1 00:00:01,040 --> 00:00:04,240 Speaker 1: Welcome to you Stuff you Should Know from House Stuff 2 00:00:04,240 --> 00:00:13,000 Speaker 1: Works dot com. Hey, welcome to the podcast. I'm Josh Clark, 3 00:00:13,039 --> 00:00:15,560 Speaker 1: and there's Charles w Chuck Bryant, there's Jerry So it's 4 00:00:15,600 --> 00:00:19,239 Speaker 1: stuff you should know, how d Hey, hey, this is 5 00:00:19,280 --> 00:00:25,239 Speaker 1: a fan recommendation. Really. Yes. Aaron Mullins from the Max 6 00:00:25,280 --> 00:00:29,480 Speaker 1: Funcan Cruise that I went on last year. Uh works 7 00:00:29,480 --> 00:00:33,760 Speaker 1: with termites. I believe, like a termite circus. Yeah, he 8 00:00:33,880 --> 00:00:37,080 Speaker 1: runs a termite circus. No, but he said, he said, dude, 9 00:00:37,120 --> 00:00:38,599 Speaker 1: you got it. You should do termites. He said they're 10 00:00:38,600 --> 00:00:41,080 Speaker 1: really fascinating. They are pretty fascinating. And I said, yeah, 11 00:00:41,159 --> 00:00:43,760 Speaker 1: we'll get to it, buddy, and uh, here we are. 12 00:00:43,800 --> 00:00:47,160 Speaker 1: So Aaron Mullins, this one's for you. Way to go. Mullins. Yeah, 13 00:00:47,159 --> 00:00:49,720 Speaker 1: this is a good suggestion. I mean it's termites. I 14 00:00:49,760 --> 00:00:52,040 Speaker 1: can't tell you how many people went, I'm not listening 15 00:00:52,040 --> 00:00:55,240 Speaker 1: to that one. Well, they just lost out. And all 16 00:00:55,280 --> 00:00:57,880 Speaker 1: of you, dear listeners, the ones who are hearing our 17 00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:01,920 Speaker 1: voices talk about termites, you are very blessed. Yeah, it was, 18 00:01:02,960 --> 00:01:04,840 Speaker 1: you know, the fact of the podcast thing that we 19 00:01:04,920 --> 00:01:06,800 Speaker 1: like to do. I had a hard time picking out 20 00:01:06,880 --> 00:01:11,080 Speaker 1: like five or six don't give them away. Let's just 21 00:01:11,120 --> 00:01:14,800 Speaker 1: take him in striy it. Huh, it's a chuck. Are 22 00:01:14,800 --> 00:01:18,080 Speaker 1: you familiar with this one. He's not gonna have a 23 00:01:18,080 --> 00:01:21,319 Speaker 1: good intro. I got a good intro. As a matter 24 00:01:21,319 --> 00:01:23,880 Speaker 1: of fact, this is a Tracy Wilson joint. She had 25 00:01:23,920 --> 00:01:26,360 Speaker 1: a pretty good intro. She points out that termites are 26 00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:32,119 Speaker 1: kind of paradoxes, or the concept of termites is a paradox, 27 00:01:32,160 --> 00:01:37,680 Speaker 1: and that they are extremely um vulnerable to changes in temperature, 28 00:01:38,080 --> 00:01:41,040 Speaker 1: changes in humidity. They can dry out and die. They 29 00:01:41,080 --> 00:01:45,800 Speaker 1: die like dehydration pretty easy. Yeah, they're not super hardy yet. 30 00:01:45,840 --> 00:01:49,520 Speaker 1: They they but they can be. They can. But yeah, 31 00:01:49,880 --> 00:01:54,600 Speaker 1: they can also like fell an entire house given enough time. Um. 32 00:01:54,760 --> 00:01:58,200 Speaker 1: They they develop wings, some of them do. But they're 33 00:01:58,240 --> 00:02:02,320 Speaker 1: not really good at flying a lot like cicadas. Oh yeah, 34 00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:05,559 Speaker 1: you remember, like we saw those things firsthand, just flying 35 00:02:05,720 --> 00:02:11,600 Speaker 1: terribly um. And then soldier termites for example, Yeah, very strong, 36 00:02:12,080 --> 00:02:15,880 Speaker 1: huge mandibles and pincers. Yeah. Yeah, they can't even feed themselves. 