BIOLOGY OF THE TERMITES OF THE EASTERN UNITED STATES. 75 
these insects are adapted to meet emergencies successfully and over- 
come obstacles without the disorganization of the colony. New 
colonies may be established (1) by the sexed colonizing adults that 
invariably swarm and leave the parent colony; (2) by neoteinic royal 
individuals, produced from nymphs of the second form which never 
( ?) leave the parent colony, or from young larvae, as in colonies 
orphaned after the nymphs of the first form have nearly completed 
their development; (3) by neoteinic reproductive forms supplied to 
orphaned colonies, which may be derived from nymphs of the first or 
second forms, or larvae. Nests headed by true royalty are not rare, 
but many difficulties are to be surmounted in their establishment by 
sexed adults ; such recently established colonies are small in number. 
Nests headed by neoteinic reproductive forms are more commonly 
to be found, as this is a more sure and more rapid method of estab- 
lishment. Colonies established by neoteinic reproductive forms 
necessarily increase in size more rapidly due to the numerous egg- 
laying queens and the care and food they receive from the workers. 
Subcolonies or temporary colonies are frequently found with only 
workers and soldiers present; these subcolonies, which furnish 
increased facilities for habitation and food supplies, are possibly 
offshoots from the parent colony or nest and are established by 
means of subterranean passages, which are extended for long dis- 
tances by foraging workers and soldiers. 
THE DAMAGE TO FOREST PRODUCTS. 
Termites seriously injure construction timbers in bridges, a wharves, 
and like structures; telephone and telegraph poles b (PL XVII, fig. 1), 
hop poles, c mine props, d fence posts and rails or boarding; lumber 
piled on the ground, railroad ties set in the ground (not where there 
is stone or slag ballast or heavy traffic), woodwork (PI. V; PL XVII, 
fig. 2) in new and old buildings/ and especially seriously damage the 
wooden boxing or "conduits" of insulated cables placed in the ground 
(to the detriment of the insulation) ; tent pins and ridge poles, wooden 
a Hagen, H. A. The probable danger from white ants. Amer. Nat., v. 10, no. 7, 
p. 401^410, July, 1876. 
& Snyder, T. E. Insects injurious to forests and forest products. Damage to chest- 
nut telephone and telegraph poles by wood-boring insects. U. S. Dept. Agr., Bur. 
Ent., Bui. 94, pt. 1, pp. 12, figs. 3, pis. 2, December 31, 1910. See p. 9-10. 
c Parker, W. B. California redwood attacked by Termes lucifugus Rossi. Jour. 
Econ. Ent., v. 4, no. 5, p. 422-423, October, 1911. 
d Snyder, T. E. Insect damage to mine props and methods of preventing the 
injury. U. S. Dept. Agr., Bur. Ent., Circ. 156, pp. 4, July 13, 1912. See p. 2-3. 
^Marlatt, C. L. The white ant. (Termes flavipes Koll.). U. S. Dept. Agr., Bur. 
Ent., Circ. 50, rev. ed., pp. 8, figs. 4, January 27, 1908. 
Hopkins, A. D. Insect injuries to forest products. U. S. Dept. Agr. Yearbook 
1904, p. 381-398, 1905. White ants, or termites, p. 389-390. 
