A short spell of light rain yesterday was enough to disturb a subterranean termite nest on our property and bring its population to the surface (click image for the bigger picture):
To the uninitiated, it can be a bit disconcerting to see a termite swarm suddenly flying about or moving along the ground seemingly from out of nowhere, but winged groups such as this that emerge from beneath the soil — while indicative of a colony’s presence — are relatively harmless, usually dying before getting the chance to do any damage. Should a swarm such as this materialize directly from a structure, it’s probably best to get inspected.
One creature who loves when termites swarm after a fall rain is the orb weaver spider — such as the one in the following video (and the subject of yesterday’s post). It enjoyed a lunchtime snack of several haphazardly flying termites who had the misfortune of getting caught in its web by our side door while I stood nearby with my camera. Arachnophobes should avoid the ensuing clip, especially not in all its 1080p full-screen HD glory:
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