37 00:02:15,880 --> 00:02:19,799 Speaker 1: Were like big babies. There's just a lot of things 38 00:02:19,840 --> 00:02:21,760 Speaker 1: going on termites. You think you understand them, Oh, but 39 00:02:21,840 --> 00:02:24,919 Speaker 1: what about this part? Bam, that's kind of what happens 40 00:02:24,960 --> 00:02:27,240 Speaker 1: when you look into them. That's why they're fascinating. That's 41 00:02:27,280 --> 00:02:33,600 Speaker 1: why Aaron Mullins. Mullins recommended it. Yeah, I agree. Should 42 00:02:33,600 --> 00:02:36,000 Speaker 1: we get into it? You know what said is there's 43 00:02:36,000 --> 00:02:38,320 Speaker 1: just gonna be an awkward pause in the podcast because 44 00:02:38,320 --> 00:02:40,320 Speaker 1: people couldn't see me looking at you, like, what's the 45 00:02:40,320 --> 00:02:43,680 Speaker 1: guy's name? That's right, we can we can tighten that 46 00:02:43,760 --> 00:02:46,600 Speaker 1: up with the magic of editing. Jerry, will you tighten 47 00:02:46,639 --> 00:02:50,440 Speaker 1: that up? No, says Jerry. Alright, so yes, let's get 48 00:02:50,480 --> 00:02:53,120 Speaker 1: into this, Chuck. Let's talk termites, all right? I guess. Uh. 49 00:02:53,400 --> 00:02:56,080 Speaker 1: Usually when we do these, um we've done cocka, roaches 50 00:02:56,160 --> 00:02:58,679 Speaker 1: and fleas and uh or do we do flease? We 51 00:02:58,720 --> 00:03:01,720 Speaker 1: did ticks? Yeah, we've done ticks for done bees. I 52 00:03:01,720 --> 00:03:03,720 Speaker 1: don't have we not done fleaze? We need to do that? 53 00:03:04,040 --> 00:03:07,520 Speaker 1: Are you sure? Yeah? Remember tis was like the most 54 00:03:07,520 --> 00:03:10,200 Speaker 1: boring episode we've ever done. No, but people went crazy 55 00:03:10,240 --> 00:03:13,520 Speaker 1: for it. It's because of the T shirt offer. Remember 56 00:03:13,560 --> 00:03:15,000 Speaker 1: if you've made it all the way through that, when 57 00:03:15,000 --> 00:03:18,320 Speaker 1: you've got a free T shirt instead of anyway, we 58 00:03:18,400 --> 00:03:21,160 Speaker 1: usually start with anatomy, and that's a good place for termites. 59 00:03:21,240 --> 00:03:25,320 Speaker 1: Obviously they are insects. And you're gonna find them. You 60 00:03:25,320 --> 00:03:28,119 Speaker 1: can really find them anywhere where it doesn't you don't 61 00:03:28,120 --> 00:03:30,560 Speaker 1: go into a hard freeze in the winter. But they 62 00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:34,320 Speaker 1: are most common in tropical environments, were most abundant. I guess, 63 00:03:34,680 --> 00:03:36,880 Speaker 1: well they make their range all the way into temperate 64 00:03:36,880 --> 00:03:39,320 Speaker 1: climates though too. Yeah. I mean we've got here of course, 65 00:03:40,040 --> 00:03:43,320 Speaker 1: and U we freeze in the winter. Yeah, but like 66 00:03:43,360 --> 00:03:45,360 Speaker 1: the ground doesn't freeze all the way through. No, no, 67 00:03:45,520 --> 00:03:48,600 Speaker 1: and not for prolonged periods either. Um, they look like 68 00:03:48,680 --> 00:03:51,120 