© Copyright 2000 - 2020                            Foogle.info not a Website - A Day Out
	Genus Isoptera           The Termite     © COPYRIGHT Foogle Business  2006-2020
Modified:  10/11/20 12:39                        " LEARN  MORE,  BE MORE "  ©

 

 

Whilst we try to report all the facts as accurately as possible, we will  not be made responsible for any mistakes or errors that maybe inadvertently made.   TERMITES - any of the cellulose-eating social insects that constitute the order Isoptera. Cellulose in this case refers to wood. Termites have for millions of years been eating the majority of fallen trees, dead trees and rotting trees, from all around the world. It is said that the world would be totally covered in a ten meter pile of rotting timber, if it was not for the Termite.       Although they are referred to popularly as white ants, they are not closely related to ants, which are grouped with bees and wasps in a higher order of insects, the Hymenoptera. The social system of termites shows remarkable parallels with those of the Hymenoptera, but it has evolved independently, though it is supposed that many millennia ago they where once the same creature.   There are billions of TERMITES scampering about, as we speak. But they are only one kind of insect, among billions of other types of insect. It has been calculated that if all insects could be weighed en masse, their total weight would be FOUR TIMES greater than the total weight of all human beings on the planet. ALL Termites weight together equals the weight of ALL humans.       Termite  -  A mainly tropical and social insect, also wrongly called the White Ant, as they are, this side of a 1-200 million years, unrelated to the ants. Termite colonies nest in tunnels, in wood, old trees or self-made earth mounds - the Termitaria. In each colony there are winged Reproductives, workers, soldiers, and the Queen with one or two fertile males.    The Termitaria, is a large tower of soil stuck together with termite spit. It can house a million termites and has been designed, through evolution, to contain ventilation tunnels to keep it at a constant temperature.   The Reproductives, or flying termites, find new colonies by soaring off as far as they can. These Winged Reproductives, as they are called,  produce the offspring in the colony and swarm at certain times of the year, always after it has rained quite hard, and usually just before dusk.  New nest sites have both primary Reproductives, that is one king and one queen, and any that follow and land at the site will be secondary Reproductives and assist in initial egg laying and colony growth. The King Termite assists the queen in creating and attending to the colony during its initial formation.  He will continue to mate throughout his life, when required, to help increase the colony size. The workers construct tunnels, feed the colony, and care for the young; while the soldiers are concerned with the defence of their home, though they are not the bravest of defence forces . Termites eat cellulose taken from  wood, which they then digest helped by a bacterial parasite, or partner, in their guts. The termite and this protozoa work in some symbiosis, in order to survive. If they make their home in your home they can be very destructive when they invade houses, boats and anything wooden.   Symbiosis - Any close relationship between individuals of different species of organisms, including parasitism, see parasite, commensalism, and inquilinism. However, it often refers to an association in which both partners (symbionts) benefit from the association; this is also called mutualism. An example is the sea anemone (Adamsia paliata), which lives attached to the snail shell inhabited by the hermit crab (Eupagurus prideauxii). The anemone protects the crab, from which it receives food and transport.          Genus Isoptera     The Termite        Termites - From the order of insects Isoptera, a group almost singularly reserved for the termite. Isoptera, comes from the Greek meaning Equal-Wings, because when the termite was first discovered, it was believed to be some kind of flying insect; which it is but only, just like the ant, when the young reproductive kings and queens take flight to find new nest sites, so that its species continues to flourish. Hence the expression:   . . . You need to spread your wings. The wings of the flying termite queens are quite large and do stand out, though by far the majority of termites are not winged creatures. The termite is not related to the ant, well not this side of 200 million years, though they are sometimes wrongly called the 'White-Ant'. The ant is from the Genus Polyergus - Formicinae; the termite is more closely related to the cockroache. But there is the Formosan Subterranean Termite, which probably numbers more than any other species of insect, just by itself. Like all so-called social insects like ants, wasps and bees, termites etc, they all act in similar ways, but have evolved differently over a period of perhaps 1 - 200 million years. But they all have nests or colonies, they all lay eggs and passionately care for the eggs and the offspring until they reach maturity. This just proves that if a certain environment or practice works in Nature, it will continue to be used, whilst it suits that species.   