged. They were measured while living. When preserved in alcohol, a 
maximum length of 16.5 mm. was found for macropterous queens. ‘Termites 
are among the few insects that grow after becoming adult. 
