African Termites

It might be hard to accept, but whether we want to acknowledge it or not termites are very much a part of the animal kingdom. In some way, they help maintain the precarious balance of nature and have a major role in the ecological process, especially in recycling the nutrients that are derived from dead woods and in improving the fertility of soils. So yes, even though we view termites as a menace, they are not just merely nature’s instruments for destruction.

There are about 3, 000 species of terminates that can be found from all over the world and rarely differ from each other, except for the color and the structure of their colonies. In the case of the African termites, a close study would show that they have quite an interesting method for survival. That’s if we choose to look beyond our disdain for these wretched critters what we all have share a common dislike for. African termites are actually capable of constructing a 20-foot mound that can easily house as much as five million termites. Their methods for constructions are quite sophisticated with a regulated temperature of 84-86 degrees inside the nest. The technique used by these African termites can certainly inspire new man-made building constructions that will be able to easily respond to the constantly altering internal and external environmental conditions.

The mounds constructed by the African termites consists of a intricate network of tunnels and a number of air conduits that are specifically designed to regulate the air flow that would help maintain the internal temperature and also the moisture levels. There is a new study currently conducted to further investigate the complexity and the advantages of the African termite mounds through digital scanning. This method will allow researcher a 3 dimensional view that would have been impossible to achieve in the past. They will then have enough time to peruse the fine details of the construction methods employed by termites and give scientist a clear understanding as to how these mounds actually work.

Termites have long been considered a bane in the existence of mankind. In fact, most people work tirelessly or spend an exorbitant amount of money just to fully eradicate them. However, the resilience and the ability of African termites to survive against the odds, and how they are able to adapt to the changes in the environment despite their minute size is simply awe-inspiring. We can certainly find some thing to learn about termites if we could just look beyond our general aversion for them.