Interesting Facts about Termites That Will Give You the Creeps

If you have a home constructed with wood, chances are your house is infested with termites. Termites are often termed as silent destroyers as they gradually eat away your home without even leaving behind any visible signs of damage.

If you have a home constructed with wood, chances are your house is infested with termites. Termites are often termed as "silent destroyers" as they gradually eat away your home without even leaving behind any visible signs of damage. Termites have soft and delicate body that is prone to drying. However they have a mouth strong enough to tear a wooden plank into splinters and devour it whole. Listed below are interesting facts about termites that is sure to get your skin crawling.

Facts about termites

Though termites size nothing more than 1 cm to a few millimetres in length, they are capable of wrecking damage that is irreparable. Termites are known to have a monstrous appetite; they eat non-stop 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Recent studies conducted reveal the staggering fact that termites annually cause $5 billion worth of damage. Termites usually have wings, which they shed once they find a place where they can build their nest.

Termites live in groups; an average home is said to be breeding ground of at least 3 to 4 termite colonies. A small termite colony comprised of minimum 60,000 termites is enough to eat away an entire wooden plank of "2x4" inches in just 5 months.

The inception of termites dates back to the time of dinosaurs. Termites are supposedly descendants of a species of cockroaches that crawled earth 300 million years ago.

Unlike male bees that die immediately after mating, male termites live much longer. Male termites also share parental duties with their companion giving equal contribution in raising their offspring.

The total weight of all the termites in the world easily surpasses the weight of total number of human beings on earth. Termites never sleep and, like bats, they are averse to light.

Many countries serve exotic termite dishes, the most sought after being queen termites that are 2 inches long and tastiest. The termites are either served alive dipped in alcohol or sautéed in rice wine. 

A queen African termite lays 30,000 eggs a day that is 10 times more than the eggs laid by chickens annually. It is not just wood that termites can chew through, but also lead, asphalt and even plaster.

A queen termite has life span of 15 to 25 years with records of laying eggs in every 15 seconds. Termites are found in every single country in the world except Alaska.

Almost all termites are virtually blind. Since, termites live in cold, dark and damp places they do not need the functions of their eyes but rather rely on their other senses to survive. However, female termites do need eyes to fly and find mates to procreate. Termites usually leave their scent trail behind to guide their fellow workers.

Termites produce chemical called pheromones that literally allow them to communicate and control other termites' behaviour. In certain species of termites, a mother termite can control the grown and role of her offspring by feeding them her pheromones laded excreta.

Termites do not have that many bacteria in them as found in other species of insect. Therefore, in order to get required amount of microorganism in their digestive tract they indulge in an activity called trophallaxis i.e. eating each other's faeces.

Facing problems with termites all around you? Call Bear Bottom Pest Control to protect your largest assets today, and book a termite inspection for your Melbourne home now.

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