Speaker 1: ants a lot of times, but they're not even that 69 00:03:51,200 --> 00:03:54,000 Speaker 1: closely related to ants. Well, no, they're more closely related 70 00:03:54,040 --> 00:03:57,280 Speaker 1: to coca roaches. I think that's where they came from. Uh. 71 00:03:57,320 --> 00:04:00,240 Speaker 1: And they've been around for about fifty million years rs. 72 00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:07,160 Speaker 1: And there are nearly three thousand species of termites. So 73 00:04:07,200 --> 00:04:09,760 Speaker 1: that's just a little background. We should also see termites 74 00:04:09,760 --> 00:04:13,119 Speaker 1: are extraordinarily social insects. That's how they survive. Like one 75 00:04:13,400 --> 00:04:17,440 Speaker 1: termite is, like we said, an extremely vulnerable organism, but 76 00:04:17,520 --> 00:04:21,760 Speaker 1: if you put hundreds of thousands or millions upon millions 77 00:04:21,760 --> 00:04:24,400 Speaker 1: of these things together in a single colony, they get 78 00:04:24,400 --> 00:04:27,200 Speaker 1: the job done. Yeah, they are social, and there's they're 79 00:04:27,279 --> 00:04:31,279 Speaker 1: very structured. Um, some similarities to bees, and that there 80 00:04:31,360 --> 00:04:34,840 Speaker 1: is a definite social ladder uh in there there. It's 81 00:04:34,880 --> 00:04:38,400 Speaker 1: called a cast actually for termites. And they all have 82 00:04:38,560 --> 00:04:40,800 Speaker 1: little jobs that they do, and they all have their 83 00:04:40,839 --> 00:04:43,680 Speaker 1: distinct physical features one from another, which is kind of 84 00:04:43,720 --> 00:04:47,320 Speaker 1: neat um. So I guess we can start with the 85 00:04:47,360 --> 00:04:52,960 Speaker 1: reproducers or reproductives, the egg layers. Right in in any colony, 86 00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:56,240 Speaker 1: you have one king and one queen, and they're um 87 00:04:56,920 --> 00:04:59,520 Speaker 1: easily distinguishable from the rest because they're the only ones 88 00:04:59,560 --> 00:05:03,080 Speaker 1: who are really dark in color. The reason they're the 89 00:05:03,080 --> 00:05:05,760 Speaker 1: only ones that are dark in colors because they're the 90 00:05:05,800 --> 00:05:08,800 Speaker 1: only ones that are fully mature in the entire colony, 91 00:05:08,920 --> 00:05:10,920 Speaker 1: the only ones. It's crazy. That's one of the facts 92 00:05:10,960 --> 00:05:13,920 Speaker 1: of the show for me. Bam. Yeah, but the king 93 00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:16,599 Speaker 1: and queen aren't the only ones who can lay eggs 94 00:05:16,680 --> 00:05:19,120 Speaker 1: soldiers and workers, which will talk about in a second. 95 00:05:19,360 --> 00:05:22,000 Speaker 1: They're both sterile, They got nothing going on with the 96 00:05:22,040 --> 00:05:25,240 Speaker 1: sexy stuff, nothing, But the king and queen have kind 97 00:05:25,240 --> 00:05:31,000 Speaker 1: of backup support with laying eggs, their secondary and tertiary reproducers. Tertiary, 98 00:05:31,040 --> 00:05:33,520 Speaker 1: by the way, is like one of the great overlooked 99 00:05:33,800 --> 00:05:37,560 Speaker 1: wonderful words. I love that word me too. Yeah, here's 100 00:05:37,600 --> 00:05:41,159 Speaker 1: to me another fact of the podcast. The King and 101 