The all Female Termite Colonies in Japan – Silently Smashing the Patriarchy?
A recently published Japanese study found that some termite colonies of the Glyptotermes nakajimai species survive with a solely female termite population. In these Japanese female termite colonies reproduction takes place without males involved. The termite Queen clones new colony members rather than mating with a male. This is the first ever discovery of termite […]
Termite inspired Architecture
What can we learn from the animal kingdom in regards of constructing buildings? Termites build intriguing and climate controlled mounds. They need to control their environment meticulously as they are very sensitive beings that cannot survive unless it is warm and humid. The architecture of a termite mound creates a natural a/c. There are likely […]
Altruistic Termites – Exploding to Save the Colony
Altruistic Termites When you think of altruism and the care for each other termites may not be the first to pop up in your mind.. But termites are actually very mindful of the colony and will do some wild things to protect it. The standard definition of Altruism is “a social behaviour counts as altruistic if […]
Diverse Termite use in Africa
As I came across a blog which stated that some tribes in Africa consumed termite frass (also known as faeces) I became quite curious. Was this an urban legend? Or was it actually a true termite use? Is it common to eat termites, their faecal matter or the insects themselves? Let’s have a little look […]
Plants that deter Termites in your Brisbane backyard
Termites are a real threat to your home, and a majority of them are subterranean. This means that they live in the soil and find their way to the wood they feed on by building tunnels. To protect your home you can take several protective measures. There are a selection of plants that deter termites […]
Weimeraner to sniff out Termites in Museum
At Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts the new addition Riley, a Weimaraner puppy, has just stepped up to the job as a pest controller! The canine addition to the museum will sniff to protect the art. Weimaraners are known for their excellent sniffing capacities. If Riley does a good job we may see more of […]
Termites: Now a Social Cockroach
Termites have been downgraded from having their own branch on the evolutionary tree. From now on they will be known as a social cockroach! They may not exactly look like a cockroach but scientists have investigated their DNA sequence. The peer reviewed paper “Death of an Order” by Eggleton, Inward and Beccaloni published in 2007 […]
