The “heroes” of our story are termites. What it is? What is their habitat? What do they eat?
Are termites ants?
These insects, outwardly similar to ants, but not such, are considered to be a terrible disaster in the universal understanding. From the actions of the so-called "white ants", which are actually related to cockroaches, powerful trees crumble from one push, wooden buildings are destroyed ... And besides, they pose a real threat to human health. Questions about in what natural zone termites live, what it is, what is their mode of existence, habitat features, are the subject of research by entomologists. All of these topics are described in many documentaries and featured in scientific programs. Such insects are poisoned with the most effective poisons, special services are formed to combat them, however, the measures taken in no way diminish the harm they cause.
In which natural zone do termites live?
Where do termites live? The number of their varieties on the planet approaches three thousand, the main part lives in subtropical and tropical zones. Only two species are represented on the territory of Russia, and they can be found in the region of Vladivostok and Sochi.
These insects live in huge multimillion-dollar groups called colonies; in each of them there is a clear division into castes: workers (majority), soldiers, queen and king. The coloring of the bodies of adult termites varies from whitish yellow to black.
Description of the working caste
What do termites look like? It is easy to identify working individuals by their round head and small size: on average, their body length - light and soft (due to permanent residence in shelters saturated with water vapor) - does not exceed 1 centimeter. African termites, often creeping to the surface, are distinguished by a dark brown body. The underground way of life negatively affected the organs of vision of working individuals: they are blind or see very weakly.
If ants work only females, then among the working termites there are representatives of both sexes. Their mission is digging tunnels, building a termite mound, its repair, obtaining and saving food, caring for offspring. Also, termite workers feed soldiers who are not able to eat on their own because of the specific structure of the head capsule.
Termite soldiers
Soldiers - the next caste, also working, but performing slightly different functions and having a different structure as a result. Termite soldiers, the description of which is somewhat different from the working caste, protect the colony from external opponents and are armed with powerful long mandibles (jaws). Some tropical species of soldier termites in addition have a small process on their heads through which a special sticky substance is injected into the enemy, drying out when it comes in contact with air and restricts its movement. The soldiers have a large head capsule (reddish-brown, black, light yellow or orange), which serves as a kind of cork in the process of blocking narrow tunnels, there are no wings, and they are blind. The smallest termites (these species live in South America) in size reach only 2.5 mm; the largest include insects of Mexico and Arizona - 22 mm in length. If there is a partial destruction of the termite mound, hordes of soldiers come out to defend themselves, trying to restrain the advance of the enemy until the termite workers repair their home. In this case, the soldiers are trapped themselves and no longer have the opportunity to get out of it.
King and queen
The "head" of mature individuals is the egg-laying female (queen) and the king - the male, fertilizing her and other reproductive insects. Compared to other termites, the queen is simply huge and capable of reaching 10 centimeters in length. The body of the female in the process of reproduction of the offspring increases several hundred times, due to which she is not able to independently move and eat, and this becomes the concern of the workers carrying and feeding her.
The queen dwells in a special department, in the very middle of the termite mound, together with her king, who has been near her throughout her life. In size, it slightly exceeds the termite soldier and has the exclusive right to mate with a female. After fertilization, the male, unlike the fellow ants, does not die.
The female queen is very prolific and can lay up to 3,000 eggs per day. The Indo-Malayan variety, which gives out eggs per second, is considered to be the masonry record holder; in digital terms - more than 80,000 times a day. All this time, a special substance containing pheromones is released on the female abdomen, which is eaten with pleasure by working termites. The Queen's life expectancy is about fifteen years, and all these years, the male and the female are faithful to each other. During the existence of a couple, several million individuals of young offspring are born.
Features of the behavior of young animals
The young generation in the terminator “parents” lives up to a certain time and leaves the “father’s house” during the period of swarming (late spring - early summer), starting to mate. At this time, they become extremely vulnerable, because after fertilization the male and female cut off their wings. Many of the young termites are easy prey for spiders, centipedes, insectivorous birds. The lucky survivors set about creating a nest. Not everyone leaves the termite: a few pairs remain in case of a possible death of the female, which is quite rare.
Termitnik - complex construction
As the name implies, termite mounds are the “house” in which termites live. What is it, what features are inherent in such a structure, and what are the rules for the existence of a “population" in it?
