10 Fun Facts About Termites, Ranked!

10 Fun Facts About Termites, Ranked!

Termites seem like a fairly predictable pest on the surface. They eat wood, reproduce faster than many other pests, stay hidden, and can cause thousands of dollars in house damages. Many people have never seen a real termite in person, adding to the hidden danger of these destructive pests. You may be surprised to learn how a real termite colony functions and thrives, especially where there are millions (yes, millions) of members. Let’s look at ten surprising facts about termites, but not as a simple list! Instead, we are subjectively ranking these facts from 10 (not too shocking) to 1 (you probably will think about this for the rest of the day).

10. Cellulose is a Termite’s Food Source

We put this fact at the bottom because it is not very surprising if you know anything about the diets of termites. Everyone knows they love wood, but it is not just because they enjoy the smell or the texture of the natural resource. It is for the cellulose content, which is not only found highly concentrated in wood. Cardboard, books, paper, and any furniture or structure that contains some amount of wood is enough for termites to set their sights on as the next food source. Wood just happens to be their most popular and common choice because of a couple reasons. First, it is abundant in large and small quantities, especially in a house setting. Think about all of the wooden objects you may find in a typical home: the beams, inner framework, desks, chairs, bookcases, shelves, and/or cabinets. Another reason is that wood provides plenty of hiding spots. Termites easily burrow inside any kind of wood, and if that happens to already be a hidden area of the home, they can go undetected for quite a while. But if they invade a packed bookshelf or a cardboard box, it would definitely be better to find them before it’s too late.

9. Termite Nests Go Up More Than Out

Termites can build their nests essentially any way they want, but they do tend to favor the vertical build over horizontal. You can see the exact direction of their tunneling just by looking at the brown sandy tubes on the exterior of their hideout. That’s right: mud tubes! These termite-built additions are used to protect their actual tunnels from any exterior weather or predators. Since they build it directly on the tunnels they craft, you can easily tell where their tunnels lead. The vertical nests can be quite tall if they are left alone for long enough. There are plenty of termite horror stories where the pests were able to construct nests about 30 feet tall in tropical regions! Thankfully, this is not common in modern houses, but it is still a major issue that could be costly in the long run.

8. Termites have a Full Social Order

It may seem like every termite is the same and completes the same amount of work on the nest, but there are actually three classes of these organized insects. The first is the reproductive class, which includes the king and queen. These are the only termites capable of reproducing, a fact reflective of just about every eusocial insect colony. They also have wings and use these to scout out the next location of their new nest before laying eggs. The queen determines the class of each termite with pheromones and is much larger than the others, so you would definitely know if you found her. The second class is the worker termites, which make up the majority of the colony. These are the termites responsible for crafting the tunnels and building up the nest, as well as foraging for food for the whole colony. They even taste the queen’s food before offering it to her, just to make sure that it isn’t laced with anything! The third class is the soldier termites, which are larger than the workers but smaller than the reproductives. They are predictably responsible for guarding the tunnel entrances and protecting the general colony from any potential invaders. This can be a random smaller insect stumbling into the area, or it could even be an intentional invasion that can only be stopped by the fiercest of termite soldiers (more on that later). Soldiers have tough mandibles that are perfect for stopping any outside insects from causing trouble, keeping the nest thriving as it grows to a huge population over time.

7. Soldiers Have a Warning Sign

Speaking of these tiny soldiers, termites have their own special communication style. Since the colony is often so large and spread out, it would be difficult for termites to simply make an announcement to one another when there is a problem. It is also dark inside the tunnels since it is typically deep inside the wood or other cellulose-based material. So, how do they solve this problem? Simple! Soldiers bang their heads on the walls of the tunnels, like they’re at the most intense rock concert ever. When there is a sign of danger in any form it takes on, the soldiers loudly bang their heads to send vibrations to the rest of the colony. It is unclear if they have specific patterns for different dangers or messages, but it would not be surprising if they did. A termite soldier’s job is never finished until it alerts the rest of its colony by smashing its head into the walls of the handcrafted tunnels.

6. Termites’ Main Enemies are Ants

This fact is surprising if only for the idea of a tiny pavement ant being a threat to the equally small termite. But it is fairly common for ants to invade termite colonies if they are in the area. Since termites only eat wood (or so we think…), they don’t have a food stash for ants to enjoy. So it must be the allure of the protected shelter and protein from the termites themselves that attracts the invasive ants to the area. Ants are not a force to be trifled with, as they are known for dismembering any insect that invades their own nests, so they can definitely take on smaller insects. Luckily for the termites, their soldiers come equipped with built-in defense tactics. Their strong mandibles are quite sharp, and can easily be used to ward off any ants or other predators. We don’t have to worry about being bitten by termites in general, but the ants definitely have a much larger problem in this area. 

