Speaking of termites, I believe many people are not strangers. Termites have a wide distribution range in China and are seriously harmful. The survey shows that most provinces and cities in China have the natural distribution of termites, especially in the southern regions such as Hubei, Jiangsu and Zhejiang and South China, which are the "hardest hit areas" affected by termites.
termite
Termites have strong reproductive capacity and are difficult to prevent and control, which will not only endanger the safety of houses, destroy the embankments of rivers and reservoirs, but also eat crops and damage transportation facilities. Termites have a strong ability to dig holes, and may also damage cables, optical cables and gas pipelines when nesting. It is estimated that termites cause economic losses to China by up to 2.0 billion to 2.5 billion yuan per year, and ant infestation is rampant.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="32" > a large colony of termites was found in Hubei, why is this species terrible? </h1>
Recently, on the left bank of the Tuning String River in Tiaoguan Town, Shishou City, Hubei Province, the staff found a large termite nest. After the mouth of the nest was cut open by the excavator, the diameter was 1.8 meters, and the body length of the queen reached 5 centimeters, which is very rare. According to professionals, this oversized nest is gray-black and has a history of at least 60 years in terms of scale.
In recent years, the scale of termites in Hubei Province has shown a gradual increase trend. As early as March this year, more than 500 potentially hidden termite nests were found on a 330-kilometer embankment in Hubei Province. So the question is, what kind of creature is a termite? How many members are in a nest?
There are nearly 3,000 species of termites in the world, and the International Center for Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) lists termites as one of the top five pests in the world. In China, there are more than 470 species of termites that have been found and named, mainly concentrated in the southern region, of which there are more than 120 species in Yunnan, more than 70 species in Guangdong, more than 60 species in Hainan, and rarely see termite populations in Liaoning, Shanxi and other provinces in the north.
There is a clear division of labor within the nest of termites, which can be divided into members of different grades such as ant kings, queens, worker ants, soldier ants, and wakat ants. In terms of taxonomic status, termites are inferior to ants, and are semi-perverted insects, with canary antennae, thick and fat abdomen, well-developed jaw teeth, and feed on wood and plant cellulose.
Above: A Ant King; B Queen; C Secondary Queen ;D Third Grade Queen; E Soldier Ant; F Worker Ant
The size of the members of termites has a lot to do with the specific species. Some lower termite species, such as wood termites, have only 200 to 3,000 individuals in a nest, while in some higher ant colonies, such as black-winged earth termites, an ant nest can contain 500,000 to 2 million members, which is quite amazing. In the giant termite nests found in Hubei, the number of members is estimated to be in the millions.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="31" > small termites, why is it so difficult to control? </h1>
The reason why termites are difficult to control is mainly related to two factors, the first is the complex structure of the nest, and the second is the super reproductive and escape ability.
Termite nests
First, let's talk about termite nests. Termite nests are divided into primary nests and sub-nests, and termite colonies tend to build multiple nests and disperse them in nearby locations. Among the many nests, the nest where the ant king and queen live is called the main nest, which is a large scale and is the "base camp" for laying eggs and raising offspring.
Nests are connected like a labyrinth of zigzag tunnels that serve as a round-trip passage for worker ants and soldier ants to transport food and carry larvae. When colonies are invaded by pangolins, anteates and other animals, termites can quickly move through the extensive ant path without being wiped out.
As long as the queen is retained, the termites can quickly build colonies in a short period of time. Even if the ant king and queen are eliminated, the colony will not die, at this time, the worker ants, winged adults and other grades can also be transformed into new supplementary breeding ants, taking over the breeding task of the queen and continuing to expand the population.
What's more, the queen's reproductive ability is still very strong. Early first-instar queens can lay an average of 10 to 20 eggs per day, and as the age of the ants increases, the size of the queen will gradually increase, and the amount of eggs will increase. A queen of a few decades old can lay more than 1,000 eggs a day. In some termite species, the mature queen's abdomen is extremely swollen, and it can lay about 40,000 eggs a day, which can be called a powerful "fertility machine".
Queen
Compared with ordinary worker ants and soldier ants, the life of queens is greatly extended, and the natural life expectancy can reach 30 to 50 years. In the large nest found in Hubei, the body length of the queen is 5 centimeters, and it is estimated that it has a lifespan of at least several decades.
In addition to the above reasons, termites can also spread in a variety of ways, such as flying during breeding, natural invasion, and human transmission. Especially in the third species, termites hidden in the corner are easily artificially transmitted to other areas by potted flowers and carton debris, and settled and breed in a suitable environment - this is the reason why termites are difficult to control.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="30" what are the ways to remove termites that are so rampant >? </h1>
The professional control method of termites can be traced back to the last century, when Guangdong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hubei and other places were the first to produce biological control companies specializing in termite eradication. After decades of development, the thinking in recent years mainly includes physical prevention and control, chemical prevention and control and biological prevention and control.
Physical prevention and control refers to the use of metal mesh sets, PVC plates, metal plates and other materials to prevent termite invasion. Since the 1960s, China has used physical methods to control termite infestation on the Jingjiang Embankment. In the 1980s, the Guangdong Dam also used a similar way to prevent termites, and as a result, the dam did not have termite invasions for 8 years, and the effect was very satisfactory.
In addition, the use of low temperature, high pressure, hot water irrigation and other ways to eliminate termites is also a physical prevention and control, simple operation, no pollution, but the disadvantage is that the treatment cost is high, and can not guarantee long-term effectiveness.
Anhui Chao Lake clears termite nests
At present, the most mainstream way is still to use chemical prevention and control, such as bait booby traps, powder poisoning, liquid spraying, etc., the effect is very good. The more widely used chemical agents in China are bifenthrin, imidacloprid, bromide nitrile, cyanovallin, monobromide, etc., which are economical and the effect is immediate.
However, the release of these harmful chemicals into the environment can also adversely affect humans and animals. If used in large quantities, it will also cause harm to other insects in the same environment, which is not conducive to ecological balance. At a time when environmental protection is prevalent, chemical prevention and control technology is also controversial.
Tall anthills
In the future, the most promising development potential is biological prevention and control. This method is non-toxic and harmless, time-saving and labor-saving, and truly environmentally friendly, harmless to people and animals, so it is highly respected. Under natural conditions, termites have many natural predators, such as ants, pangolins, coyotes, sloth bears, anteaters, etc. However, it is not realistic to use these animals to eliminate termites, and a more feasible method is to use fungi, bacteria, actinomycetes, etc. to infect termites.
Studies have shown that green zombies and white zombies have a strong pathogenicity for termites. Researchers have used these two bacteria to infect termites, and found that after 15 days, most of the termites died of stiff limbs, and the killing effect was ideal. Although the biological control of termites in China is still in the laboratory research stage, considering the advantages of economic protection and pollution-free, this method will surely become the mainstream and trend of termite control in the future.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="26" > summary</h1>
Termite prevention and control is difficult, the expansion ability is strong, and it has serious harm to the ecological environment and production and life. To this end, it is necessary to do a good job in inspection and quarantine to prevent new types of termites from entering the country; secondly, the comprehensive control of domestic termites should also step up research, select and breed fungi and bacteria with strong pathogenicity and good removal effect, develop them into biological agents and promote their use.
In short, the harm of termites cannot be underestimated. Only by strengthening prevention and control and monitoring, improving the people's awareness of prevention and control, and achieving mass prevention and mass governance can we minimize property losses and prevent further expansion and flooding.
What are your thoughts on termite hazards and control? Feel free to leave a message in the comments section to discuss!
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