Termite Control Devices - An Overview

A termite nest can be considered as being composed of two parts, both the inanimate and the animate. The animate is all of the termites living inside the colony, and the inanimate part is the structure itself, which is constructed from the termites. Nests can be broadly divided into three main classes: subterranean (entirely below ground), epigeal (protruding above the soil surface), and arboreal (built above ground, but constantly connected to the ground via shelter tubes).184 Epigeal nests (mounds) protrude from the ground with ground contact and are made from ground and mud.

Most termites construct underground colonies rather than multifunctional nests and mounds.186 Primitive termites of now nest in wooden constructions such as logs, stumps and the dead parts of trees, as did termites millions of years back.184.

To construct their nests, termites primarily use faeces, which have many desirable properties as a construction material. Other building materials include partially digested plant material, used in carton nests (arboreal nests built from faecal elements and wood), and soil, used in subterranean nest and mound construction. Not many nests are observable, as many nests in tropical forests are located underground.186 Species in the subfamily Apicotermitinae are good examples of subterranean nest contractors, since they only reside inside tunnels.

Nests and mounds shield the termites' soft bodies against desiccation, light, pathogens and parasites, as well as providing a fortification against predators.188 Nests made from carton are especially weak, and so the inhabitants utilize counter-attack approaches against invading predators. .

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Arboreal carton nests of mangrove swamp-dwelling Nasutitermes are enriched in lignin and depleted in cellulose and xylans. This change is caused by bacterial decay in the gut of their termites: they use their faeces as a carton building substance. Arboreal termites nests can account for up to 2% of above ground carbon storage in Puerto Rican mangrove swamps.

Some species build complex nests known as polycalic nests; this habitat is known as polycalism. Polycalic species of termites form numerous nests, or calies, connected with subterranean chambers.107 The termite genera Apicotermes and Trinervitermes are known to possess polycalic species.191 Polycalic nests appear to be frequent in mound-building species although polycalic arboreal nests have been found in a few species of Nasutitermes.191.

Nests are considered mounds if they protrude from the planet's surface. A mound provides termites the same protection for a nest but is stronger.189 Mounds located in areas having torrential and continuous rainfall are in danger of mound erosion due to their clay-rich construction. Those made from carton can provide protection against the rain, and in fact can withstand high precipitation.

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By way of instance, Cubitermes colonies build narrow tunnels utilized as strong points, as the width of the tunnels is little enough for soldiers to block.192 A highly protected room, known as the"queens cell", houses the queen and king and can be used as a final line of defence. .

Species in the genus Macrotermes arguably construct the most complex structures in the insect world, constructing enormous mounds. These mounds are among the largest in the world, reaching a height of 8 to 9 metres (26 to 29 feet), and consist of Get More Info chimneys, pinnacles and ridges.56 Another termite species, Amitermes meridionalis, can construct nests 3 to 4 metres (9 to 13 ft ) high and 2.5 metres (8 ft ) wide.

The sculptured mounds occasionally have elaborate and distinctive types, such as those of their compass termite (Amitermes meridionalis and A. laurensis), which assembles tall, wedge-shaped mounds using the long axis oriented approximately northsouth, which gives them their common name.194195 This orientation has been experimentally shown to help thermoregulation. The north-south orientation causes the internal temperature of a mound to increase quickly during the morning while avoiding overheating from the midday sun.

Termites construct shelter tubes, also known as earthen tubes or sand tubes, that start in the ground. These shelter tubes can be found on walls and other structures.197 Constructed by termites during the night, a period of high humidity, so these tubes offer protection to termites from potential predators, especially ants.198 Shelter tubes also provide high humidity and darkness and permit workers to accumulate food resources that cannot be accessed in any other way.197 All these passageways are produced from dirt and faeces and are normally brown in color.

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They range from less than 1 cm to several cm in diameter, but may extend dozens of yards in length.198.

Owing to their wood-eating customs, many termite species can do significant damage to unprotected buildings and other wooden constructions.199 Termites play an important role as decomposers of wood and vegetative material, and the conflict with humans happens where structures and landscapes containing structural wood components, cellulose derived structural materials and ornamental vegetation provide termites with a trusted source of food and moisture.200;Their custom of remaining concealed often results in their presence being undetected until the timbers are severely damaged, leaving a thin coating of a wall which protects them in the environment.201 Of the 3,106 species known, only 183 species cause harm; 83 species cause significant damage to wooden structures.199 In North America, 18 subterranean species are pests202; in Australia, 16 species have an economic effect; in the Indian subcontinent 26 species are considered pests, and in tropical Africa, 24.