00:05:41,200 --> 00:05:45,320 Speaker 1: the queen have eyes and the rest of them are blind. Okay, 102 00:05:45,520 --> 00:05:49,240 Speaker 1: not all of them are blind though, because I've read 103 00:05:49,279 --> 00:05:51,760 Speaker 1: somewhere else that that wasn't quite right. Yeah I did too, 104 00:05:51,760 --> 00:05:55,800 Speaker 1: man that basically, if you um develop wings, what is 105 00:05:55,800 --> 00:05:59,800 Speaker 1: it an ally um you when you develop those wings, 106 00:05:59,800 --> 00:06:02,560 Speaker 1: you all so developed eyes, You're like, holy cow, I 107 00:06:02,600 --> 00:06:05,360 Speaker 1: can see now because I got these wings. I guess 108 00:06:05,360 --> 00:06:07,680 Speaker 1: if you're gonna fly, you're gonna see, right, So I 109 00:06:07,680 --> 00:06:10,000 Speaker 1: guess at the at the point where there's just a 110 00:06:10,120 --> 00:06:13,040 Speaker 1: king and queen, there's no allies. The king and queen 111 00:06:13,040 --> 00:06:16,680 Speaker 1: maybe the only ones with eyes. And it's also possible 112 00:06:16,760 --> 00:06:20,080 Speaker 1: that Tracy was talking about specific species, like there's three 113 00:06:20,080 --> 00:06:24,040 Speaker 1: thousand species possible some species only the king and queen 114 00:06:24,080 --> 00:06:27,720 Speaker 1: have eyes and came in time. The rest the blind ones. 115 00:06:27,760 --> 00:06:33,480 Speaker 1: That is, navigate with smell scent and with moisture trails 116 00:06:33,520 --> 00:06:37,760 Speaker 1: and moisture and saliva is big in the termite world. 117 00:06:38,160 --> 00:06:40,880 Speaker 1: As we will find throughout the podcast, there's a lot 118 00:06:40,920 --> 00:06:45,120 Speaker 1: of regurgitating and spitting out to accomplish their needs. Yeah, 119 00:06:45,120 --> 00:06:46,920 Speaker 1: there's a lot of it is kind of magical. Yea. 120 00:06:47,120 --> 00:06:49,119 Speaker 1: Not only do they use it to keep their eggs moist, 121 00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:52,719 Speaker 1: they salivate on their eggs. They also use it for 122 00:06:52,920 --> 00:06:57,400 Speaker 1: things like building, um, shoring up the interior of their 123 00:06:57,520 --> 00:07:01,360 Speaker 1: little you know, caves and tunnels. Yeah, filling their entire mounds. 124 00:07:01,800 --> 00:07:04,680 Speaker 1: They used their spit for that too. It's magic stuff. 125 00:07:05,760 --> 00:07:08,840 Speaker 1: So that's the reproductives. Oh and you also, um you 126 00:07:08,880 --> 00:07:12,000 Speaker 1: mentioned um that they navigate the ones that can't see 127 00:07:12,080 --> 00:07:15,880 Speaker 1: navigate through scent using pheromones and um, the king and 128 00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:20,360 Speaker 1: queen produce a certain type of pheromone. Uh that kind 129 00:07:20,400 --> 00:07:25,480 Speaker 1: of controls how the colonies population is at any given time. Yeah, 130 00:07:25,520 --> 00:07:28,680 Speaker 1: it's really amazing. Like if they need and beats were 131 00:07:28,720 --> 00:07:31,480 Speaker 1: sort of like this too. If they need more soldiers 132 00:07:31,920 --> 00:07:36,120 Speaker 1: than they uh deposit the pheromone that makes more soldiers. 