Biological Evolution  -  is  the believed process by which the first and most primitive of living organisms, like the one-celled creature the amoeba, developed into the plants and animal life known today. Until the 18th century it was generally believed that each species of life was separately created by God. The most fitting theory was put forward by Charles Darwin and A. R. Wallace in 1858: they proposed that new species arose by a process of natural selection. Later work and advance technology has supported Darwin’s theory, which is now generally accepted.   Whilst there might be 15,000 types of Ant, there are under 3,000 types of termite, and this is because the termite has evolved to suit only very hot or even tropical conditions. But whilst some may say that the Ant is the most successful insect because it is so widespread, the termite wins hands down for numbers. There are more termites than all the other insects put together. If all the termites were weighed, they would weigh more than all humans weigh together. The Termite makes up 25% of all insect numbers; Ants contribute about 20% of all insects. The termite is not a parasite in the strictest sense, unless you consider the wood as its host.  Its main food by far is, sugar rich cellulous, taken from wood. The workers forage for wood, and eat far more than they need themselves to survive. They then return to the colony and regurgitate the pulp to feed to others in the nest. Inside the gut of the termite there is a protozoa, hypermastigote flagellates, that break down the cellulous releasing nitrogen, sugars and proteins. The protozoa are passed on from generation to generation by the feeding of faecal-matter from adults to young termites. Also, as food is stored, fungus grows on the pulp stock and this helps break the wood down also, and produces another food source. ******************************************************************** Below is a group of Flying-Termites, the future Kings & Queens of new colonies. As you can see their wings are large and you can see why they were called Isoptera, which comes from the Greek meaning Equal-Wings. The Flying-Ant Reproductives, have wings of unequal length. A nest will not usually go reproductive like this, until it is at least a year old and then might repeat this state of affairs, around once a year, depending on conditions. When the Reproductives, find a suitable home, they shed their wings, and burrow into the wood or soil, where they land.     A Termite Queen can live 10 - 20 years and controls the activities of the colony by emitting different pheromones at different times, that tell the workers, et al, what to do for different occasions.  The workers and others communicate by twitching and head-banging, a body language that tells others what that individual is feeling, caused by its environment or the Queen's pheromones.  This is no way by any sentient thinking by the Queen, it is just a program written by Mother Nature over millions of years, that the Queen acts out mechanically based on conditions around her, similar to your Computer. When the Queen dies of old age the workers get confused without her instructions, and as there are no eggs to replace the termite population, they either die naturally or are eaten by predators like ants so the nest gradually dies off.       The Social Insect - Like the Ant and the Termite, a social insect is one that lives and works together, just like a human community. All members have their own job to do and they do it ultimately for the good of the colony and for the good of themselves. Sociology   -  The systematic study of the development, organization, functioning, and classification of human societies. It uses such techniques as the systematic comparison of different societies, and surveys of social conditions, attitudes, and behavior. Specialized areas include demography - the study of populations, and political, educational, and urban sociology.       Parasite   -   An organism living in or on another organism of a different species, called the host, from which it obtains food and protection. Many parasites have complex life cycles, with one or more intermediate hosts, of different species, supporting them during their development. The study of parasites - parasitology - is of importance in medicine since many parasites, such as bacteria, fungi, either cause or transmit disease. Many plants are either partly or completely parasitic.                 The Termite - What is it? A Termite is a  tropical social insect, also called the white ant, though unrelated to the ants. Termite colonies consist of tunnels in wood or in earth mounds - termitaria. In each colony there are winged reproductive queens, workers, and soldiers. The Reproductives, or flying queens swarm and find new colonies; the workers construct tunnels, feed the colony, and care for the young; while the soldiers are concerned with defence. Termites eat cellulose and are very destructive when they invade wooden houses.     