Good people of Gippsland, avert your eyes! Termites are coming out of the woodwork and they are looking for love.
Little winged kings and queens - known as alates - throughout eastern Victoria have taken to the skies in search of a mate.
By hitting the termite dating scene all at the same time, the micro-monarchs give themselves the best chance of hooking up with a mate from a distant colony. This increases genetic diversity and reduces the chance that brothers and sisters or cousins will hook up, because that is gross.
The termites probably use the weather as a cue that the party is about to begin.
Once the queen finds the king who's just right for her, the happy couple find a nice log and settle down to start a family. That family will grow. And grow. And grow. One queen can give birth to millions of little termites.
Termite queens can live for 50 years.
So if you see a couple of young lovers shedding their wings and sneaking off into the bushes, give them a little privacy. They have a lot of work ahead of them.
Source: ABC Rural
Cool links
Ant vs Termite (which is which?)
Termite Facts
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| Termite alates. Source: USDA |
By hitting the termite dating scene all at the same time, the micro-monarchs give themselves the best chance of hooking up with a mate from a distant colony. This increases genetic diversity and reduces the chance that brothers and sisters or cousins will hook up, because that is gross.
The termites probably use the weather as a cue that the party is about to begin.
Once the queen finds the king who's just right for her, the happy couple find a nice log and settle down to start a family. That family will grow. And grow. And grow. One queen can give birth to millions of little termites.
Termite queens can live for 50 years.
So if you see a couple of young lovers shedding their wings and sneaking off into the bushes, give them a little privacy. They have a lot of work ahead of them.
Source: ABC Rural
Cool links
Ant vs Termite (which is which?)
Termite Facts
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