Page 63 - The Miracle of Termites

Adnan Oktar

Every termite colony has
its own chemical secretion.
No termite without this se-
cretion is admitted into the
nest. Termites at the en-
trance to the nest are able
to make the distinction, us-
ing antennas with scent-re-
ceptive cells. An insect
such as the one pictured at
right can recognize mem-
bers of its own colony by
making a quick chemical
analysis.

according to the needs of the colony; and by means of secretions, she
informs the workers as to which class the larvae belong. 25
Besides communicating by chemical secretions, termites also
have very sensitive antennae. A series of cells on their antennae can
perceive scents, allowing termites to recognize one another and to per-

ceive the smell of other insects not of their species.

Termites' Special Barcode
Insects have a protective covering called the chitin-protein layer.
This layer contains glands that exudes hydrocarbon molecules with a

special scent that termites are able to perceive. This is how they can de-
tect a foreign insect trying to enter the nest.
How does their scent-detection ability work? To answer this, we
can compare termites with a scanner that's able to read barcodes (the
special price and destination codes on merchandise).
Just as the computers in a company's security system can recog-

nize the code inscribed on security cards, so termites can tell the dif-
ference between the scent of an ant and that of another termite.

Communication in a Termite Colony 61