Termite As A Social Insect

Termite As A Social Insect

Termites are sometimes called 'white ants', which is a misleading term and best avoided. Apart from being social insects, termites and true ants have so little in common they are placed in different orders. There are almost 2000 species of termite and nearly all live in tropics. They are plentiful throughout West Africa, but because they avoid light, we do not usually realise how numerous they are. The soil of the savana is a teeming mass of termites. Indeed the weight of termites in savana soil is probably greater than the weight of animals above ground. Termites are also common in rain forest areas. In the savanna in particular, they play an important part in aerating the soil and the break down of humus. Unfortunately, from man's point of view, termites also do enormous damage to timber, including wooden buildings, furniture and electric poles. They may also damage paper, cloth, certain growing crops and young trees. It has been estimated that the damage termites do to wooden buildings in West Africa each year, equals one-tenth of the original cost of the building. Termites cause all this damage because the feed on cellulose, which is a main constituent of wood. Termites tend to feed on dead wood, but sometimes they damage living young trees and crops. "Blevopedia"