Termites Return

...Our epic journey begins with a single, determined classroom and a small group of dedicated termites willing to sacrifice their lives for science...

Plus 120 grams of silica sand, 18 milliliters of water and a chunk of douglas fir wood.

On this particular August day, our little classroom put together a little habitat for a bunch of termites. The goal? To study their behavior as they went about their lives in our artificial habitat. Along with the termites, we included the materials and amounts mentioned above.

Immediately after we finished setting everything up, the fine sand was flat and undisturbed, with the water still rippling at the top of the glass jar. The termites crawled about aimlessly, getting a feel for their new home. My fellow students and I left the school and went our seperate ways.

Over the course of the next few weeks, we watched as the termites built and rebuilt small masterpieces and adapted effortlessly to new situations. The water sank into the sand, leaving it moist but not wet. The tunnels the tiny creatures created became more complex by the day, even with the limited space they had to work with. Though it was not visible with the naked eye, we know they gnawed away at the wood quite a bit too, or else they wouldn't have survived. Energy (food) is essential to the survival of all living creatures.

Once, a student accidentally bumped the termites jar. All their hard work came tumbling down on top of them (literally), and they were forced to begin all over again. Did they balk? NO! They adapted to the situation the were presented with, dug their way to freedom, and proceeded to rebuild their lost work.

I really enjoyed working with the termites. Though I admit I occasionally found them slightly disgusting (your perspective of things tends to change when you look at them under a microscope; if you want proof, take a peek at yogurt magnified 100 times), overall the unit was a big success. I have always had somewhat of a soft spot for the animal kingdom and all its inhabitants. I hope to study the natural world more extensively in the future.

~ Adam