It is termite swarming season for those of us who live in the deep south. I like to keep my outdoor lights and landscape lighting off while they are swarming to avoid attracting flying termites to my house.
It would be nice to automate this - so I was wondering if anyone was aware of an API or website that could be scraped for geographically tagged current information on swarming. I could poll it every 10 minutes or so and control my lights based on the outcome.
Yeah, it makes sense to try and automate it, but I question if any website or api could be up-to-date enough or local enough to really make a difference, but I really don't know, since I couldn't find any.
Some way to detect them locally could be worked into an automation, if you could find insect sensors for that, and you could get them far enough away from the house that it would matter much. Maybe have a light further out from the sensors that comes on to draw they them away from the house, when sensed?
There seems to be such sensors out there, but mostly they are in studies or something developed by NASA, apparently. Since you are looking for swarms specifically, a swarm may appear like a larger object to a mmWave or PIR motion sensor? It would be hard to test, though.
Interesting approach, I just use the yellow bug lights and hope they work.
Live in the Forest so termites and all other bugs are prevalent.
Yellow Bug lights definitely stopped the swarming of moths and other flying insects.
Depends on the wavelengths that the insects in question are attracted to. Our flying/swarming termites are Formosan termites. They are attracted to wavelengths from 460-550 nm.
Yellow bug lights emit 530-590 nm - so they will not work for Formosan termites.
But turning all lights off will definitely work!
I wonder if a remote camera could be used. The IR light on mine seem to attract bugs. If sensitivity was set to low, maybe it would id a swarm as a person and trigger the camera...or possibly a switch (I wouldn't know how to do that, although I think my Roku could trigger one of their smart plugs, which could trip a Hubitat sensor, I suppose.)
Depends on the bug. IR would not attract the swarming termites we get. But blue/green LEDs would.
Maybe I should switch to Red LED lights 630-700nm...LoL but that would attract a different pest looking for something I'm not pimping 
Now you've got me looking at higher wavelength yellow bug LED lights, some have claims just above the wavelength of those termites liking.
Some yellow LED bug repelling lights claim 580nm.
But back to your subject, if no API or website is available maybe a bug swarming detection system using LUX sensor and light source away from home on property then the received LUX value determines swarm density around target light.
Zooz has a z-wave lux sensor in one of their outdoor motion sensors. Just thinking outside the box 
I saw a link to a news report which mentioned that Arrow created a swarming tracker. It has pins on a google map and has user submitted reports from southern Louisiana and Mississippi. They claim real time, but wonder if reports expire in x days so that you can see a cloud of reports moving in your direction. Also wonder if it's anywhere even remotely close to you!
It’s way out of date.
Swarms change pretty much daily. Two nights ago, it was so thick that when I stepped out to throw the trash, there were half a dozen termites in my mouth. Yet, nothing last night.
There isn't an emoji in the world that can capture my reaction to that! I can't even imagine what all of you go through.
I'm learning about termites and termite swarms because of your post and that I live at the edges of one kind of termite in the northeast. It also brings back memories of the late 1970's in NC and the time when they dug 6 foot deep holes in a ring all around the house to pour some chemical to treat and/or prevent future termites. I was too young to really understand other than huge holes and pesticide.
At least you got your protein for the day 
Download the Hubitat app
