I have learned a lot about termites the past few weeks, but what really made my learning stand out was having termites in the room to observe.
First, we learned the basics on termites through general research on the computer. Then we were able to work with the for real. First, we got a small jar and put wood, 120 grams of silica sand and 19 mL of water into the jar. The wood was a small piece of Douglas Fir, not more than 1 x 1 inch. When we poured the water into the sand, it left a hole in the sand that the termites seemed to like. About half went into the hole and the other half gathered around the wood.
After a week, they started making tunnels but only managed to make a small dent in the wood. Some may have been dead, I was unsure since it was hard to tell. The dand was still wet and most of the tunnels were on the bottom. Two weeks later the termites have not finished the wood as I had predicted at first, but they did make more tunnels and bring some wood to the bottom.
Sadly, someone messed with our termites and the sand, wood, and tunnels were rearranged. Some died but others began to reconstruct their home. They are very hardworking insects. The last time I saw them, someone messed up their jar up again. I am almost positive all of them are dead because not only were they crushed, but the wood is dry and so is the sand.
All in all, I did like this experiment. It was great to see the termites work right in front of us. I hate they had to die in the end. It seems cruel, even though are just termites.
