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.