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Project Noah Nature School
Nasutiterminae?
This nest/colony is on the trunk of an Areca palm in the garden, growing daily. There are shelter tubes coming up the trunk from the ground and shelter tubes continuing up towards the crown of the tree
SHELTER TUBES - Termites are weak and relatively fragile insects that need to stay moist to survive. They can be overpowered by ants and other predators when exposed. They avoid these perils by covering their trails with tubing made of feces, plant matter, saliva and soil. Thus the termites can remain hidden and wall out unfavourable environmental conditions. Sometimes these shelter tubes will extend for many metres, such as up the outside of a tree reaching from the soil to dead branches. - Wiki
Spotted on May 10, 2012
Submitted on May 10, 2012
4 Comments
@Alice. Thank you!
@Leuba I actually snapped a piece of the building material to see what was inside, as there is no external evidence of any wildlife. These termites were there immediately repairing the damage.
Better a tree than a house! Good Information.
"faeces, plant matter, saliva and soil"-using whatever is at hand to survive - very impressive !!. I love pic #3 with them lining the opening.
Great spotting, photos and information - thanks VivB