Termites: Friend or Foe?

Termites have been walking around earth since the time of the dinosaur. Their role as decomposes provide nature with another way to eliminate waste organics. They recycle plant and animal material at the lowest levels of the food chain. Termites have three main body parts; the head, thorax, and abdomen. Termites have no eyes, but utilize antennae and 6 legs to feel their way around. Termites are about the same size as ants, but some termite species are much larger. Termites have hard mouth parts to break up their main food, cellulose fibers.

The needs of a termite colony are communicated through vibration, or pheromones excretion (prophylaxis). Solder termites will communicate the presents of invaders by knocking their heads against tunnel walls, thus warning the rest of the colony of impending danger. Pheromones regulate colony structure.

While termites eat and destroy wood, of themselves, termites can not digest cellulose. They receive help internally with the aid of protozoa, fungi, and bacteria, which live within a termite's digestive tract. The parasites break down ingested organics, which in turn nourishes the termite.

Worldwide, there are over 2200 termite species comprising 4 major groups; damp-wood, dry-wood, subterranean, and mound builder termites. Of these, only 5% are considered pests. The destructive nature of termites is well known across the globe. Termites will eat about anything that contains cellulose. Books, cardboard, boxes, wooden walls, doors, beams, they are all termite table fair.

Termite inevitably also have waste. Depending on the type of termite, termite droppings will either be removed from the colony or used to build tunnels and shelter tubes. Both are significant signs of termite infestation.

Termite skin is rather sensitive, and requires a good deal of moisture.  Termites look like or very similar too white ants, but with wider bodies.  Termites favor warm and moist air, and they actively shy away from light, so, they create their own enclosed environments either below or above the ground.

Termites are social creatures, and as such they live in a colonized structure, under a caste system. A subterranean colony may include up to several million members. The termite queen will live as long as 15 years, and produce an egg every 15 seconds for most of that time. Termites never sleep, so they are on the move 24/7. Eggs hatch into nymphs, then, depending upon the requirements of the colony, the nymphs will either become solders, workers, or reproductives.

Solder termites protect the colony with their large heads and pincers, The pincers are used to slash, crush, or puncture invading enemies. One might think otherwise, but termite solders can not feed themselves, so they relay on the worker caste to obtain nourishment.

Worker termites are by far the most numerous caste. They do all of the construction work, which includes excavating chambers, and building tunnels, then they repair those structures as necessary. Workers forage for food which they distribute to the rest of the colony. Worker termites help care for the eggs and nymphs, and also provide grooming assistance to nest-mates during molting. Workers assist termite solders in the defense of the colony. Workers are sterile, blind, and wingless, but they carry out the bulk of the colony work-load. When termites invade a home, it's the worker termites that do all the damage.

Reproductive termites tend to the eggs, and become queens and kings. Should the colony queen or king die, it's the reproductives that take their place. Some of the reproductives grow wings to become swarmers, they then fly away to form new colonies.

Note: some good termite pictures can help you identify the individual types of termites.

Termites may not seem to benefit the home owner to any significant degree, but in the natural environment they aerate the soil, breakdown organic matter, improve soil fertility, and provide a source of protein for other living creatures.

Predators eat vast numbers of termites. The predator list includes; other insects, (spiders, beetles, flies, ants and wasps), frogs, reptiles, birds, and mammals (aardvarks, pangolins, bats, monkeys, and yes- humans).