Fascinating facts about termites.

Your home is no place for termites, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have a place and purpose in our environment.

Termites have been an important part of the earth’s ecological system for many millions of years. They infest dead wood and dying trees and speed up the natural cycle of deterioration—allowing for new growth to begin.

Here are some facts you probably would have never imagined about termites.

THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD

A typical home with termites may have multiple termite colonies around it, with millions of termites in each colony. 

A LONG WAY TO GO FOR CARRYOUT

Worker termites can forage for food up to 250 feet from their colony. That would be like you walking around four and a half miles to pick up lunch.

HUNGRY, HUNGRY TERMITES

One colony of Formosan termites can eat 1,000 pounds of wood each year. That’s like eating around 650 little league baseball bats.

EGG-LAYING MACHINE

Termite queens can live for 15-25 years and a queen can lay an egg every 15 seconds. That’s almost half as often as you blink!

A VERY VARIED BUG

There are over 50 species of termites in the United States and over 3,100 species throughout the world.

POUND-FOR-POUND CHAMPION

It is estimated that for every human on Earth there may be 1,000 pounds of termites. That’s about the same weight as a full-grown cow!

MAKING A MOUNTAIN OUT OF A TERMITE HILL

Termites make hard mounds above ground in many parts of the world. In Africa, one mound was measured to be 42 feet high. That’s about as tall as a two-story house!

LEANING TOWER OF TERMITES

In some parts of the United States, termites build freestanding mud tubes to get to wood. One documented tube in a home was 12 feet long from floor to ceiling. It actually swayed with the light breeze from the home’s air conditioning.

RESPECT YOUR ELDERS

While the earliest human beings have been around for about four and a half million years, and dinosaurs existed no more than 230 million years ago, termites are believed to have appeared on Earth more than 250 million years ago.

CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT

Like bats and opossums, most termite castes tend to stay away from light.

NOW AVAILABLE IN 49 STATES

Subterranean termites are found in every state except Alaska.

SLIPPING THROUGH THE CRACKS

Some termites can get into your house through cracks about as thick as a penny.

“SOCIAL COCKROACHES”

Although they look kind of like ants, termites are actually types of cockroaches. Because of their complex behaviors and roles, they are sometimes called “social cockroaches.”

MICRO METHANE MACHINES

Scientists say termites may release over 150 million tons of air-pollution-causing methane gas into the atmosphere every year.

INDI-GES-TION? TRY PROTOZOA

Ironically, for a creature that lives to eat, termites can’t digest their food. Microscopic bacteria and protozoa in their guts do that job for them.

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