TERMITES are found chiefly in tropical areas. They are wood-eating, so they can jeopardise buildings made of wood, especially ones in developing countries.
Once they seriously erode the main supports of a building, it could collapse, causing possible loss of life.
Some termites can digest wood at a very high speed, so are very destructive. They can build up many channels around their nests, so it is very difficult to terminate their entire number.
Some people may wonder how termites digest the wood. It is quite similar to the digesting method of most herbivores. There are certain micro-organisms such as protozoa and bacteria inside their digestive systems. Termites make use of these micro-organisms to digest the woody tissues. The nutrient from digestion is shared by the termite and the micro-organisms.
You may believe that the best method of eliminating a termite population is killing the queen and king. Unfortunately, this is not the case. A lot of female termites act as reproducers. They can lay over 8,000 eggs a day.
Pesticides are used to kill termites, but they pose environmental problems.