Sociology of the Termite     It is all this seemingly well organized structure that makes us think that the termite is a social creature; it is, in as far as it lives  in large colonies or groups consisting of millions, having such a structured civilized life, not unlike our own.   The Social Insect - Like the Ant and the Termite, a social insect is one that lives and works together, just like a human community. All members have their own job to do and they do it ultimately for the good of the colony and for the good of themselves. Sociology   -  The systematic study of the development, organization, functioning, and classification of human societies. It uses such techniques as the systematic comparison of different societies, and surveys of social conditions, attitudes, and behavior. Specialized areas include demography - the study of populations, and political, educational, and urban sociology.       The Termite     There are seven family groups and approximately 3,000 types within this species of termites worldwide, coming under the order Isoptera. All termites are social insects and colonies are composed of a distinct social order which include, the Queen,  workers,  nymphs, soldiers, larvae, and flying-termites. The workers are usually the most plentiful at any given time of the year. They are the workers in its strictest sense, and responsible for most of the colony maintenance. They forage and  feed all other members, they build and repair.  Kings and reproductive Queens are brownish in color, and have two pairs of wings that are equal in size,  and shape, hence their Greek name. The wings extend well beyond the end of the abdomen. They shed their wings after their swarm and when they have found a suitable area to find a new colony.  Nymphs,  are prelate forms which function as reproductive stock for the colony. The nymphs also labor along side the workers, doing similar jobs and are the second in number. Larvae are the undifferentiated young of the Reproductives, and they usually represent the third largest in colony caste proportion Soldiers are bigger and serve to protect the colony from invasion by other marauding insects and even large mammals. Their teardrop-shaped heads have large, forward-projecting mouthparts called mandibles, and they can represent between 1 to 20% of colony numbers depending on the type of nest construction and how safe it is against attack. A termite hill would have more, than say a colony that was in a deep tunnel in the ground.     Because the termite lives so far down, or deep inside decomposing wood, or in the termitaria, they are in constant darkness. They are basically blind, and have no eyes as such, and can only recognize light and shade. We might consider that, at one time they might have had complete eyes, as opposed to only the remnants of what used to be an eye.  Species of lizards have been found, that have been washed into underground chasms, and as it has been forced to live in complete darkness over many years, it has evolved to lose its eyesight and only have the impression where an eye has been.  When compared to its cousin that was originally washed away, whilst it might now be blind, its other senses are far more enhanced.    Termites can be grouped into four general ecological varieties, which is based on what conditions they live in and the food they eat. The ecological groupings of termites are: dry wood, damp wood, harvester, and subterranean.  The Dry-Wood Termite is not reliant on the soil for moisture. They are usually found in posts, stumps, and of course wooden houses. Their source of water is derived metabolically, meaning, like a lot of animals,  water is moisture found in the food that they eat. the food is usually wood and they will continue to burrow and eat you out of house and home, literally. But they are not the worst termite on Earth.     Damp-Wood Termites, are obviously the same and also do not require soil contact for moisture. They are found in dead, damp, and rotten logs or trees. Like most creature, termites are opportunists and live where they can, and adapt to the good and the bad. In time they will evolve to be best suited to any environment, and a new species is created. It is said that even though the termite is numbered in the multi-billions, it is a good thing. they have been around for up to 200 million years and no doubt had a predecessor for a few million year prior to this. During this time many billions of trees have lived and grown and died. The termite has been totally opportunistic and not only become reliant of the wood from the dead trees, but done us a great service.  It is said that had the termite been so great in number and needed so much dead and rotting wood to eat we could be up to 20 feet deep in rotting timber around the whole planet. this has obviously changed our environment for the better as it has given us more room to live. Trees do rot away naturally, broken down by bacteria, but this can be a slow process. When the termite's ancestor came along it probably ate only very rotten soft wood as this was almost digested already. But as the numbers of termites grew it had to diversify and start to chew on wood that was fresher. At first, termites would not flourish on this, but those termites with a greater propensity to digest wood, no doubt aided by also eating the protozoa, survived, those that could not digest fresh wood died off. This is a classic example of evolution at work.   