Termite swarmers which flit around in the sky in search of their partners at the first spell of rain, end up their journey on the platters of the residents at Kachanayakanahalli.
Residents of all ages set out at night with torch in their hands to hunt for the termite swarmers, which are their favourite seasonal delicacy.
Protein diet
The insect, said to be rich in protein, is called ‘Esulli’, ‘Esillu’ or ‘Esigalu’ in Kannada. As soon as the rain is over, an army of termite swarmers blanket in the sky.
For farmers, their presence is an indication of onset of monsoon and signal for beginning their agricultural activities, as they are spotted generally during the first few months of the monsoon season, which are named Ashwini, Bharani and Kritika rains.
As the termite swarmers are easily attracted towards light, the residents armed with torches, assemble in the fields and grounds to hunt them and carry home several bags of insects. They also keep a vessel filled with water and a torch. The insects, attracted by the light, come near the vessel and fall into the water. They even sell them for Rs 10 a glass of swarmers.
They conserve the newly harvested crop of insects by processing them in the sieve to separate the wings and other waste. They will be later fried along with a blend of garlic, salt and pepper. The pickle made of the termite swarmers is said to be good health, they believe.
“Once, our elders used to catch the queen swarmer in the anthill and feed it to the children”, says Srinivas.
Other hunters
Termite swarmers are favourite for monkeys, crows and lizards. There are 3,000 variety of the species and are generally spotted tropical and temperate zones, he said. The cellulose of the plants are their food, he added.
The termites fly in the sky till they find their partners and once they find their mates they settle in their nest, mud tubes, and their wings fall off. They lay thousands of eggs a day and are very useful in enhancing fertility of the soil, said Ajit, a lecturer.
Though people fear that they cause damage to the houses, it takes years for them to build their own colony of workers that could feed on wooden frames of a window.
However, residents in the village don’t fear to spot termite swarmers but feast on them for days.