Brown long winged bug
Location: Los Angeles
November 5, 2011 6:31 pm
Hi. I have recently had an infestation of these small brown bugs with oversized wings. The body is very small, about an 8th of an inch and the wings are very long, about 1/2 an inch. Even with the large wings they seldom fly. They have appearing in only one room of our home. Coincidentally there is a leaky pipe in the wall of that room that has been keeping the floor boards moist if that helps.
Signature: Mike Deprez
Dear Mike,
You have Dampwood Termites in the genus Zootermopsis, most likely the Pacific Coast Dampwood Termite based on your location. We saw a winged alate that was attracted to a light at our Mt Washington Los Angeles offices this past week, so that is strong evidence that they are currently swarming in the Los Angeles area. Your room with the leaky pipe has probably created conditions favorable to a colony of Pacific Coast Dampwood Termites in rotting wood. According to Charles Hogue in is marvelous book, Insects of the Los Angeles Basin: “By vibrating their heads on the walls of their chambers, soldiers and nymphs produce an audible ticking sound that is believed to function as an alarm to the colony.” You can get additional information on BugGuide.