After the birth of a sufficient number of working individuals, the latter begin to build a new reliable shelter for the future colony, the location of which is determined by a young couple. Surprisingly, insects the size of an ant have the incredible ability to erect huge “castles” with intricate labyrinths of internal passages that rise more than 8 meters above the soil surface. A record-breaking huge termite mound, whose height was 12.8 meters above the surface of the earth, was recorded in Zaire. Buffaloes, elephants and other large animals hide from the scorching sun in the shade of such structures - the most complex of structures not built by man. Termite mounds are diverse in form: some resemble cathedrals, others are horizontally oriented from north to south, for which they are called "magnetic." This arrangement contributes to minimal penetration into the solar radiation and the formation of a constant microclimate: humidity and temperature.
The structure of the termite mound
Termitek consists of the ground part (which represents a large elevation) and the underground, consisting of a network of numerous tangled tunnels and rooms. Material for construction is the composition of the excrement of working termites, their saliva, shredded wood, dried grass and clay. Structures built from such a mixture are characterized by high strength and waterproof walls. The color of the termite is often consistent with the color of the soil and does not catch the eye of predators, merging with the environment. In the ground part of the structure, cameras with larvae, eggs, “mushroom gardens” and a huge grid of ventilation tunnels are most often located. There you can also see small farms with thermophiles - animals that secrete special substances that are happily licked by termites. Thus, a symbiosis occurs between them, in which the second side - thermophiles (a vivid example is the termitoxenia fly) - receives a rich source of food and a favorable microclimate.
Location of termite mounds
In tropical conditions (high humidity and constant rains) termite mounds are often placed high on trees; moreover, the nest built in the branches is attached so firmly that it can withstand the most terrible hurricanes. To get to the inaccessible home of termites, you have to cut branches.
Some representatives of the infraorder live in tree trunks, furrowed by passages that extend to the very roots. In arid regions (for example, in Central Asia), termite mounds are located deep underground, and on the surface there are no signs indicating their presence in this place.
What do termites eat?
Food for termites is mainly served by elements of plant origin, for example, dry wood, the digestion of which is due to flagella - the simplest organisms that live in the intestines. By the way, about 200 species of protozoa live in the stomach and intestines of the termite, the total mass of which sometimes amounts to 1/3 of the weight of the insect. They process inedible wood into easily digestible sugars.
Only working individuals are capable of feeding on their own, while the nutrition of the remaining layers of the caste depends on them. Soldiers, due to the excessive development of mandibles and insufficient development of the remaining parts of the mouth, are not able to chew food on their own, and therefore they feed on nutrient-rich feces of workers or secretions from the mouth, which are also consumed by the king and queen. Termite larvae eat the salivary secretions of adults and mold spores. Various residues present in the soil - rotting wood, manure, leaves, animal skin - are eaten by the workers, but the food is not absorbed immediately, and the excrement of humus-eating individuals is then consumed by another working termite or soldier. Thus, the same food repeatedly passes through a series of intestines until it is completely absorbed.
Australian aborigines, by the way, are the only ones who have a wind musical instrument “didgeridoo” made of eucalyptus branches, the core of which is corroded by termites.
The role of termites in nature
Why are termites needed? What is it and what role do they play in the external environment? In nature, such insects act as processors of plant residues; also with their help, the formation and mixing of the upper soil layers occurs. It is assumed that the methane released by these insects during their activity is involved in the general effect of greenhouse gases. Termites in their total biomass are comparable to the entire biomass of terrestrial vertebrates.
Termites vs. Human
Unfortunately, termite friendship does not work out with a person. In the tropics, these are dangerous pests that destroy wooden buildings: they gnaw at furniture, floors, books. For example, in Southeast Asia, because of termites, sometimes it is necessary to transfer cities and towns to another place. Their aggressive attacks lead to the collapse of houses. Along with earthworms and ants, termites play a significant role in the circulation of soil matter; winged individuals serve as food for a large number of predators.
It is quite difficult to determine the presence of such insects. Home termites work inside, leaving the outer shell intact. They do not even shun money: in 2008, a businessman discovered a dust from securities and money in his bank cell.
Surprisingly, termites are one of the most popular insects in cooking because of their high protein content. In the basins of the Amazon River, Indians make barbecue from them, fry them in their own juice or crush them to prepare seasoning. Nigeria even sells termite bouillon cubes.