15 Weird Facts about Termites (#11 will gross you out!)

It’s a basic fact that Phoenix homes deal with termites. Ask most real estate professionals and they’ll tell you that it’s not a question of if you’ll get termites but when.

Nibbling on the structure of your home, termites are among the most unwanted of pests.

Here are 15 weird facts about termites that support our belief that you should call Budget Brothers Termite & Pest Elimination at the first sign of them:

1. For every human, it’s estimated there are 1,000 pounds of termites.
2. Colonies can contain thousands or even millions of members. One of the largest reported colonies contained an estimated three million termites.
3. Workers and soldiers are almost always blind.
4. Soldiers communicate with the colony via tapping especially when they detect danger.
5. They can fly. New kings and queens fly as they relocate their new colony.
6. Queens can live 15-25 years laying 40,000 eggs per day.
7. Think you have insomnia? Termites never sleep. They work 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
8. They’re hygienic which is surprising considering half their diet is decomposing material.
9. Protein content of termites is more than that of beef making them a delicacy in some countries. Dinner, anyone?
10. A termite nest in Australia was measured at nearly 33 feet across and contained more than three million termites. The mudding was constructed so well that scientists had to enter it using a jack hammer. (Seriously, if you detect termites or your neighbor has them, call Budget Brothers Termite & Pest Elimination before the infestation destroys your property.)
11. The dirty truth about termites is that while they can eat most materials containing cellulose, they won’t receive nutrients from their diet unless they have a symbiotic organism living in their gut. The micro-organism and the termite literally feed off each other. (Ew!)
12. They go way back. A termite found encased in amber a la Jurassic Park that was proven to be 100 million years old. The specimen included protozoans that had lived in the termite’s gut.
13. They build up, not out. A termite mound in Africa was estimated to be 42 feet tall or the height of a two story house!
14. Termite mud tubes have been observed as long as 12 feet long!
15. Move to Alaska. It’s the only state that doesn’t have termites.