Did you know that termites never sleep?
That’s right, 24 hours a day 7 days a week termites work non stop.
They’re like vampires, they die in sunlight and have huge fangs for eating their prey… Only they don’t eat people they eat wood…
There’s lots of little interesting termite facts your “pest control guy” has probably never told you.
Today we cover 8 of them… Here we go:
#1 Termites have been on the Earth for over 250 Million years.
Termites have been establishing colonies since Dinosaurs were roaming the planet. That’s right, termites are prehistoric insects with fossil records dating back to the Triassic period. The only reason they are still around today and weren’t wiped out with the rest of the Dino’s was because of their tenancy to live underground and feed on wood.
#2 The protein content of termites is higher than beef.
Who would’ve thought huh? Pound for pound termites provide a much higher protein count than beef. Some cultures around the Earth still eat termites as part of a stable diet. Not to mention wild animals like ant eaters and monkeys utilizing termites as part of their daily diet… Gross
#3 A termite queen can lay up to 40,000 eggs per day
Ok that’s a LOT of mouths to feed… No wonder termite colonies expand so quickly. In fact some termite colonies can contain up to 2 million termites at any one time! Pretty crazy when you consider the fact that termite queens can live for between 15 to 25 years…
#4 85% of Australian homes are within 25 meters of a termite colony.
Unfortunately this percentage is higher for those who live in more rural areas (Like Dubbo for instance!). Take a look out your window right now. If you see trees then you’re more than likely looking at one that contains termites so you might want to check out our recent post on termite prevention.
#5 Termites eat each others poop.
…What?
Yup, unfortunately one of the most disgusting termite facts is true. Termites aren’t born with the bacteria in their gut that’s needed to digest wood. Termites must obtain a supply of microorganisms for their digestive tracts so they engage in what is known as trophallaxis, or in other words eating each others poop…
#6 When termite soldiers detect a threat, they smash their heads against the wall.
Probably not the smartest way to send a warning but hey if it ain’t broke don’t fix it huh?…After all this method of communication has served them well for over 250 Million years so who are we to judge?
#7 Termites are fried and sold like fast food in central Africa
Well we did say they contained more protein than beef! All throughout the Democratic Republic of the Congo termites are considered a quick delicious on the go meal…Each to their own we guess…
#8 Scientists found a termite colony 10 meters wide!
Only in Australia of course… Scientists found a termite mound 10 meters across and containing over 3 Million termites! The mound was constructed from such dense mudding that scientists required a jack hammer just to enter the nest! When they found the queen it was the same size as a standard lead pencil…
Well there you go.
8 facts for your disposal. Just make sure to keep some of them out of your next dinner conversation…
If you have any interesting facts we haven’t covered please let our readers know in the comments.