133 00:07:36,320 --> 00:07:38,800 Speaker 1: They need more workers than they're gonna use the pheromone, 134 00:07:38,880 --> 00:07:41,680 Speaker 1: pheromone that makes more workers. Right. The awesome difference though, 135 00:07:41,760 --> 00:07:45,760 Speaker 1: was with bees, they went through and either laid an 136 00:07:45,760 --> 00:07:48,720 Speaker 1: egg that had been fertilized with sperm to make a male, 137 00:07:49,400 --> 00:07:51,600 Speaker 1: or else they laid an egg that wasn't fertilized to 138 00:07:51,640 --> 00:07:55,080 Speaker 1: make a female, And that's how they made different kinds 139 00:07:55,120 --> 00:07:59,760 Speaker 1: of bees with termites. A termite I actually regress in development, 140 00:08:00,240 --> 00:08:03,400 Speaker 1: go back to the starting point to become a nymph 141 00:08:03,440 --> 00:08:06,760 Speaker 1: again or a larva, I think, and then start over 142 00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:09,200 Speaker 1: and then moll and go from maybe being a worker 143 00:08:09,320 --> 00:08:12,120 Speaker 1: to a soldier or something. It's pretty cool. It's depending. 144 00:08:12,200 --> 00:08:16,720 Speaker 1: It's all carried out by pheromones. So let's talk about soldiers. Yeah, 145 00:08:16,720 --> 00:08:19,880 Speaker 1: they are obviously named so because they are the defenders 146 00:08:19,920 --> 00:08:25,160 Speaker 1: of the nest and um, their invaders. And when I 147 00:08:25,160 --> 00:08:27,440 Speaker 1: say defenders, they're not gonna be like fight off a 148 00:08:27,480 --> 00:08:30,840 Speaker 1: bat or an art park. They're gonna lose that. But 149 00:08:31,040 --> 00:08:34,559 Speaker 1: they can defend against other termites and ants and things 150 00:08:34,600 --> 00:08:39,560 Speaker 1: like that. And um, what's his name, Aaron Mullins. Mullins 151 00:08:40,280 --> 00:08:42,760 Speaker 1: was right to say that termites are fascinating because there's 152 00:08:42,760 --> 00:08:45,800 Speaker 1: some stuff that wasn't in this article about soldiers. So 153 00:08:46,320 --> 00:08:50,320 Speaker 1: we said that termites are extremely social. There's so social 154 00:08:50,679 --> 00:08:56,240 Speaker 1: that they actually display suicidal behavior that benefits the colony. 155 00:08:56,400 --> 00:09:00,680 Speaker 1: So some workers and some species developed this blue sack 156 00:09:00,920 --> 00:09:04,959 Speaker 1: filled with this blue toxic fluid. And as they age, 157 00:09:05,040 --> 00:09:09,280 Speaker 1: they kind of lose their purpose socially speaking. They can't 158 00:09:09,320 --> 00:09:12,200 Speaker 1: harvest as much stuff like everybody kind of you know. 159 00:09:12,679 --> 00:09:15,160 Speaker 1: The big difference is that when we age, we don't 160 00:09:15,400 --> 00:09:19,920 Speaker 1: come across a an attacker and kill ourselves by um 161 00:09:20,000 --> 00:09:23,960 Speaker 1: blowing the sack up and spraying the attacker with toxic 162 00:09:24,640 --> 00:09:26,520 Speaker 1: So when they don't have their purpose anymore, they could 163 00:09:26,559 --> 00:09:28,320 Speaker 1: like fall on the sword for the sick of the colony. 164 00:09:29,559 --> 00:09:33,199 Speaker 1: And there's another kind that's the soldier that's really good 165 00:09:33,240 --> 00:09:37,080 Speaker 1: at pooping, and they shoot their poop onto enemies, really, 166 00:09:37,280 --> 00:09:40,439 Speaker 1: which is a pretty that's pretty amazing. You're gonna be 167 00:09:40,520 --> 00:09:42,400 Speaker 1: hard pressed to find too many other bugs that can 168 00:09:42,440 --> 00:09:46,400 Speaker 1: accurately aim and shoot their poop and board off other enemies. 