''Reticulitermes virginicus'' is a species of subterranean

termite Termites are a group of detritivore, detritophagous Eusociality, eusocial cockroaches which consume a variety of Detritus, decaying plant material, generally in the form of wood, Plant litter, leaf litter, and Humus, soil humus. They are dist ...

native to

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

, found often in the

southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, Dixieland, or simply the South) is List of regions of the United States, census regions defined by the United States Cens ...

.Su, Nan-Yao.
Native Subterranean Termites: ''Reticulitermes flavipes'' (Kollar), ''Reticulitermes virginicus'' (Banks), ''Reticulitermes hageni'' Banks (Insecta: Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)
" IFAS Extension, University of Florida. It was described in 1907. Like all other termite species, ''R. virginicus'' is a

eusocial Eusociality ( Greek 'good' and social) is the highest level of organization of sociality. It is defined by the following characteristics: cooperative brood care (including care of offspring from other individuals), overlapping generations wit ...

species, characterized by individuals in a colony with overlapped generations cooperating in brood care and having reproductive

division of labor The division of labour is the separation of the tasks in any economic system or organisation so that participants may specialise (Departmentalization, specialisation). Individuals, organisations, and nations are endowed with or acquire specialis ...

. The adults that grow wings and fly from the nest to find a mate and start a new colony are called alates, or winged reproductives. In this species they are dark brown. Alates leave the nest between early February and late May. They prefer warm and sunny afternoons after

rain Rain is a form of precipitation where water drop (liquid), droplets that have condensation, condensed from Water vapor#In Earth's atmosphere, atmospheric water vapor fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is res ...

. Like in all other termite species, all four of their wings are equal length. ''R. virginicus'' alates have wings about long with two visible, hardened and thickened veins.

Life cycle

These termites live underground, and their presence is often undetected. Winged reproductives (alates) appear above ground in the late winter or spring. When this happens inside a house, this may alert the homeowner to the fact that the termites are present. After a short flight, the insects shed their wings, and a female will search for a crevice or other suitable underground nesting site and be joined there by a male. Having mated and excavated a chamber, the female (queen) starts laying eggs. The first batch of eggs hatch into larvae which develop into workers; these enlarge the nest, search for food and carry it back to the nest. As the number of termites in the colony increases, some workers further develop into soldiers; in well-established colonies, there may be hundreds of thousands of individual insects. Alates are not produced until the colony has been established for several years. In large colonies, it is possible for workers to develop into non-winged reproductives which lay eggs to supplement the queen's effort, or which can replace her should she die.

Damage

The termites tunnel underground, foraging up to from the nest. If they venture above ground, they create tubes to protect their passageways. They can enter buildings through joints in the mortar or cracks in the foundations. They feed on wood, and harbour

symbiotic Symbiosis (Ancient Greek : living with, companionship < : together; and ''bíōsis'': living) is any type of a close and long-term biolo ...

bacteria in the gut to help them digest the

cellulose Cellulose is an organic compound with the chemical formula, formula , a polysaccharide consisting of a linear chain of several hundred to many thousands of glycosidic bond, β(1→4) linked glucose, D-glucose units. Cellulose is an important s ...

. They hollow out timbers, leaving a paper-thin surface intact, which may appear blistered or peeling. In the United States, '' Reticulitermes flavipes'', ''Reticulitermes virginicus'' and '' Coptotermes formosanus'' are responsible for 80% of the damage done by termites.

References

Termites Insects described in 1907 Insects of the United States {{termite-stub