The role of termites

Termites belong to social insects and have a complex division of labor. Individuals in a group can be divided into two types according to their morphology and division of labor, namely, reproductive type and non-reproductive type.

L, reproductive type: For females and males, their duty is to keep the old ant colony and create new ant colony. There are three levels of this type.

1) Large-winged or winged type: the body is ossified, yellow, brown or black, and the wings are developed. After removing the wings, it can become a father ant and a mother ant to establish a new ant colony. Every spring and summer. In the sultry evening after the rain, a large number of long-winged breeding ants suddenly flew out of the nest and flew low near the building not far from the nest for a short time. This phenomenon is called wedding flight or group flight (grouping). Groups of ants are flying at low altitude, as if there is a ball, choosing their own objects freely. Couples fly to the ground, take off their wings, chase in pairs, usually the former female and the latter male, complete the marriage, find a suitable place, build a new nest, lay eggs, breed offspring and form a new group. The newly-married male and female ants are the mother and father ants of the new ant colony in the future, that is, the queen and queen of the new ant colony. The couple lived a monogamous and civilized life all their lives. Termite marriage flying groups are often seen all over the south of China, but not all individuals in marriage flying can form new groups in pairs. When they fly out in large numbers, they are often eaten by various birds, carnivorous insects or other animals, and only a few will get married and become partners. Although it is a minority, it is enough to maintain its racial reproduction and cause damage to wooden buildings.

(2) Short-winged type: called supplementary reproductive type, which is more common in terrestrial species.

(3) Wingless type: it is also a supplementary reproductive ant, completely wingless. Only in the most primitive species.

2. Non-reproductive type: refers to termites without reproductive ability. They have no wings, their reproductive organs have degenerated, and they are mainly responsible for labor and fighting, so they are divided into worker ants and soldier ants.

(1) worker ants: the largest number of ant colonies. They undertake many complicated tasks in the nest, such as building ant graves, digging tunnels, building ant roads, cultivating fungus gardens, collecting food, feeding young ants and young ant soldiers, and taking care of ant eggs. In species without soldiers, they are also responsible for defending against foreign enemies.

(2) soldier ants: although there are males and females, they cannot reproduce. The soldier ant's head is long and highly ossified, and its maxilla is well developed, but it has lost its feeding function and become a weapon against the enemy. It can also be used to block holes, ant passages or palace entrances. Because the soldier ants lost their feeding function, the food was fed by the worker ants. There are two kinds of soldier ants: soldier ants with big jaws-the upper jaw forms various strange shapes, like a big fork with two teeth. Elephant trunk soldier ant-its head extends like a trunk. When it fights the enemy, it can spit out gelatinous secretions and smear the enemy.

Termites belong to the gradual class of incomplete metamorphosis, and their life history is complex. Termites can be divided into two categories according to their living habits. 1. Wooddwelling termites: groups of different sizes build nests in the gnawed parts of wooden buildings, such as wooden doors and windows, wooden floors, wooden houses, railway sleepers, single-plank bridges and dead trees. , and feeds on wood fiber, which is a big pest of wood products. Wood is hollowed out by decay, and buildings are prone to collapse. The decay of railway sleepers affects the service life and poses a great threat to traffic safety. The second is soil-dwelling termites: nesting in underground soil, or nesting in a tower above the ground, called ant burial. Terrestrial termites feed on trees, leaves and fungi.

Termites have edible value and medicinal value.

