|
 |
Nose Termites The words 'subterranean termites' are enough to strike fear in the heart
of any home owner. Equipped with a cast iron stomach that digests
cellulose materials , these insects can chew their way through dense wood,
layers of paint, concrete and brick. Termites have been part of the earth's recycling system
for a long time. A fossil termite dated to approximately 200 million years
ago attests to the adaptability of this unwelcomed guest. Two hundred years
ago, termites invaded a stack of oak wood timbers being seasoned in a shipyard
in France. One of Napoleon's best warships was scrapped because its
timber was riddled with termite tunnels. The genus Reticulitermes is the
principle termite pest in all areas of the Northern hemisphere including
Canada, Mexico, Europe, the Middle East, Northern Africa, India, Southern
Russia, Korea, Japan, China and the United States. Their unique distribution
provides an insight into the nature of these insects and their special
adaptation for tolerating or evading cold weather while exploiting patterns
of surface wood.
 WHAT A FAMILY PROFILE The Nose Termite or "Snouted Termite" is an eastern subterranean
termite which resides chiefly in the east coast of the United States. It
has the dubious distinction of having a characteristic snout and
being the most destructive pest in North America. New evidence of invasions
in Manitoba and Alberta Canada as well as Ontario and British Columbia
are alerting home owners to the new forging range . Of some thirty
or so insect orders, termites are the only one in which all species
are categorized as highly social. There are four castes in a colony
: the reproductives and the winged ones (alate), the pearly-white blind
workers; the large-headed soldiers with enlarged orange head capsules
and strong biting jaws, and the nymphs. Each caste has a specific
function in the colony.  "Termite, Retiulitermes flauipes. Upper panel: soldies above worker. Lower group: left, winged adult; top center, nymph; bottom center, king; right, queen"
As a highly developed social structure, termites can not survive alone. The queen lays the eggs. The queen mates with the king and the king fertilizes the eggs. The soldiers protect the royal cell of the king and queen. The workers clean the cell, clean the queen, and feed the baby termites which are called nymphs. A queen can lay about ten million eggs in her live span of fifteen to twenty-five years. The workers also help build the mound. The winged termites are called alates. A large number of alates develop every year in a mature termite colony. The alates are the adult offspring of the colony and develop from the nymphal line. It takes about two and a half years to reach this stage. A colony will produce about 20-40 percent nymphs although all nymphs do not reach the alates stage at the same time. Alates emerge as a group to seek mates and begin new colonies. This mass flight is an important food source for predators. NASTY NIBBLERS Nose termites build subterranean shelter tubes of soil
material mixed with their siliva and fecal matter. The shelter tubes
act as runways to get to the wooden parts of the building where the accomplished
workers will begin their endless chewing of wood. Nose termites
have flagellated protozoa in their gut which digest the cellulose.
They also have other tiny animals that live in their stomach called flagellates.
The flagellates protozoa make it possible for the termite to eat
and digest cellulose material. When nose termites are placed under boiling
temperature (100 Celsius) or increased oxygen, all the flagellated protozoa and
other tiny animals vanish because they can not take the pressure. Hence,
 THE BALANCE OF THE PLANET Eradication subterranean termites in
North America does not seem possible. It is wise to seek the assistance
of a professional pest control expert if tunnels are sighted near your
home or a mass flight brings alata to your doorstep. Although the
Reticulitermes wreck significant destruction on the human habitat they
also contribute to the recycling of wood fibers to soil. Ironically,
wood and dry plant matter is the most abundant category of primary production
on earth. Termites are the primary group of insects adapted to feed
on this non-nutritive matter. They are also an important food source
to birds and other predators that wait for their timed mass alate flight.
They provide food for more amphibians, reptiles, birds and ground foraging
mammals than any other group of insects. The Smithsonian Institution, The
National Museum of Natural History, has a large collection of termites which include the nose termites. 
Stop by some time
and meet this notorious insect.. At least this introduction will
not strike you with dread- Reticulitermes flavipes will be under glass.
|
