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"Swarmers" or Winged Termites
The kind of termite that people see most often is a flying termite. They look a lot like ants - you see them swarming around in a big cloud, and they will crawl towards light sources, often entering your home through windows or cracks. They are not a specific species of termite - rather, they are a class in the termite caste system called swarmers or reproductives. Their presence indicates that somewhere nearby is a colony of termites. If you see them coming out of your house and flying elsewhere, that's a bad sign - that means they are probably living in your home.
Reproductives come out seasonally, in the Spring and Fall, when temperatures are warmer. They attempt to find a new place to start a colony - a male and a female will mate, and they will shed their wings (so that you may see a lot of wings around the floor or ground when they get into your home). All it takes to start a colony is two of them. You'll usually see a lot more than two - they fly around in the thousands, and dozens will get into your home through any given crack or space.
How do I stop these things from coming into my house?
Turn off the lights. They are attracted to light, and that's why they will come into your house - you can turn off the lights in rooms where they keep coming in, and if you want to can get a bug zapper and stick it outside a good distance away from your house. They'll go straight to it - even the ones it doesn't kill will stay away from you at least, and they don't keep their wings for that long anyway.
Sources and Useful Links:
http://www.yourpestcontrol.com/termite.htm
http://www.uhh.hawaii.edu/studentaffairs/nse/ASliceofHawaiianLife.php
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