Termites

Termites are a group of insects that are commonly known as "white ants", they are only distantly related to the ants.

Termites divide labour among castes, produce overlapping generations and take care of young collectively. Termites mostly feed on dead plant material, generally in the form of wood, leaf litter, soil, or animal dung, and about 10 percent of the estimated 4,000 species (about 2,600 taxonomically known) are economically significant as pests that can cause serious structural damage to buildings, crops or plantation forests.

Termites live in colonies that, at maturity, number from several hundred to several million individuals. Colonies use decentralized, self-organized systems of activity guided by swarm intelligence which exploit food sources and environments unavailable to any single insect acting alone. A typical colony contains nymphs (semi-mature young), workers, soldiers, and reproductive individuals of both sexes, sometimes containing several egg-laying queens.

Did You Know?

• Termites are present since the time of Dinosaurs!
• Termites are the most destructive pests of the world! They can destroy anything with cellulose- Wood, Paper and Clothes
• Termite colonies eat nonstop, 24 hours a day, seven days a week!
• The total weight of all the termites in the world is more than the weight of all the human in the world!
• Termites cause damage worth $2 billion every year!