the.com/termite
a blind chewing machine that quietly eats more buildings than any fire or storm.
means A small, pale, social insect that lives in colonies and feeds on wood and other plant matter, often destroying timber structures from the inside out.
from From Late Latin 'termes' (plural 'termites'), meaning 'woodworm' or 'wood-eating worm,' itself likely altered from Latin 'tarmes,' a kind of boring grub — possibly influenced by 'terere,' to rub or wear away, which fits a creature that grinds wood to dust. English borrowed the scientific term in the 18th century. Despite the resemblance, termites aren't ants; they're closer kin to cockroaches.
- queen lifespan
- some live and lay eggs for decades
- egg output
- a queen can lay thousands daily
- cousin
- genetically just a social cockroach
- gut farmers
- microbes inside digest wood, not them
- towers
- mounds reach heights of nine meters
formosan subterranean termite — causes $5 billion in annual damage across north america, particularly destructive species
dampwood termites california — infest coastal redwood regions and structures in western us, require high moisture
eastern subterranean termite — most common termite pest in eastern united states, builds mud tubes on foundations