Termites - Yuck! But Wow!

So many times, I've seen these big brown "balls" in trees.  I finally took the time to confirm what I thought.  They're termite nests!

There's soooo much too know about them!  Here are some of the highlights....

Termites are in the same family as cockroaches.  They aren't ants.  But, like ants, stingless bees, and European honey bees, they live in colonies, and each individual has a specific role.

Each colony can have 100 to millions of individuals. All colonies have fertile males and females called kings and queens, and sterile male and female workers and soldiers.

New kings and queens fly away from their colony to find a mate from another colony. When a new king and queen meet, they land, look for a good place for their new colony, burrow into the space, and mate. They spend the rest of their lives together in the nest. Queens can live 30-50 years, and can lay up 40,000 eggs a day!

Some termites have wings, but most don't fly or only fly for a short time. Most workers and soldiers don't have eyes and are blind. They communicate through smells (pheromones),vibrations (hitting their heads on things), and physical contact (they bump into each other to say danger). Soldiers of many species purposefully rupture their bodies to release chemicals that stick to/kill intruders.

Termites mostly eat dead plants. So they're decomposers and have an ecological importance.  They usually use their poop to build their nests.  Which can be totally underground, a bump on the ground, or a ball in a tree. Tree nests are always connected to the ground via shelter tubes. Also made of poop.

Termites are usually small, about 4-15 millimetres long. But some queens can be over 10 cm long! They live on all continents except Antarctica. I don't think there are any in Canada because they don't live in cool or cold habitats.  I'm ok with that!


Termites can be bad, or good....

They can be destructive when they feed on buildings, crops, or plantation forests.  But! 

Termites are a good source of protein and fat.  They're even a delicacy for some cultures.  Apparently, they have a pleasant nut-like taste when cooked.  Some cultures use them for traditional medicines. Scientists are even studying termites for robot design and to help develop alternate sources of energy. Microbes in termite guts help them make 2 litres of hydrogen from a single sheet of paper! Architects are studying the nests because they're really strong and naturally climate controlled.

Pictures
1-2 Termite nests in trees along a bike path in Cozumel.  I think you can see the shelter tubes in the closeup picture.
3 - An above ground nest 
4- A soldier termite from Google