Kimberley Wild

Termites(by Brian Kane)

These days, especially in the Tropics, we’ve become much more aware of the cost and conservation of energy for the cooling of our homes. Termites have long ago worked out the perfect solution to regulate temperature, humidity and fresh air in their harsh living environment, so perhaps we can learn from them. Where humans could quite easily succumb by exposure to the arid interior, termites’ dwell

safely in their insulated homes by sinking wells as deep as the water table.

As we traverse the Kimberley, we’ve all seen the giant termite mounds dotted around the landscape often giving the appearance of tombstones. The colours of the mounds vary according to the soil type from which they are formed and the soil also includes clay which sets hard and provides protection from the weather and changes in temperature.

Termites are related to cockroaches and their origins date back fifty million years evidenced by fossil records. Considering this time frame, no wonder the termites of the Northern Territory worked out that their mounds should be aligned magnetically. In this way daytime temperatures were stabilized on the eastern face during the cooler dry season.

Termite colonies operate like a miniature kingdom where everybody has a role to play. Reproductive male and female termites are the ones which grow wings and fly in order to make a new colony. They are known as ‘alates’ from the Latin word ‘wing’ and eventually after their nuptial flight a king and queen pair up, shed their wings and mate for life.

The royal couple start their life in a modest hole in the ground and soon the first batch of eggs turn into Nymths and finally the three types of termites are revealed: Workers, Soldiers and reproductive Alates. Workers are responsible for constructing the network of tunnels, chambers and passageways of the termite mound, whereas the Soldiers usually spend more time outside the nest than the workers and are smaller and darker in colour. Their job is to protect the colony from outside enemies.

Amazingly, the queen can live for up to 25 years producing well over 4000 eggs a day and is constantly attended by willing servants. The workers have a much shorter life span of about 4 years eventually worn out by their daily toil. They often say that a colony dies once its queen dies but that’s part of life’s cycle.

(photo BK)

Further information: “Our Friends the Termites” by Pat Lowe