169 00:09:46,880 --> 00:09:50,760 Speaker 1: Those are termines, all right, that's pretty fantastic. Um. With 170 00:09:51,000 --> 00:09:55,720 Speaker 1: the fact of the podcast, it ranks um. So aside 171 00:09:55,760 --> 00:09:59,640 Speaker 1: from pooping on other ones, they have the largest mandibles, 172 00:10:00,040 --> 00:10:03,200 Speaker 1: which are the little pincers to battle the ants and 173 00:10:03,320 --> 00:10:06,520 Speaker 1: other termites. And their heads might be a little darker 174 00:10:06,520 --> 00:10:08,280 Speaker 1: than their bodies, but they're not gonna be dark like 175 00:10:08,320 --> 00:10:11,360 Speaker 1: the King and queen. Yeah, just the heads. Yeah, And 176 00:10:11,600 --> 00:10:15,680 Speaker 1: we talked about the spittle and the regurgitation. It can 177 00:10:15,720 --> 00:10:20,360 Speaker 1: be uh toxic and sticky like a like a trap 178 00:10:20,480 --> 00:10:22,800 Speaker 1: for another termite. Or just flat out kill them with 179 00:10:22,800 --> 00:10:26,320 Speaker 1: the toxicity. It's like you're coming into my joint. I'm 180 00:10:26,360 --> 00:10:28,679 Speaker 1: gonna either poop on you or vomit on you this 181 00:10:29,040 --> 00:10:32,960 Speaker 1: toxic acid, or explode my blue stack on you. You 182 00:10:33,040 --> 00:10:39,400 Speaker 1: know that's right. So then you have the workers. Yeah, 183 00:10:39,440 --> 00:10:44,120 Speaker 1: and sadly, the workers are exactly what you think. They are. Blind, 184 00:10:44,440 --> 00:10:47,120 Speaker 1: they're They're probably the ones you see most often if 185 00:10:47,160 --> 00:10:51,200 Speaker 1: you get like a rotten log or something, the little milky, 186 00:10:51,240 --> 00:10:55,839 Speaker 1: creamy looking dudes that just work and that's all they do. 187 00:10:55,880 --> 00:11:00,280 Speaker 1: They eat wood and they poop it back out. Um. 188 00:11:00,320 --> 00:11:02,240 Speaker 1: They do have mandibles, but they're not as big as 189 00:11:02,320 --> 00:11:06,040 Speaker 1: the soldiers. Um. And they dig tunnels, they gather food. 190 00:11:06,080 --> 00:11:09,480 Speaker 1: They can't they babysit the king and queen, and soldiers 191 00:11:09,520 --> 00:11:13,160 Speaker 1: can't even feed themselves. The workers have to feed the 192 00:11:13,200 --> 00:11:17,480 Speaker 1: other termites above them. And what's cool is termites can't 193 00:11:17,520 --> 00:11:22,320 Speaker 1: even eat their own food. They need help from microorganisms 194 00:11:22,360 --> 00:11:28,920 Speaker 1: for that. So cellulose, which is the glucose polymer, very 195 00:11:28,960 --> 00:11:34,160 Speaker 1: tight glucoset polymer that provides structure to all plants. You 196 00:11:34,200 --> 00:11:38,520 Speaker 1: like that, thank you, Yeah, that's you can thank cellular. 197 00:11:38,600 --> 00:11:40,880 Speaker 1: It would be a big lump if it wasn't for cellulos. 