Biological Evolution  -  is  the believed process by which the first and most primitive of living organisms, like the one-celled creature the amoeba, developed into the plants and animal life known today. Until the 18th century it was generally believed that each species of life was separately created by God. The most fitting theory was put forward by Charles Darwin and A. R. Wallace in 1858: they proposed that new species arose by a process of natural selection. Later work and advance technology has supported Darwin’s theory, which is now generally accepted.   Evolution - Survival of the fittest - If we believe in evolution, the propensity to survive, we must recognize that most creatures are the progeny of their ancestors. When talking about insects, fossils tell us that they were living over 100 million years ago. We must recognize that climate and global environment has changed over the millennia, and such variations would have changed the living conditions of many organisms. Some so bad that many either died out, or changed themselves, to accommodate the new conditions. This being that those among them with a greater propensity to survive any change, lived on.  Using this pattern of events, when we talk of an intelligence in something like the ant, we must realize it is not like any intelligence we might have. The ant does what it does due to a billion repetitions of certain characteristics, which has allowed it to     The Harvester Termite is a term used for termites that store up food, as opposed to those that eat by tunneling outwards. The Harvester also farms and reaps, in order to eat and feed to others, a unique fungus, that grows in termite chambers. This fungus grows on food that has been chewed by the termite and then put into cool storage. This event happened by accident, and obviously came from fungus-spores brought in from the outside. Nevertheless, very hungry termites ate this organic material, and thrived on it. Hence the symbiosis that has arisen.   Moreover, the discovery that the fungus has cultured an antibiotic producing bacterium, may provide new insight into the identification, production and use of new antibiotics.   Symbiosis  -  Any close relationship between individuals of different species of organisms, including parasitism - parasites.    However, it also often refers to an association in which both partners - symbionts  -  benefit from the association; this is also called mutualism. An example is the sea anemone - Adamsia paliata  -   which lives attached to the snail shell inhabited by the hermit crab  - Eupagurus prideauxii. The anemone protects the crab, from which it receives food and transport. Not far removed from the relationship between dog and master, ant and aphid, termite and fungus.     The amount of food the Harvester stores is reported to vary from as little as one night's forage, to stores lasting up to two weeks. The Subterranean Termites,   must have contact with the damp soil in order to survive. This group of termites especially the Formosans, are by far the most destructive to human building works, and cost billions of dollars each year not just in damage repairs but also in the  treatment protection of wood.      Once the subterranean colony is established, termites enter unprotected wooden structures, undetected,  from underneath the soil. A large extent of damage is carried out, without the owner of the building knowing, until the building crumbles and falls. This infestation, from this type of the Isoptera insect, can mean financial ruin for many homeowners.  New Orleans, in Louisiana, is the world's center of Termite destruction, The people of New Orleans spent $300 million each year,  killing, spraying and avoiding termites. This plague, it is said, is only 60 years old. before that this part of Louisiana was termite free. But after World War II, armaments and other war paraphernalia were shipped home from tropical areas and in the wooden crates, like some Trojan Horse, termites laid in wait to do their Jazz.         Species   -  A unit of classification of animals and plants. Individuals of the same species / genus can breed among themselves, producing fertile offspring that resemble the parents. Some species are divided into subspecies and varieties. Breeds of domestic animals and cultivated varieties of plants have been developed by man and are derived from wild species. All breeds of domestic dog, for instance, belong to the same species—Canis familiaris—and can breed together.     