Attack of the Flying Termites

We had our first big rainfall over the weekend.  Not the kind that pours for an hour or two at night, only to evaporate the next day, but the kind that is sustained for hours on end.  I sat outside under the patio roof Saturday morning, enjoying the refreshing relief from the heat.

On Sunday morning, I went on a hike with the Kalahari Hash House Harriers, dodging puddles and side-stepping masses of white termites teeming on the dirt paths.  We also came across the thickest and longest black millipedes, like licorice sticks with legs, and the reddest ants I had ever seen.  It seems the rain brought many interesting creatures to surface.

Later that evening, I met a friend for dinner at an outdoor cafe.  As the sun set and the patio lights came on, we found ourselves in the midst of a flying termite storm.  They were everywhere.  In our hair.  In our salad.  Everywhere.  It was like a scene from a science fiction movie. We tried to move indoors, but they had also invaded the inside through the open patio door.  At first, I thought they were moths, but their wings were too long and thin. 

I did some research, and found out that sexually mature termites are prone to grow wings and swarm as part of a mating ritual after the first heavy rain of the season.  Once they have mated, they lose their wings and start new colonies at their new location.  We had found ourselves in the midst of a flying termite orgy !

This morning, the ground was littered with thousands upon thousands of translucent termite wings.