Kumbi Kumbi

Last night we saw a insects flying around our house, attracted by the night lights around the house. We didn't think twice of it, but it was clear there were more than normally.


This morning when we woke up, there were literally millions of wings in big piles on the ground and the birds were having a feast eating the insects of the ground as well as catching them in the air. Even the washing machine in the utility room, which conveniently does not have a door, was full of these things. They were flying termites, and the locals here call them Kumbi Kumbi.

Nice swarm outside kitchen

Kumbi Kumbi



The termites had piled up in large swarms here and there, and large amount of them also lay on the ground dead. Apparently they come a few times a year, typically during the rainy season. They come in big swarms, drop their wings and try to form another colony.

In Kenya, and some other countries, they are apparently a delicacy. People collect them by the thousands and then eat them either as they are or fried. Our Australian neighbor has tried them and told us they taste like peanuts, I don't think we'll find out ourselves.

This is the first time we saw these, and hopefully it does not happen too often. Another nice example of the African nature...