Termite Facts

Termites are rich in iron, calcium, fatty and amino acids, and proteins, making them a highly nutritious food.

Termites never sleep. They build their colonies 24 hours a day, every day, until they die.

The largest termite colony ever recorded contained over three million termites.

Ants are termites’ main competition and predators. Occasionally, termite and ant colonies near each other will even go to war over territory and access to food. These “wars” consist of organized invasions upon colonies conducted by both species’ respective soldier castes.

Each year, termites inflict more than 5 billion dollars worth of property damage.

Termites are extremely hygienic insects. Colonies spend a great deal of time grooming one another to prevent disease.

Termites have sense organs located on their base of their antennae and tibiae that allow them to sense vibrations. Scientists have observed that some species choose which food sources to infest by sensing vibroacoustic signals emitted by various pieces of wood.­

Termites use vibrations to communicate with each otherTermites also use vibrations to communicate with one another. When soldier sense a threat, they tap or bang their heads against the colony’s tunnel walls, creating vibrations to warn the rest of the colony.

Some varieties of termite species have existed on earth for over 250 million years.

Some termite species’ queens can lay 15 to 25 eggs per minute–and over 40,000 per day.

Termite queens have the longest lifespan of any insect in the world. Some termite queens may live between 30 and 50 years, reproducing annually and founding numerous colonies.

Queen termites from the Termitidae family can produce 10 million eggs per year.