Drywood termites are able to assess wood size using vibratory signals, although the exact mechanism behind this assessment ability is not known. Important vibratory characteristics such as the modal frequencies of a wooden block depend on its geometry and boundary conditions; however, they are also dependent on the material characteristics of the block, such as mass, density and internal dampin...

Termites construct complex mounds that are orders of magnitude larger than any individual and fulfil a variety of functional roles. Yet the processes through which these mounds are built, and by which the insects organize their efforts, remain poorly understood. The traditional understanding focuses on stigmergy, a form of indirect communication in which actions that change the environment prov...

The repellency of catnip (Nepeta cataria) essential oil was evaluated in a treated-area choice assay with subterranean termites (Reticulitermes spp.). It appeared that fewer R. virginicus were found on the treated portion of a Petri dish within a period of about 7 d; R.flavipes was not affected by the presence of the oil. The data collected from the control dishes, however, showed an unacceptab...

Soldier and worker castes of lower wood-feeding termites, Reticulitermes flavipes, differ in morphology and diet, and may therefore play host to distinct bacterial communities. While many studies have attempted to characterize the gut microbiota in lower termites, to date no study exists which explores the differences in bacterial communities in these two lower termite castes . In this study TR...

Lignin is a major lock for lignocellulose valorization in biorefineries, prompting need to find new ligninolytic systems. Termites are efficient degraders, and large part of this...

Abstract Termites are a significant natural source of greenhouse gases (GHGs), but quantifying emissions especially from large termite mounds is problematic as they rarely fit in measurement chambers. Predicting fluxes based on internal and atmospheric concentrations could provide an indirect way to assess mound emissions, developing such models necessitates better understanding the concentrati...