They are blind, eat your home from the inside out causing $5 billion in damage per year in the United States alone, and since they need shelter to stay moist, you hardly ever see them. These are the termites. There are many types of termites but the ones causing most of the damage are the subterranean termites. In nature, they live in the ground as they need carefully measured amounts of moisture to survive, but when they invade our homes, they build their own conduits or shelter tubes to get the moisture that they need.

In some parts of the world, such as Australia, subterranean termites can build mounds taller than a human. All termites species live in social colonies meaning that they have a queen and a hierarchy with each type of termite, or caste. Each caste is responsible for specific work such as tending young, defending the colony, or reproducing. Termite colonies encountered by homeowners typically have multiple queens which can lay eggs.

Termites are some of the most fascinating insects in nature. A colony works twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. They communicate through scents called pheromones, and by their droppings. Not all termites are subterranean, however. Drywood termites live above ground in structures and eat the wood. Termites, both subterranean and non-subterranean, consume wood as they have special microbes in their guts which help digest the cellulose found in wood. They will consume anything made of cellulose including wood in houses, drywall backing, books, cardboard boxes, cabinets, floors, and anything else which contains cellulose.

Termites are responsible for more damage than any other household pest. In nature, they play an important role, breaking down waste cellulose such as fallen trees. There are documented cases where termites have caused up to a million dollars in damage in homes. The information contained in the following pages will give you a great insight into this incredible insect.

Army ant is a name that people use for ants that move in a line killing every insect and small animal in their path. People use other names for these ants, including Driver Ants, Legionary Ants, and even Visiting Ants.

Scientists describe army ants as ants that have two characteristics: migration or nomadic lifestyle and group predation. There are actually several different species of ants that behave this way. Some live in Africa and some live in South and Central America.

Army ants live in temporary nests. They seldom make underground burrows like other ants. The temporary nests, or bivouacs, are places where the ants rest between their hunting raids. The bivouac might be inside a hollow log, or it might be out in the open.

The ants often make the bivouac hanging from a tree limb. Thousands of workers will link their legs and their mandibles (jaws) and make an enclosed hammock for the queen. Sometimes the workers enclose the immature ants inside the hammock as well.

The army ants stay in the bivouac for a few weeks. Once queen comes out of the resting place and the colony starts to migrate.

Some species of army ants migrate in line. Other species migrate in a fan-shaped wave of ants. Many thousand ants move at once. The soldier ants march at the side of the column to defend the queen.

During the march, some of the workers carry the immature ants. Other workers gather all the food that they can find. As they go, the workers kill every insect, spider, snake, and lizard in their path. Birds and animals hear the ants marching and try to get out of the way.

As they march, the ants can climb trees or shrubs. They have been known to go through houses during the march. The residents of the houses scramble to safety when the column of ants comes in. The people remove their poultry and livestock to a place of safety.

If there is a benefit for the people, it is that when they return home, there are no roaches or other insect pests in their houses! The ants eat everything that does not run or fly away.

Scientists are studying these ants to find out what causes them to migrate as they do. Scientists once thought that the army ants migrated when there was no food left in the area. Now some scientists think that the timing of the migration might be linked with the development of the eggs and the immature ants in the colony. They suspect that there is a connection between the queen’s egg production and the colony’s movements.

The moth members of this Order of insects include a large number of diverse families. Moth groups include micro moths, leaf miners, clothes moths, plume moths, ermine moths, burnets, geometrids, silk moths, sphinx moths, tiger moths, wasp moths, noctuids, underwings and many others.

Cryptic forewings for camouflage against bark during the day yet when disturbed, they flash their bright disorienting colored underwings as a second line of defense. The Noctuid family of moths generally have thin antennae and hold their wings roof like over their bodies at rest. Most people stereotype moths as drab creatures of the night in comparison to their daylight relatives, the butterflies, that epitomize beauty in nature. There are some commonly encountered moths that are rather drab but many moths have coloration that rival and surpass butterfly species

This Order of insects include sawflies, horntails, wood wasps, ensign wasps, Ichneumonids, fairyflies, fig wasps, chalcids, gall wasps, cuckoo wasps, yellow-faced bees, sweat bees, leafcutter bees, carpenter bees, honey bees, bumble bees, orchid bees, velvet ants, spider wasps, paper wasps, yellow jackets, hornets, mud-dauber wasps and ants.

