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Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing drywood termites. These invertebrates get their name from where they typically reside, dry wood. It's important to note, however, that with over 450 living termite species in this family, this isn't a hard rule. For example, many species of drywood termites living in and around Madagascar don't have to compete with other termite species, so they've been able to colonize moist evergreen forests which are typically outside their habitable range. In fact, these arthropods are sometimes also commonly known as dampwood termites for this reason. 

Another common name for drywood termites is "one-piece nesters" which should delight any anime fans in the audience. They get this name because, unlike soil-dwelling termite species, drywood termites spend all their time in a single place. Soil-dwelling termites leave their nest to forage, but drywood termites remain in the same piece of wood they were born for their entire life– with a few exceptions which we'll explain shortly. The drywood termites don't even have to leave to get a drink. These invertebrates simply survive on the moisture content of the wood or make their own moisture through biological processes. One such example of this is how they reabsorb water from their own feces.

Drywood termite poop is often one of the only indicators of their presence in a piece of wood. These cockroach relatives deposit grainy, hexagonal shaped fecal pellets and push them out of their nest periodically. The pellets gather around the knockout hole looking like a small gathering of sawdust. This is often the only way to tell the wood is infested! Drywood termites naturally occur in dead branches of the tree canopy or fallen trunks that line the ground. They're also seen in human-made structures where they're known as pests. 

Drywood termites live all throughout the tropical and temperate parts of the world. Their one-piece of wood living strategy has actually helped them move across vast stretches of water to oceanic islands. If a colony exists in a dead branch, that dead branch can float across the sea to a new location where the colony can then start expanding. This is a slow process in and of itself, however. Most drywood termite colonies take years of growth before they're ready to start moving into new homes.

The life cycle of drywood termites begins with a single pair of mates, known as the king and queen, who find each other outside of the colony and dig into an undisturbed piece of wood in order to begin their family. The two dig out a nesting chamber and the female lays eggs that develop into larvae that help the colony grow. They'll excavate more of the wood and slowly work to expand their home. It takes years for drywood termites to reach a large enough colony size before they start producing the family members who will eventually fly off to start a new colony elsewhere. Prospective kings and queens dig out from the wood and fly away to find a mate. Upon landing, they twist off their wings and seek out a life partner to start the process all over again.

A younger drywood termite colony typically only has a few hundred members at most, but a well established colony that is more than a decade old can support thousands of members depending on the condition and quality of the wood in which they live. Most of the termites in a colony are only about a centimeter long, although the queen grows in size as she starts producing more eggs, often leading to her developing a striped appearance due to the separation of her body segments. Most of the members of a drywood termite colony are eyeless, and they have strong, chewing mouths for tearing apart the wood in which they live. 

For more facts on drywood termites, check out the links below. Give a thumbs up if you learned something new today. Thank you to our Patrons SpikeSpiegel93, Dad, and everyone else for their support of this channel! And thank you for watching Animal Fact Files!