198 00:11:41,040 --> 00:11:46,560 Speaker 1: Grass is another one. It's got cellulose um and the 199 00:11:46,679 --> 00:11:50,360 Speaker 1: termites can't eat They can eat the cellulus, but they 200 00:11:50,360 --> 00:11:52,760 Speaker 1: can't break it down, just like we can't. We can 201 00:11:52,840 --> 00:11:58,400 Speaker 1: eat um sucros because we our bodies produced sucras, which 202 00:11:58,440 --> 00:12:02,319 Speaker 1: breaks sucrose down into g ucats, which we use for energy. Sure, 203 00:12:02,679 --> 00:12:06,720 Speaker 1: same thing with the termites. Their bodies don't produce cellulates, 204 00:12:06,720 --> 00:12:09,240 Speaker 1: which breaks down cellulose like we don't either. Like you 205 00:12:09,280 --> 00:12:11,600 Speaker 1: can sit there and eat wood all day long and 206 00:12:11,679 --> 00:12:14,120 Speaker 1: it's just gonna come out the other end exactly that 207 00:12:14,120 --> 00:12:16,400 Speaker 1: that same way I've done it give you splinters on 208 00:12:16,440 --> 00:12:19,360 Speaker 1: the way, right, Yeah, it's not nice. And it's the 209 00:12:19,400 --> 00:12:21,880 Speaker 1: same thing with the termites. But the big difference between 210 00:12:21,920 --> 00:12:24,560 Speaker 1: us and the termites. The termites have this hind gut 211 00:12:25,559 --> 00:12:29,800 Speaker 1: that contains microorganisms that break down the cellulose into glucose 212 00:12:30,240 --> 00:12:33,040 Speaker 1: can use it's right, And that's uh the only thing 213 00:12:33,040 --> 00:12:36,640 Speaker 1: in here I thought was a decent band name, Hindgut. Yeah, 214 00:12:36,720 --> 00:12:41,479 Speaker 1: that's pretty good. It's not bad. Uh. So the organisms 215 00:12:41,520 --> 00:12:45,760 Speaker 1: are bacteria and protozoans, and they can't live without one another, 216 00:12:45,880 --> 00:12:49,000 Speaker 1: like the protozoans and bacteria can't live without the termite either. Yeah, 217 00:12:49,000 --> 00:12:52,920 Speaker 1: it's another cooe. And it's not just these micro by 218 00:12:53,080 --> 00:12:57,440 Speaker 1: micro bacteria that um that they have a symbiotic relationship with. 219 00:12:57,520 --> 00:13:00,280 Speaker 1: Some termites have symbiotic relationship with the fun guess that 220 00:13:00,400 --> 00:13:03,200 Speaker 1: will well, we'll see. Yeah. I mean like they're pretty, 221 00:13:03,320 --> 00:13:07,360 Speaker 1: they're they're harmonious folks. That's a good way to say. 222 00:13:07,400 --> 00:13:11,320 Speaker 1: I like that about them. Uh. Mostly they're categorized by 223 00:13:11,320 --> 00:13:16,199 Speaker 1: where they live. There can be subterranean. If they nest underground, um, 224 00:13:16,240 --> 00:13:19,520 Speaker 1: they are primitive. If they are kind of like the 225 00:13:19,559 --> 00:13:21,840 Speaker 1: ones you find in the rotten log, those are primitive. Yeah. 226 00:13:21,920 --> 00:13:28,240 Speaker 1: The um three quarters of all termite species are higher Yeah, termites, 227 00:13:28,720 --> 00:13:31,720 Speaker 1: And it's it's not just their physical evolution, but also 228 00:13:31,800 --> 00:13:35,120 Speaker 1: their behavioral evolution. The higher ones are the mound builders, 229 00:13:35,120 --> 00:13:37,920 Speaker 1: whereas primitive termites are the ones that make a nest 230 00:13:38,040 --> 00:13:41,640 Speaker 1: where they're eating, like in them hollowed out log. The 231 00:13:41,640 --> 00:13:43,160 Speaker 1: big problem with that, and this is why they're not 232 00:13:43,200 --> 00:13:45,319 Speaker 1: as highly evolved, is that when the log runs out, 233 00:13:45,320 --> 00:13:48,480 Speaker 1: the