But it is said that termites are a traditional food (medicine) treasure in China and one of the seven wonders of contemporary biology. They have lived peacefully on the earth for 250 million years. It has the highest reproduction rate among insects. A mature queen bee can lay 8,000 to 80,000 eggs a day and night at a suitable temperature (22℃-30℃). It has strong resistance to diseases and can grow and reproduce healthily in ant nests where carbon dioxide accounts for 0.5-6.5% of total gas (equivalent to dozens to hundreds of times of carbon dioxide content in the atmosphere). So far, termites have not been found to die of infection in the world. Termites are called "mini-nutrition warehouses", which contain dozens of amino acids, trace elements and vitamins needed by human body. The content of protein in the dry matter of improved termites is as high as 69.7 1%, which is higher than that of protein in the world-famous white bird's nest1/.09%. Termite 100g can generate 560 calories, which is 430 calories higher than beef 100g and 150 calories higher than white bird's nest. In Compendium of Materia Medica, it is recorded that "termite mud is mainly used to treat malignant sores and swelling" and "termites can tonify qi and blood and make them shiny". According to the Records of Medicinal Animals in China and Medicine Sea in China, "Termites have the function of nourishing and strengthening, and are mainly used for the frail elderly." . Modern medical experiment shows that termites contain high protein, complete amino acids, rich vitamins and trace elements, and a variety of high-energy phosphate compounds, which have obvious effects of anti-hypoxia, anti-fatigue, anti-cold, improving hemoglobin and white blood cells, promoting hematopoietic function, enhancing immunity, resisting hepatitis B virus, inhibiting cancer cell proliferation, improving sexual function and treating difficult diseases.

The medicinal value of termites is extremely high, and many countries have used termites to treat diseases in history. Li Shizhen in Ming Dynasty recorded in Compendium of Materia Medica: "Termite mud is mainly used to treat malignant sores and toxic swelling. It is roasted with pine, fried with Huang Dan, ground and coated with sesame oil, but the more it stops. " Then he said, "[Indications] Take seven tablets and rub them with vinegar. Still die in the womb, fry three liters, bag it, and donate your heart. " "China Journal of Medicinal Animals" notes: "Termites have the function of nourishing and strengthening, which is mainly used for the weakness of the elderly and the weakness of qi and blood after a long illness." . "Sea of Traditional Chinese Medicine" notes: "Termites tonify kidney and replenish essence and blood"

(2) There are many folk termite remedies, such as:

First, eating termite eggs can make pregnant women who lack milk give birth to milk; Eating termites can change people's appearance and prolong life.

B, someone in Yongchuan, Sichuan used a fungus garden to treat vomiting; Some people in Wuchuan, Guangdong use it to treat children's fever; Gaozhou treats liver pain and diarrhea; Some Maoming people are used to treat traumatic swelling and pain, and some are used to treat stomach diseases; Some use termites as the main raw materials, which have significant therapeutic effects on advanced esophageal cancer and advanced rectal cancer; There are also treatments for cattle swelling and the like.

③ Termites have attracted people's attention because of their magical characteristics such as long life, strong strength, strong vitality and rich nutrition. Eating ants can strengthen the body's resistance.

(4) Modern scientific research has confirmed that black-winged termites, yellow-winged termites and domestic termites are excellent ant species and have been approved as new resource foods by the Ministry of Health. They contain many important nutrients, such as zinc, selenium, manganese, copper, iron and other major and trace elements, vitamin B 1, B2, B6, VA, VE and so on. And physiologically active substances such as oxalic acid, protein and 20.

⑤ Animal experiments and a large number of studies have proved that termites have the pharmacological effects of anti-inflammation, detumescence, analgesia, liver protection, sterilization, antisepsis, improving immunity, reducing gastric acid secretion, preventing ulcers, antiepileptic, anticonvulsant, anticancer and regulating human endocrine system.

⑥ Toxicological study showed that it had no effect on animal health, hematological indexes, liver and kidney functions, and did not cause important changes and structural abnormalities of various organs. Has obvious drug effect and good completeness, and is suitable for long-term administration. It has good curative effect on patients with rheumatism, rheumatoid disease, diabetes, cancer, weak constitution, low immunity, endocrine disorder and high alanine aminotransferase caused by radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

⑦ Beijing Library Retrieval Center searched the comments of biological scientists from all over the world on the nutritional value and medical care function of termites. The results show that termite is an insect with high nutritional value, and it is rich in protein, amino acids, vitamin E, iron, zinc, manganese and other vitamins and trace elements. Termite venom has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, hemolytic, repercussive, anti-tumor and anti-fatigue effects. Can be used for treating rheumatoid arthritis, chronic hepatitis, sexual hypofunction and other diseases, and can be used as a new health care drug.

Finally, I personally think, don't keep termites. On the one hand, it is too much trouble; Both, a little careless, will lead to great disaster. In addition, the knowledge about the value of termites is still not universal, and not many people will study it, nor will many people be willing to eat it.