My son found these bugs in the toilet and around the toilet. Are these termites?
They resemble termite alates, but the pic is not clear/close enough to be sure.
I enlarged it, no luck.
I’ll tell my son to let me know next time he sees it, so I can take a closer picture. I saw a YouTube video of someone, explaining that when a termite colony is full… They go out looking to expand and can come in through the roof vent into the bathroom exhaust in the ceiling. This occurred a couple of years back, but they stopped appearing.
A couple of years back when it happened, I bought 10 bait stations from eBay and placed it all around the house every couple of feet. I have to recheck the bait stations and see the conditions of the bait.
They do look like it
I can’t think of any reason why wingless termites would be in a toilet and not any good reason for that many winged termites to be in a toilet. (maybe one unlucky winged termite)
Looks like a bad case of the wood boring Tanzanian toilet flea. Surely they’ve infested every timber in the house and are dehydrated. Hence them moving for water in the toilet bowl. Your son better move out before the house falls in on him.
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I started looking for the pictures I took of the bugs and I found it. It happened last in 2021. Here are the pictures of the same bugs in the same bathroom. The weird thing is that they only appear in that bathroom. Not sure if the weather has any relation with their appearance. I know with heavy rain many bugs look for a dry place. I am in Florida and it’s been raining a lot lately.
I couldn’t embed any pictures here yet. I guess I am still under new user restrictions, but I will share a link.
I just remembered, those pictures were a sample I took in 2021 and then mailed it to get it identified. Here is the reply of what he found in the samples:
Chouvenc,Thomas <tomchouv@ufl.edu> wrote:
Hello,
I confirm that the sample you sent me are Formosan subterranean termites, Copototermes formosanus.
Thomas Chouvenc
Assistant Professor, Urban Entomology
Ft Lauderdale Research and Education Center
University of Florida IFAS
3205 College Ave
33314 Davie FL, USA.
Here is what he said before I sent the samples.
On Mon, May 24, 2021, 8:07 AM Chouvenc,Thomas <tomchouv@ufl.edu> wrote:
Hi,
unfortunately, these subterranean termites are not very DIY. we recommend to go to a certified pest control company.
For this species, CSI baits are recommended (the two you mentioned are both fine), instead of spraying. In you case, finding alate termites does not always mean you have an active infestation, as they may have flown from the outside. This means you are leaving in an area at risk of infestation by this invasive species. this is why the installation of an inground bait station program can be used as a preventive. However, if they are currently infesting the structure, the additional used of above ground bait station applied directly to the active infestation is the best approach for rapidly eliminating the currently infesting colony. This is why a thorough inspection of the structure and nearby trees by a professional can be very valuable.
I will look for the samples as soon as I receive them.
Best.
Thomas Chouvenc
Assistant Professor, Urban Entomology
Ft Lauderdale Research and Education Center
University of Florida IFAS
3205 College Ave
33314 Davie FL, USA.
This is a video of the person from the university who studies the termites sent me. In this video he is explaining the life cycles of termites. I found it interesting and here is the link
They look like click beetles to me, way to big for termites.
And what exactly are you using for scale to judge their size??
The toilet.