What do termites eat to grow, what are their natural enemies, and how to tell if you have termites at home and get rid of them

Termites, also called chongwei or "flood ants," are a common insect in tropical and subtropical regions. They reproduce quickly and like to eat wood with a pine-resin scent, man-made fibers and other materials, so people pay close attention to them. So what do termites eat to grow? How do you tell if you have termites at home? What are their natural enemies? How do you get rid of them?

What do they eat to grow?

Termites have a very broad diet. Their nutrients come from plants, with plant cellulose and cellulose products as their staple food, along with fungi and lignin, and occasionally starch, sugars and proteins. However, people also commonly see termites boring into and eating man-made fibers, plastic, wires, cables and even bricks, stones and metal; they corrode and melt these objects with chemicals such as formic acid that they spit from their mouths. In addition, they can also swallow termite corpses within the same nest, and the old skins shed by developing young termites. When outside food is scarce, they will also swallow eggs and even young termites. Still, cannibalism is not their normal way of feeding. Termite food can be summarized in the following aspects:

Living plants

Many species of soil-dwelling termites can feed on plant roots and stems, especially seedlings, tender stems and roots.

Dried plant cellulose occupies an extremely important place in the entire termite diet. Many species of termites not only feed on natural wood and dried plants, such as boring into dead tree stumps, dead branches and fallen leaves, and dead wood parasitized by wood-rotting fungi. Odontotermes formosanus (black-winged subterranean termite) and Macrotermes barneyi (yellow-winged large termite) also feed on dried cow dung. In addition, termites can also feed on various processed products containing cellulose, such as paper and cloth.

Although termites consume large amounts of cellulose, termites alone cannot complete the entire process of digesting cellulose. Except for the family Termitidae, the guts of other termites contain large numbers of single-celled organisms, including four classes of protozoa (Flagellata, Sarcodina, Sporozoa and Ciliata) as well as bacteria, with more than 300 species already named. These microorganisms live in a symbiotic relationship with termites, and only with the help of these microorganisms can cellulose be digested and converted into substances that termites can absorb and use.

Microorganisms

Termites can also obtain supplementary nutrients from microorganisms. Some termites feed on fungi. These fungi come in two types: one type is cultivated by termites using special methods, and the other is not specially cultivated by termites.

Minerals

Termites secrete a highly concentrated formic acid, which reacts chemically with silver to form silver formate, a black powder, which the termites then eat.

Other

Termite corpses, the molted skins of young termites, eggs and young termites. Termites also often eat fibrous materials such as books, archives, paper, cloth and silk.

How to tell if you have termites at home:

1. Look for ventilation holes. These are generally considered to be small holes by which termites regulate the temperature and humidity inside the nest. The ventilation holes are less than 1 mm in diameter, like pinpricks; there are 10 to 20 or more of them, arranged irregularly in clusters or in dotted lines. The ventilation holes are close to the termite nest, so once you find the ventilation holes, you have found the nest.

2. Look for swarming holes. These are the openings through which winged adults swarm, generally elongated, with the openings sealed by mud. The swarming holes are very close to the nest, rarely more than 10 m away. 3. Look for excrement. After feeding, termites excrete loose yellowish-brown or dark-brown mud clumps, which generally pile up around or near the termite nest.

To prevent termites, pay attention to these places:

During renovation, after knocking down walls and rerouting wiring, spray pesticide on the wire ducts and wire boxes (before the cement is sealed); spray pesticide on all wood when it is brought in (both sides, but do not spray the panels, and spray the moldings more); spray pesticide on the ground before installing wooden floors (tile and similar floors do not need spraying). April and May are the season when termites swarm and reproduce. Every evening from 7 to 8 o'clock, especially in hot, humid weather before or after rain, doors and windows should be closed promptly and lights turned off to avoid attracting termites indoors to build nests.

Natural enemies:

Termites live social lives similar to ants. Their natural enemies in nature can be divided into parasitic natural enemies and predatory natural enemies. Parasitic natural enemies mainly include fungi, bacteria, viruses and mites, while predatory natural enemies mainly include spiders, ants, dragonflies, anteaters and pangolins.

Parasitic natural enemies of termites

Many termite nests contain parasitic fungi, bacteria and viruses, and many of these microorganisms can cause termite diseases, ultimately leading to the death of the termites and even the destruction of the entire nest. In addition, parasitic mites in the nest can sometimes also kill termites.

Predatory natural enemies of termites

1. Natural enemies that cannot break into the nest: These mainly prey on the winged adults when termites swarm, on termites exposed outside, or enter the nest to prey by methods that do not destroy the nest, or feed after luring termites out. Examples include spiders, ants, dragonflies, frogs, birds and chimpanzees.

2. Natural enemies that can break into the nest: These can destroy the termite nest and prey directly on termites from inside the nest, such as pangolins, echidnas, giant anteaters, aardvarks, armadillos, platypuses and anteaters.

Prevention tips:

1. Spray termite-killing spray

If you find traces of them in some corner of your home, do not panic. You can go to a larger shopping mall and buy termite-killing spray or termite-killing pesticide, and so on. These are generally sold in larger malls, their effect is very strong, and the prices are quite affordable. One bottle is enough. Then simply spray it in the places and corners where termites exist and in small holes and cracks in the home. After each use, store the spray in a place away from light, out of the reach of children.

2. Find the termite nest

If you find termites, do not just spray pesticide at them. First we must find their nest, because they reproduce very quickly, so killing the one in front of you cannot solve the root problem. So we must find the termite nest and kill them all at once. Only then can the problem truly be solved at its root.

3. Throw away useless waste whenever possible

We all know that termites like to stay in trees, so in rural households the place most prone to termites is actually firewood. And everyone will surely notice that firewood with termites is basically gnawed full of holes, so once you find it you must deal with it immediately. Throw it away if you can; if not, burn it right away. Do not keep it for long, otherwise it will reproduce in large numbers and then gnaw on other wooden items in the home.

4. Hire professionals to kill the termites

If the number of termites is very large and they cannot be killed, households that can afford it can hire a professional pest control company to come and kill the termites. They have professional tools and termite control measures, but this requires paying a certain fee, so families that can afford it may consider this method to thoroughly eliminate termites.