Fun Fact Friday – Termites

• Termites love to eat wet, moldy wood.
• Termites build their nests in the ground and in walls.
• Termites have six legs (three pair on each side of the thorax).
• Termites have three body parts (head, thorax, and abdomen).
• Termites have two antennae (feelers on the top of their head).
• A termite queen may lay millions of eggs during her life (between 15 and 25 years).
• Termites can be found in almost every state as well as Mexico and parts of Canada.
• Termites are among the oldest insects have been on the earth for over 200 million years.
• Termites have hard, saw-toothed jaws that help them to eat lumber, wallpaper, plastics and fabric made of plant fibers.
• Worker termites are small, creamy white insects. They are the most numerous and the cause of all termite damage.
• Termites construct mud tubes that are used to explore for food and connect their underground nest to that food source.
• Termites can find their way into a structure through an opening as small as 1/32 of an inch (the size of a pin head).
• Both workers and soldiers are almost completely blind because they spend their whole life in the dark.
• Soldiers are in charge for the protection of the mound. In the case of danger, soldiers kick the wall of the colony (which produces vibration) to alert other termites.