Wild bee honeycombs are constructed from hanging galleries of hexagonal wax cells. The outer drapes are most often used for honey storage whereas the internal hangings are more often used to rear the young bees. This beautiful natural wax comb was hand-harvested in Indonesia at the price of a few defensive stings. Honey is formulated from worker bee saliva and plant nectar which used as food storage for the hive. Humans have an exceptionally long history of harvesting honey and later in developing hive systems to ease in the cultivation of this highly treasured substance.

This Order of insects include sawflies, horntails, wood wasps, ensign wasps, Ichneumonids, fairyflies, fig wasps, chalcids, gall wasps, cuckoo wasps, yellow-faced bees, sweat bees, leafcutter bees, carpenter bees, honey bees, bumble bees, orchid bees, velvet ants, spider wasps, paper wasps, yellow jackets, hornets, mud-dauber wasps and ants.

Taking a drink from the moisture that gathered on the surface of this tropical plant, this paper wasp builds clusters of hexagonal paper cells. Mixing masticated wood pulp with adhesive saliva, these paper nest cells act as larval nesting chambers for the young wasps. The Chinese inventor of paper was legend to have been inspired by observing these wasps chewing bark. Other members of the Vespid family, are potters, building their nests from mud and saliva.

The moth members of this Order of insects include a large number of diverse families. Moth groups include micro moths, leaf miners, clothes moths, plume moths, ermine moths, burnets, geometrids, silk moths, sphinx moths, tiger moths, wasp moths, noctuids, underwings and many others.

The Sesiidae family of moths are notorious for their ability to mimic wasps. Through physical and behavior mimicry, they gain protection by an association with a more formidable insect. This moth looked like, flew like and even sounded like a wasp until the lure of the minerals in a roadside puddle, tempted a landing and its muted moth characteristics became more apparent. Mimicry is common in the insect world where you find mantids looking like lichen and moths who pass for tarantulas.

The moth members of this Order of insects include a large number of diverse families. Moth groups include micro moths, leaf miners, clothes moths, plume moths, ermine moths, burnets, geometrids, silk moths, sphinx moths, tiger moths, wasp moths, noctuids, underwings and many others.

The waxy and transparent scales of this Sesiid moth simulate the membranous wings of the wasps they mimic. Special interlocking spines link the hind and forewings together, allowing for behaviorally stylized flight characteristics that simulate a wasp in flight. Lepidoptera means “scale-wing.” The amazing variety of designs on the wings of butterflies and moths are achieved through various pigments, structures and shapes of the tiny scales that cover their wing surfaces. These scales easily dislodge upon touch and their “dust” has been the source of folklore. The Yaqui Indians in Carlos Casteneda’s books believe moths to be the heralds and guardians of eternity, with knowledge coming like specs of gold “dust.”

This Order of insects include sawflies, horntails, wood wasps, ensign wasps, Ichneumonids, fairyflies, fig wasps, chalcids, gall wasps, cuckoo wasps, yellow-faced bees, sweat bees, leafcutter bees, carpenter bees, honey bees, bumble bees, orchid bees, velvet ants, spider wasps, paper wasps, yellow jackets, hornets, mud-dauber wasps and ants.

This image illustrates how important it is to have the right chemical scent. Members of an individual colony possess the same “nest odor.” Even members of the same species found stumbling into a neighboring colony will not possess the correct genetic and environmentally determined odor and will generally be attacked as an intruder. These Weaver Ants exhibit refined societal coordination and create advanced camouflaged structure. They build nests by pulling together leaves and gluing them together with silk excreted from accommodating larval ants.

The moth members of this Order of insects include a large number of diverse families. Moth groups include micro moths, leaf miners, clothes moths, plume moths, ermine moths, burnets, geometrids, silk moths, sphinx moths, tiger moths, wasp moths, noctuids, underwings and many others.

Red-Striped Tiger Moths are some of the most beautiful types of Tiger moths and are known for their white and orange wings as well as their striped fringe border. While the species are found in many parts of the world, these moths are most common in southern Asia and associated islands which are tropical. These moths feed on plant materials and are a common subject of interest for artists. The moths are typical of moths in that the eggs hatch into larvae, the larvae pupate in cocoons, and the adults ultimately emerge. Collectors of mounted insects have a preference for the Red-Striped Tiger Moth due to the beautiful markings and color.