Swarming termites were a disconcerting sight for many San
Antonio residents this holiday season, states amateur scientist
Forrest Mims in an article for San Antonio Express-News. Several
days before Christmas, Mims noticed flying insects on his
property. Upon approaching the swarm, he noticed a patch of
ground below it covered in a rippling, shimmering white film, he
writes. What he was looking at was actually a thousand winged
termites, which then suddenly took off into the air. While
termites serve an important purpose in nature eating up dead
tree particles, they’re a major nuisance for residents. There
are a variety of termite species and most share the commonality
of destroying wood and causing severe damage for homeowners.
Subterranean termites live in underground colonies that can
contain up to 2 million members, according to the National Pest
Management Association. They build mud or soil tubes in the
ground around exposed concrete foundation, which homeowners
should be aware of when expecting their p