5. Most Termites are Blind

With how intricate and long their tunnels are, it is interesting to note that termites craft these using every sense besides sight. Some termite species can see, but the majority of termite species are completely blind. They get by just fine without this sense, since they live in darkness anyway. They would need excellent night vision to see where they are traveling inside the wood if they could see, so it might be better if they can’t see at all anyway. Plus, vibrations aren’t just for warnings; termites use vibrations through their head-banging to communicate for other reasons as well. The one common exception to termites being blind is the reproducing class in each species. They need sight to pick out the best locations for nesting and establishing a new colony, so it makes sense for them to have functioning eyes. But as for the others, they are just tunneling through the wood, using feelings and instincts. 

4. Termite Queens Live a Long Time

Just like many other eusocial species, termite queens live longer than their royal subjects. Some live for about 2-3 years, but termite queens can live for about 25 years! This is in part due to the faithful testing of the worker termites to ensure that her food is never in danger of killing her. The queen does not get to just sit and enjoy her long reign, though. She is busy reproducing just about every day of her life, especially when she and her new king fly away to start a new colony. A healthy termite queen can lay about 30,000 eggs in one day! This means that one day would be enough to cause some major damage to the area they invade, never mind a whole week or month of the termites living in that location. If there are multiple termite invasions in the same location, such as one house or building, it is likely all because of one queen who doesn’t understand the meaning of a day off.

3. Termites Do Not Sleep

On the topic of never taking a day off, you may be surprised to learn that termites in general do not take a break from their work. All classes and species of termites work all day every day without needing time to sleep or rest. They can continue building as long as they live, which is just another reason why termite invasions are so devastating. Termites are the pique of efficiency, keeping every new tunnel and nest clean of waste and debris. Their droppings, or frass, collects on the ground just outside the entry hole of the tunnels. If you see a pile of strange wood shavings near a wall, chances are high there is a colony of termites inside. Termites are also their own undertakers, as they place the bodies of their deceased members in a separate section of the tunnels to prevent any diseases from spreading to the rest of them. Termites may technically be simple organisms in how they can stay awake their entire lives, but they are not simple as far as their to-do list goes.

2. Termites Don’t Technically Eat Wood

Now we get into the top two most surprising termite facts, according to us, and this one is a doozy. Technically, yes, termites do consume wood. They ingest the wood and process it internally, unlike carpenter ants or carpenter bees, who just burrow their way into wood without actually eating it. But termites are not the ones doing all of the work of digesting their wood. They have various organisms in their guts, typically referred to as protozoans or symbiotic organisms. These microorganisms are the ones digesting the wood particles and processing it in the termite’s body! This is a symbiotic relationship, as the termites ingest the wood and the protozoans do the work of digesting. But termites do retain the nutrients from wood after it has been digested, so they have the energy to keep tunneling and firing on all cylinders for the rest of their lives.

1. Termites are as Old as the Dinosaurs!

Talk about staying power! Many pests have been around for centuries and don’t plan on going anywhere, but termites have a long history of invading places they were not invited. Some species are believed to be dated back about 250 million years, when dinosaurs were living beyond the pages of Jurassic Park. Archaeologists have actually uncovered dinosaur fossils that contained random fossilized insects embedded inside, with body structures very similar to our termites today. In looking at the state of the fossil with which the termites were found, it is pretty clear that the termites caused the dino to decompose much quicker than it otherwise would have. Even when the only cellulose material present is dinosaur bones, termites don’t stop working at providing the best food and shelter for their colony that they can achieve. 

Pest Control Services Can Handle Any Surprises Thrown Your Way

Whether you are surprised by termites, ants, or any other household pest, professional services are the right way to go! DIY methods and store-bought sprays can be temporary fixes, but they won’t get to the root of major pest problems. Termites are just one of many pests that are experts in hiding their colony from the outside world. Thankfully, our team of experienced technicians are prepared for all kinds of pest scenarios, and our EPA-approved treatments will leave you with a pest-free home. Contact us to learn more about how we can keep your home or business from becoming a pest’s paradise any time of the year.

Citations

11 interesting facts about termites you may not know. (2021, September 20). HiTech Termite Control. Retrieved October 6, 2022, from https://www.hitechtermite.com/articles/11-interesting-facts-about-termites-you-may-not-know 

Ferro, S. (2018, November 16). 9 not-so-pesky facts about termites. Mental Floss. Available at https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/563227/termite-facts (Accessed on October 6, 2022).

Milks, J. (2015, October 7). 15 weird facts about termites (#11 will gross you out!). LinkedIn. Available at https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/15-weird-facts-termites-11-gross-you-out-jeff-miklus (Accessed on October 7, 2022).

Potter, M.F. (2018, September 13). Termite control: Answers for homeowners. Entomology at the University of Kentucky. Available at https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef604 (Accessed on October 6, 2022).

Termite facts (n.d.). Orkin. Retrieved October 6, 2022, from https://www.orkin.com/pests/termites/termite-facts