Huge insects destroy 40 foot tree

[Ivan Seeking]

"I think they're some kind of mutant wasps,'' said Hanson after the 40-foot tree on her property fell down and revealed the creatures.

"I've never seen anything like them,'' she whooshed. "I've been on this farm for 43 years and the leaves on this tree were flourishing in July and something killed it.''

http://www.nj.com/news/bridgeton/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1064406308242640.xml

[BoulderHead]

You'd think someone would have included a photo...
...that really bugs me!

[Ivan Seeking]

Originally posted by BoulderHead
You'd think someone would have included a photo...
...that really bugs me!

I doubt there is really anything mysterious about the insects. What strikes me is a possible migration of a destructive insect into a new area. On the other hand, maybe she just never saw these bugs before by chance. Since it made the local paper, it seemed worth mentioning. Surely the locals would be aware of this bug were it indigenous to the area.

[Tail]

Well, I've never heard of such insects, so I'm most interested what such weird ones come from.

[zoobyshoe]

Last year or so there was an article in the San Diego paper about an infestation of super termites from the Philipines that was occuring in El Cajon, which is about 7-8 miles from San Diego proper. The danger of these termites was that they can wreck a house in one season, not like regular termites which take years to do the same damage.

I don't know where Milville is, but it sounds to me like it was these Philipine termites that killed this tree. The story about the El Cajon infestation didn't mention their appearance. As far as wings go I know that regular termite colonies produce a few waves of winged specimens twice a year who leave the colony in the hope of starting new colonies.