Termites?
 

I have a retaining wall made from railroad ties outside my house. As I was coming up. I saw this. Are they termites?

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-S...229_123656.jpg

No, they stay out of the light.

Those are Roseate Spoonbills, not quite full grown.

Good :)

It's either that or they're divorce attorneys.

Roseate Spoonbill - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I don't think their Roseate Spoonbills....

Huh ?
Roseate Spoonbill - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

hey, didn't want to upset the "happy thoughts" here, but they looked like termites to me, too.

The winged (or "alate") caste, also referred to as the reproductive caste, are generally the only termites with well-developed eyes, although workers of some harvesting species do have well-developed compound eyes, and, in other species, soldiers with eyes occasionally appear. Termites on the path to becoming alates (going through incomplete metamorphosis) form a subcaste in certain species of termites, functioning as workers ("pseudergates") and also as potential supplementary reproductives. Supplementaries have the ability to replace a dead primary reproductive and, at least in some species, several are recruited once a primary queen is lost.

In areas with a distinct dry season, the alates leave the nest in large swarms after the first soaking rain of the rainy season. In other regions, flights may occur throughout the year, or more commonly, in the spring and autumn. Termites are relatively poor fliers and are readily blown downwind in wind speeds of less than 2 km/h, shedding their wings soon after landing at an acceptable site, where they mate and attempt to form a nest in damp timber or earth.

that wacky wikipedia evens gots some pictures of 'em.

I'd try to catch a few and somehow bring about the death of a few w/o crushing them. Major magnifying glass action is needed. Clean all the debris out of a small shop vac and suck some up - the wind speed or reduced air pressure or something often kills them. Probably still intact enough.

could be termites...

https://www.google.com/search?q=photos+of+termites&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

As long as termites are prevelant in your region. Thats probably what they are. You may be able to get them all with a simple spray if they have just arrived. I would tend to kill them no matter what I thought they were. By their current concentration I would guess they are either going to establish a nest or something.

For Texas pests, I consult the Aggies:

Texas Imported Fire Ant Research and Management Project

Flying Ants, Winged Termites, Winged Ants, Flying Termite

Have You Seen These Flying Ants? - Venus Pest Company Blog

Discover Entomology at Texas A&M University - Extension Publication E-412: Carpenter Ants

A warm wet winter and they might be male carpenter ants swarming.

if you wanted to kill some without crushing, a mason jar and CO2 works well from what I've heard

They are known to swarm/gather early in the season. On a RR tie wall embedded with creosote, I wouldn't be overly concerned. Gathering on the eaves/foundation of your house, no that's a different story.

Thanks, in about 30 minutes they were all gone except for a few flying around. I showed them to a neighbor who is native and owns a number of houses. He said that they're not termites.

Good news!