Relationships with other species Certain types of social behavior of the Coraciiformes involve other birds or unrelated animals. Although some of these interactions are occasional and opportunistic, others are regular parts of everyday life and may be called symbiotic—i.e., one that brings mutual benefit to the different species involved. The regular swarming of many bird species about grass fires to capture animals driven out of hiding by the flames is a phenomenon often related to human activity, for such events are often caused accidentally or deliberately by man. Among the birds that gather are both rollers and bee-eaters; they swoop down near the flames and into the smoke to seize fleeing insects. After the fire has passed, certain hornbills find good foraging on foot over the newly exposed ground. More notable are a number of inter specific nesting relationships. Some bee-eaters make their colonial burrows in the same banks in which certain smaller swallows dig their burrows; there seems to be no conflict between the larger bee-eaters and the smaller swallows, despite the similarity in nesting and feeding habits. In southern Africa, the little bee-eater (Melittophagus pusillus) sometimes makes its nest burrow in the wall of the very much larger burrow of the aardvark (Orycteropus afer), and there is no further relationship between the bird and the mammal. Sporadic incidents occur between species when one or both are foraging; a kingfisher may pilfer a food item from a dipper (Cinclus), and a savanna kingfisher will occasionally fly down to seize a grasshopper flushed by a man. Many associations are more frequent. Some bee-eaters in Africa often accompany large bustards, other large walking birds, and zebras and other game animals to feed on the insects roused from the grass by the animals. The bee-eater even uses the bustard's back as a perch. The bee-eater may also accompany an automobile driven through these grasslands to secure insects. There is also a regular association between hornbills and bands of monkeys in the treetops of African forests, with the birds seeking the insects stirred into activity by the fruit-eating monkeys In many parts of the Old World tropics, where large arboreal termite mounds are common and conspicuous, certain kingfishers usually excavate their burrows in them; in fact, some species are believed to nest only in them. The presence or absence of the termites might be expected to have an important effect on the populations of such kingfishers. The hoopoe commonly nests near buildings, especially in South Africa, and it is possible that the availability of such sites may affect the local abundance of the species. The presence of woodpecker holes used by hoopoes and wood hoopoes may also affect the size of their breeding populations. Some African species of kingfishers, bee-eaters, hoopoes, and wood hoopoes are victimized by obligate social parasites, the honey guides (Indicatoridae, related to the woodpeckers). The honey guide lays its eggs in the host's nest and, with its bill or claws, often punctures the shell of the foster parents' eggs so they do not hatch. If the foster parents' eggs do hatch, the nestling honey guide usually disposes of the host's young by throwing them from the nest or by biting, crowding, or starving them to death. The honey guide's young are thus raised at the expense of the young of the host species. Apparently kingfishers, bee-eaters, hoopoes, and wood hoopoes are of great importance in the ecology of honey guides, and the frequency with which the roller like birds are victimized by honey guides may be a serious factor in their population status. A remarkable insect fauna has been found in the nest of an African hornbill. Though some nest sanitation is practiced by the birds, it is not complete. In one nest, more than 400 individual insects, mostly larvae, were found (about half were moth larvae); they represented eight species and were feeding on the droppings and debris in the nest cavity, which was remarkably clean and had little odor. The hornbill provides microhabitats for the insects (albeit scattered and seasonal), and the scavenging of the insects may be of advantage to the hornbill. Form and function Size and plumage The coraciiform birds are a rather heterogeneous order, united mainly by features of their internal anatomy. Some characteristics of the beak and feet serve to separate them from other orders, such as perching birds (Passeriformes) and the woodpeckers and their allies (Piciformes), which appear to be their closest relatives. No single coraciiform family encompasses the entire size range of the order. The todies are the smallest, with lengths of nine to about 11.5 centimetres (3.5 to 4.5 inches), and the hornbills (see photograph), from about 40 to 160 centimetres (16 to 63 inches),are the largest. The kingfishers are from 10 to nearly 46 centimetres long (four to 18 inches), the longest being those with extended tail feathers. Motmots and bee-eaters are in the same general size range as the kingfishers, but the smallest of them are larger than the tiniest kingfishers (Ceyx, Ispidina), and the largest motmots, although about 50 centimeters (20 inches) long, have not nearly the body bulk of the chunkier, but slightly smaller, kookaburras (about 45 centimeters, or 18 inches). The smaller families have, predictably, less size variation. The plumage of the roller like birds is firm and often highly colorful. The bee-eaters are collectively and individually among the most brilliantly colored of all birds; one individual may be marked with green, yellow, red, blue, and black. Many kingfishers are also brightly colored, with a tendency toward metallic blues and blue greens. The beak is often bright red or orange. Most hornbills, with ornamentation frequently found on the beak, are strikingly patterned in black, white, and shades of gray and are sometimes accented with rufous or yellow; many have areas of bare skin, blue, red, yellow, or black in color, around the face.    