Inspeqtor wrote in post #19280720
WOW!! Holy Cow! 100 years!! Were there any mounds there where the top was NOT jagged? If so do you have any pictures of that mound?
I am sure too the mounds get taller each year. Does anyone have a clue how many years these mounds have been active?
Sure glad they are in Straya and hopefully none here in the States........ but we do have termites in the States, I do not know if the ones here are the same as what you have in Straya.
Relax Inspeqtor, these are grass-eating termites. It's unlikely they are the same as any you have in the States; there are about 350 species of termites just in Australia. They are a vital part of the savannah/woodland ecosystems as they are the primary recyclers of scarce soil nutrients. Actually the jury is out amongst entomologists about whether queens can be replaced in a colony. They are very difficult to find in a mound, let alone study. We know they live for at least 20 years and some think they live for the entire life of the colony (~100 years). The mounds do get taller with age but it's not an even process. These mounds in the photos are not very big as they go. Some for this species are 4 metres high and 5 metres wide. A different species we call cathedral termites (Nasutitermes triodiae--also grass-eaters) builds mounds that can be over 6 metres (20 ft) high! We also have extremely destructive termites in Darwin (Mastotermes darwiniensis) so timber is rarely used for building here.
Still waiting for the wisdom they promised would be worth getting old for.
