in the fall, especially in the South. In heated buildings, flights 
occasionally occur during the winter. The individuals in these 
flights are attracted by strong light. When they emerge within 
buildings they gather about windows and doors. Here they soon 
shed their wings, which may be found in large numbers even 
after the termites have disappeared. Soon after shedding their 
wings, males and females pair off and search for a place to form 
a new nest. The majority are usually unsuccessful, but some sur- 
vive and manage to hollow out small cells in or near wood in the 
ground. They enter the cell, seal over the opening, and mate. 
A few days after mating the female lays from six to twelve 
eggs. Hatching occurs in about 30 to 90 days and the nymphs 
reach maturity in about one year. Later, both soldiers and repro- 
ductive nymphs appear in the colony, and reach maturity in 1 
and 2 years, respectively. Mating continues at irregular inter- 
vals, and the colony continues to increase in size. The original 
pair of reproductives live together for life, sometimes for many 
years. In well-established colonies, there may be hundreds of 
thousands of individuals. Such colonies may be so widely spread 
out that it is difficult or impossible to estimate their size or to 
locate their main parts. 
Reticulitermes tibialis Banks, the arid-land subterranean termite, 
is probably the most widely distributed species of Reticulitermes 
in the United States. It is largely confined to the western half of 
the country, but also occurs eastward into the North Central 
States as far as the Chicago area. In the latter area, it is found 
among sand dunes where it infests small pieces of wood partly 
F-107105 
23 FIGURE 6.—Eastern  subter- 
ranean termite, Reticulit- 
ermes flavipes: A, adult; 
B, worker; C, soldier. 
A9 