Termites can range in size from quite small to an unnerving 2 cms. King and Queen bodies range from 1 to 2 cms. Nymphs range up to 2 cms. Soldiers can be over 2 cms in length.  Like all insects, and unlike us, the termite has no skeleton. It is the outside of their body that holds them together, and also acts like protective armor; this is called the exoskeleton.     The Egg, the Larva, the Pupa   Again like all insects, the termite has four distinct growing stages, the egg, larva, pupa and the adult.  The Queen can lay up to 1,000 eggs each day, allowing for resting that is one each minute of every day for maybe 20 years. That is 7,000,000 eggs in a lifetime and if you consider that circa 5% might be flying reproductive Queens, it is no wonder that the termite is here to stay.  The eggs hatch and the larvae have to shed their skin five times before they pupate and then they become adults.   They even move eggs and larvae up and down the nest to control environmental warmth,  caused by outside temperatures. Termites are habitually clean and tidy insects. Some workers take on the task of carrying the rubbish from the nest and putting it outside, in a special dump     Termite Barrier  A termite barrier is simply a material that keeps termites from penetrating the foundations of your house or accessing other parts of your property, or getting near your property. The Termite now, and historically, is the most prolific and successful creature on the planet; sometimes only a substantial barrier will stem the tide. A termite barrier is not an insecticide, termiticide, or a chemical treatment. Specially developed trenches, with the right bespoke mesh block termites from entering your home through the basement, footings, and or foundation to reduce the likelihood that they will reach your walls. One kind of termite barrier is a thin mosquito-screen type mesh but it must be installed during construction. Wrap the flexible mesh around the lower bricks or slabs of your foundation. Or up against retaining walls and footings, both above and beneath the ground; the lower you go the better. Such a screen is made of fibers that are indestructible to termite jaws, and the weave is too small to let a termite push through. This is not a guarantee against a termite offensive, but it drastically reduces the opportunity that subterranean termites require. It should stop, along with other on-goings measures you might take,  the termite to walk in unhindered, to eat or nest in timber walls. Another barrier is to take uniform rocks, slabs or bricks, and dig a trench around the boundaries of your construction.  Build a solid walled defence; such barriers are invaluable against subterranean termites, as the wall interrupts their only route to your timber walls, through the soil. Termites radiate out from the colony, above ground or in tunnels, like the spokes of a wheel, they only stop when they find wood. The physical Termite barrier was brought about in response to the dislike and outlawing of popular insecticide sprays. Barriers are environmentally friendlier and require very little maintenance. But they are most effective when installed before a house is built, so much more work is required to protect buildings.        Killing Termites      How to rid yourself, or kill any termites you might have. By far the best way of controlling termites is prevention. Please be clear that there are quite simply, billions of them and they flourish relentlessly without any help or hindrance from humankind. They have always been here and they always will. When they first evolved on Earth, we were just tiny vole-like creatures. Whilst we may have moved up the evolutionary chain, they still are here and are just as successful. Protect the wood on or in your property with chemicals, and or other means. Lay the wood onto a brick or concrete foundation. You maybe spending money in the short term but long term you might be sitting on a time-bomb. However, if you know or think you have them already, it is best to seek some professional help. If you live in a wooded structure you must be aware of the problem so you should act not to determine if your property is protected. In New Orleans, they are in constant battle, and it is a war that they will not win. But they do lay traps in the ground; traps filled with treated wood. The termites eat the wood and are recruited like Trojan Horses, carrying back the chemical poison, that can kill the nest if lucky.

 

© Copyright 2000 - 2020                            Foogle.info not a Website - A Day Out
	Genus Isoptera           The Termite     © COPYRIGHT Foogle Business  2006-2020
Modified:  10/11/20 12:39                        " LEARN  MORE,  BE MORE "  ©

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Roy G Symonds BA [Law]