Termite Control Devices - An Overview

A termite nest can be considered as being composed of 2 parts, both the inanimate and the animate. The animate is all the termites living inside the colony, and the inanimate part is the structure itself, which is constructed from the termites. Nests can be broadly separated into three main categories: 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 earth with ground contact and are created out of earth and mud.

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

To construct their nests, termites primarily utilize 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 timber ), and dirt, used in subterranean nest and mound construction. Not many nests are observable, as many nests in tropical forests are situated underground.186 Species in the subfamily Apicotermitinae are good examples of subterranean nest builders, as they only reside inside tunnels.

Nests and mounds protect the termites' tender bodies against desiccation, mild, pathogens and parasites, in addition to providing a fortification against predators.188 Nests made from carton are particularly weak, and thus 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 material. Arboreal termites nests can account for up to 2% of above ground carbon storage in Puerto Rican mangrove swamps.

Some species build intricate nests known as polycalic nests; this habitat is known as polycalism. Polycalic species of termites form multiple nests, or calies, connected with subterranean chambers.107 The termite genera Apicotermes and Trinervitermes are known to have 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 should they protrude from the planet's surface. A mound provides termites exactly the same protection as a nest but is stronger.189 Mounds located in regions 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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For instance, Cubitermes colonies build narrow tunnels used as strong points, since the width of the tunnels is little enough for troops to block.192 A highly protected room, known as the"queens cell", houses the queen and king and can be used as a last 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 ft ), and consist of chimneys, pinnacles and ridges.56 Another termite species, Amitermes meridionalis, can build nests 3 to 4 metres (9 to 13 feet) high and 2.5 metres (8 feet) wide.

The sculptured mounds sometimes have fancy 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 assist thermoregulation. The north-south orientation causes the internal temperature of a mound to increase quickly during the morning when avoiding overheating from the midday sun.

Termites construct shield tubes, also known look at this site as earthen tubes or sand tubes, that begin from the ground. These shield tubes can be found on walls and other structures.197 Constructed by termites during the night, a time of higher humidity, these tubes provide protection to termites from potential predators, particularly ants.198 Shelter tubes also give high humidity and darkness and allow workers to collect food sources that cannot be obtained in any other way.197 These passageways are produced from soil and faeces and are normally brown in color.

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They range from less than 1 cm to several cm in width, but might extend dozens of metres in length.198.

Owing to their wood-eating customs, many termite species can do informative post significant harm to unprotected buildings and other wooden constructions.199 Termites play an important function as decomposers of wood and vegetative material, and the conflict with humans occurs where structures and landscapes containing structural wood components, cellulose derived structural materials and ornamental vegetation provide termites with a reliable source of food and moisture.200;Their custom of remaining concealed often results in their presence being undetected until the timbers are seriously damaged, leaving a thin coating of a wall which protects them from your environment.201 Of the 3,106 why not look here species known, only 183 species cause damage; 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.