The famous nocturnal Hex hatch of the Midwest (and a few other lucky locations) stirs to the surface mythically large brown trout that only touch streamers for the rest of the year.
I just saw a "hatch" of termites, and many were "riding" on the stream after they got trapped there.
These come out in incredibly large numbers and look alot like a stonefly with a black body and clear, silvery wings that usually wind up stuck out to the sides by the surface tension of the water.
Troutnut on May 2, 2009May 2nd, 2009, 12:58 pm EDT
Very cool. Do they look a lot like flying ants? Maybe some of the flying ant hatches we all love so much have actually been termites... or is this really rare?
Jason Neuswanger, Ph.D.
Troutnut and salmonid ecologist
I could be wrong but I thought termites only swarmed in the spring. This is coming from a pest control guy that was treating my neighbors house... so the scientific background may not be there.
It's mostly a springtime thing for the termites in my experience. I checked an old entomology textbook to confirm this, but it only said "certain times of year," which isn't all that helpful.
The numbers with the termites can be pretty amazing and usually exceed what I've seen with ants. In contrast to termites, the ants have pinched waists, forewings that are longer than the hindwings and elbowed antennae.
My guess is that termites are a bigger event in some areas than the ants.