#termite

Three hours with a close-up magician. Gets bored of performing for mannequin heads on chairs so he'll show up when you're just trying to catch up on the news with a glass of fondue.

scene from a wooden handrail in Singapore:

Pacific Dampwood Termite - Zootermopsis angusticollis

No insects were harmed in the making of this video, and as the footage will show you, this flailing specimen was blown back upright. According to my dear friend out in Squamish, British Columbia who found this large-winged beauty, it crashed midflight, fell to the ground, and became flipped over for a bit thanks to those long, paddle-like wings. It seems also that somewhere during the crash this insect got their legs tangled with sticky debris, further adding to the panic of having its underbelly exposed and vulnerable. While tragic to see this find flailing about, it does present a unique opportunity to examine the underside of this blog's very first Termite showcase! Admittedly, I've been sitting on this individual for a while now, but now I feel confident enough in the identification for this find, and the upcoming images of this individual. From what I've found of British Columbia and Pacific Coast, a Pacific Dampwood Termite is the closest identification based on what's visible in this footage. However, Termites can be very difficult to conclusively identify without a detailed analysis of their finer features. If I'm right, this is one of the more fascinating species as they prefer to form colonies in moist and rotting wood, rather than the more dry conditions preferred by other Termites. In addition, like Ants, when it's time for the next generation to seek out suitable wood, male and female Termites will also emerge as winged alates (known as swarmers) in order to disperse.