A 'swarm' of winged termites outside the office last night
Living in the middle of no where for long periods can do strange things to you, last night was a case in point.
After every heavy rain here the bugs come out to play. None more so than the winged termite (Reticulitermes flavipes) which burrows out from the rain softened soil and flies around the nearest light source looking for a partner - this last about an hour then their wings fall off and they crawl off to mate.
termite close-up (Photo credit: Wikipedia.org)
As long as I've been living here I've heard the myth that these flying ants are edible and tast just like peanut butter. Last night we decided to put it to the test, catching a few, breaking off the wings and head and giving the body a good chew. The taste? nothing in particular really although we did detect some "buttery" undertones! We decided to complete the myth we must fry them up, just waiting for some re-supply on the cooking oil and we'll give it a try!
Strange indeed!
andy, it's time for a vacation!
ReplyDeleteOh my god! Andy did you really eat termites??? Oh that sounds awful!! Is this post for real. I love coming back to your blog over and over again. Your world is completely unknown to me.
ReplyDeleteHey I sent you a box about one week ago. I guess you can find out if termites pair well with coffee.
Melody
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