🌲Bugging the Family Tree: Termites Join Team Cockroach!

Yes, according to an unprecedented reclassification published in Nature Communications, termites are no longer considered a separate insect order. They have been included in the order Blattodea, which also includes cockroaches. This means that termites are essentially social cockroaches. It's a revelation that is reshaping textbooks and the way scientists study their behaviour and evolution.

🧪 Termite “Latex” Is a Built-In Defense System

Asian subterranean termites (Coptotermes gestroi) produce a latex-like secretion from their jaws. This glue:

• Makes it difficult for predators to bite or eat them.

• Sends a chemical signal to other termites for defense.

• Has antimicrobial properties, protecting the colony from infection.

🧬Termites Love Pine - And That’s Being Used Against Them

Researchers have discovered that termites are attracted to pinene, the compound that gives pine trees their fresh scent. Scientists can now use this scent to attract termites to precise doses of insecticide, thereby avoiding toxic fumigation and reducing climate-damaging chemicals like sulfuryl fluoride.