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Termites
This category is for questions and answers about termites. Termites are colony insects. They eat dead plant material, including wood. They are very important within the ecosystem, but they can be a detriment to human housing.
532 Questions
What does paul learn is the reason for the termites in all the houses?
There are two ways Paul can learn what the reason for termites in all the houses are. He can look up the information himself, or he can call in a pest control company, and have them diagnose and treat the termite problem.
The living termites had genes that the dead termites did not have.
Is a termite a ruminant animal?
No ruminants are all mammals, a termite is an insect.
However both ruminants and termites use symbiotic bacteria to help them digest cellulose in their food.
What does a soldier termite do?
a termite has the ability to change itself from a worker to a soldier. the queen senses a threat and releases a chemical that triggers the change in the workers. the soldiers job is simple. Protect the colony!
What kind of bug sheds a brown shell?
Cicadas shed their skin and it looks like a brown thin skeleton. Cicadas make a funny noise that is often confused with grasshoppers.
How many queens in a colonies of insects?
There are many kinds of colony. If you mean bees, then there is only one queen bee except for any young ones being raised to start new colonies. If you mean social wasps like hornets, there might be just one, but in most species there could be several, or you could say none in some kinds of colonies because all the members of the colony lay eggs. On the other hand, in such a colony you could say that they are all queens.
Then there are ants. Ants live in colonies that differ from each other so much that it is hardly possible to say anything interesting that is true for all of them. Some kinds of ants only have one queen and no colony; she goes out and looks for a colony of a suitable species of ant, works her way in, finds the queen, climbs onto her back and waits until the workers are used to her and feed her. Then she bites off the head of the real queen and starts laying her own eggs for the workers to raise. Some kinds of ants, like the Argentine ant have colonies with many queens, and some kinds of ant have colonies with just one queen.
Termite colonies start out with only one queen, but in some kinds of termite colonies when the queen dies, instead of the colony just dying out, they will raise a few small substitute queens to take her place. These substitutes are not generally as effective as the original giant queen and as a rule such a colony will not last many years. However, they might manage to produce some flying termites to start new colonies before their own colony runs down and dies.
So you can see that the problem with your question was that it was only half a question so you could only get half an answer and then only if you were lucky. When you ask a question do try to think a little more carefully about what it is you want to know. The more carefully you think about the question, the more useful the answer is likely to be to you.
Termites will attack the sapwood, but not the heartwood.
They can, but they will usually only do so as a last resort. If you are worried about them eating your nice teak furniture, I recommend laying a pile of "junk" wood nearby so they go after that instead. Then get it sprayed!
Why do termite's wings break in the beginning of summer?
Once the flying (swarming) female termites have been fertilized by male termites and have landed in a suitable spot to start building a new colony, the wings are no longer needed.
Are termites the only insects that can damage wood?
No, not by any means. They're probably the most widely known, but many other insects, including some species of ants and beetles, eat and damage wood.
Do termites have gas problems?
Yes, in fact termites have been found in anicent amber with gas exiting there rear end.
What would an insect whose job is to protect the nest look like?
Good question! Soldier termites are bigger than workers (usually uniformly white) and have larger orangish brown heads with two mandibles in front to take on colony invaders. try a google image search of "soldier termite"
How deep underground does a termite colony extend?
down to the core of the earth where they are exploded into little creatures called ants. The ants then run up to the surface where they are shot by 50 caliber machine guns
Do termites thrive in airy and poor sunlight and damp and cool surroundings?
Subterranean termites prefer that type of environment.
Drywood termites prefer sun exposure and higher temperatures.
What kind of termites eat drywall and not wood?
I've never come across those. Possibly a tropical thing.
Why people are interested in knowing more about the termites?
They are interested in knowing more about termites so they know how to prevent them from entering their home.
