Rising up from deserts, tropical rainforests, temperate woodlands, and possibly your local park,
termite mounds and nests are found on almost every continent. Some species of termites build
nests underground and other species build huge above-ground mounds. These mounds can stretch
to 80 feet across and 30 feet high, taller than a two-story house. They are very strong structures
made from mud, digested wood, saliva, and feces. There are so many termites spread
across the continents that the total weight of all the termites in the world is many times more
than the total weight of all the humans in the world. But it is a good thing that we have so
many termites in our world because they play an important role in decomposing huge amounts
of decaying wood and plants. Without termites our world would be a lot messier. The only problem is
termites can cause a lot of destruction when they live by humans. Homes and objects made with wood
can be destroyed quickly by termites. They are known as silent destroyers because they can chew
through walls and floors without being detected until a lot of damage is done. Each year termites
cost billions of dollars in damage to buildings. Termites are busy little creatures. They never
stop eating or working. They eat 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Could you imagine working every
hour of every day without rest? Termites live in colonies. They work together as a group to raise
their young and do their work. All termites have certain jobs. Worker termites are in charge of
building and maintaining the mounds and foraging for food. Soldier termites protect the mounds.
They remain at the entrance of the mounds and try to keep away enemies, such as ants using their
sharp hook-like mandibles. If they detect danger, they kick the walls of the colony. This creates
vibrations that warn the termites inside. In spite of these warnings, termites are not always
safe. Animals such as anteaters and aardvarks love termites. Birds and large bugs eat termites too,
and in some parts of the world people eat termites as a good source of protein. Some
people even think termites are a special treat. Special workers and soldiers care for the eggs
and young. Worker and soldier termites are male and female but they have no children and they
have no wings. Most termites have wings that they eventually shed. Both workers and soldiers are
almost completely blind. They don't really need to see because they spend most of their lives in the
dark. They don't like sunlight so they usually travel in mud tubes and live underground in
mounds or in nests made in trees. However, king and queen termites can see because they need to
find a mating partner. Female termite queens are quite fascinating. During her lifespan of
25 to 50 years, a female queen termite will lay an egg about every three seconds thus producing
nearly 30,000 eggs in a day. Because of all these eggs, termite mounds can grow fast and become
very large. Some termite mounds can hold over 3 million termites. If the king or queen dies,
a young termite will develop into the queen or king. Termites are amazing architects. Because
they live in such large colonies, termites must create mounds that maintain the correct levels
of moisture and temperature. The termites carefully create air channels throughout
the mound that allow proper ventilation and circulation of air. It can take a colony four
to five years to completely build out their mound. However, one good rainstorm can cause
a mound to collapse. Termites are constantly working to rebuild their mounds as fast as the
weather damages them. Humans, including engineers and architects, have studied termite mounds for
years trying to understand and learn building techniques from these efficient, tiny insects.