Page 60 - The Miracle of Termites
P. 60

Communication



                         in a Termite




                                   Colony
















              S         ocial life in a termite colony is flawless. The termites act to-



                        gether simultaneously as one body and cooperate in per-
                        forming all functions of the community. And, if we consid-
              er that sometimes termites live with at least one million others, we can
              easily understand the importance of a system of communication that
              allows termites to provide a working area, come together and join for-
              ces against intruders and manage all the other needs of the colony in

              perfect harmony. This communication system is based on the ex-
              change of chemical signals through smell or taste.
                   Now, let's compare the functioning of a million-member termite
              community with that of a human community of the same size.
                   Think of more than 1,000,000 human beings living and working
              together in one place. Imagine that they fulfill their cleaning, ventila-
              tion, temperature and nutritional requirements all by themselves.
                   Performing such functions with such a large number of individu-
              als would certainly take a lot of time and labor. A well planned organ-
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