colonies like, oh we're dead. Yeah. I was surprised 234 00:13:48,480 --> 00:13:50,880 Speaker 1: that they didn't like move on to another loger. That's 235 00:13:50,880 --> 00:13:55,679 Speaker 1: why they're primitive in this sense, primitive equals dumb, that's true. 236 00:13:56,000 --> 00:13:57,680 Speaker 1: One thing we didn't mention about the King and Queen 237 00:13:57,720 --> 00:13:59,480 Speaker 1: that I thought was kind of neat too, is that, uh, 238 00:14:00,360 --> 00:14:04,560 Speaker 1: they are monogamous, and um, the queen can store sperm 239 00:14:04,600 --> 00:14:08,440 Speaker 1: in her body enough to keep reproducing without sex, but 240 00:14:08,559 --> 00:14:10,800 Speaker 1: she still throws the old man a bone even though 241 00:14:11,120 --> 00:14:14,080 Speaker 1: she doesn't need to. She's like, I have enough sperm, 242 00:14:14,120 --> 00:14:17,400 Speaker 1: but come on, you know, let's let's go do it right, right, 243 00:14:17,520 --> 00:14:19,800 Speaker 1: you know, that's probably what she said. And the King 244 00:14:19,960 --> 00:14:23,160 Speaker 1: is just, you know, imagine very appreciative at that. You know, 245 00:14:23,360 --> 00:14:25,240 Speaker 1: I think that's cute about them. It's going to be 246 00:14:25,280 --> 00:14:29,200 Speaker 1: the king. They're they're very social. Um, so let's see 247 00:14:30,120 --> 00:14:32,600 Speaker 1: when we're talking about reproduction, right, yeah, I guess we 248 00:14:32,680 --> 00:14:35,560 Speaker 1: might as well go at it. It was a pretty 249 00:14:35,880 --> 00:14:39,640 Speaker 1: that's a pretty good segway, chuck, thank you. So, um, 250 00:14:39,800 --> 00:14:44,680 Speaker 1: you've got an egg. Let's just look at one individual termite. 251 00:14:45,560 --> 00:14:49,600 Speaker 1: The termite is born an egg, and out of the 252 00:14:49,720 --> 00:14:54,680 Speaker 1: egg emerges a larva, and from the larval stage a 253 00:14:54,720 --> 00:14:59,080 Speaker 1: couple of malts go on, and you enter the nymph stage. 254 00:14:59,400 --> 00:15:01,760 Speaker 1: And I believe it's the nymph stage that's the real 255 00:15:02,520 --> 00:15:05,320 Speaker 1: Like this is where it's like the stem cells stage, 256 00:15:05,360 --> 00:15:09,960 Speaker 1: it can like any termite, there's no determination whatsoever. Any 257 00:15:10,040 --> 00:15:13,600 Speaker 1: termite can become any member of the cast. Yeah, like 258 00:15:13,640 --> 00:15:16,840 Speaker 1: once you're born, that can be a worker or a soldier, right, 259 00:15:17,200 --> 00:15:22,400 Speaker 1: or or even a reproductive so um. In the nymph stage, 260 00:15:22,520 --> 00:15:24,480 Speaker 1: they go through a few more malts. Say, if they're 261 00:15:24,480 --> 00:15:27,560 Speaker 1: going to become a worker, they'll maybe once if they 262 00:15:27,600 --> 00:15:30,000 Speaker 1: mold another time. After that they can become a soldier. 263 00:15:31,080 --> 00:15:33,920 Speaker 1: I'm not quite sure exactly what process it takes place 264 00:15:33,920 --> 00:15:37,200 Speaker 1: for them to become a reproductive because obviously some sort 265 00:15:37,200 --> 00:15:43,120 Speaker 1: of sexual um emergence has to take place. Maybe and um, 266 00:15:44,040 --> 00:15:47,600 Speaker 1: those are the three casts, and then from the reproductives, 267 00:15:48,560 --> 00:15:51,960 Speaker 1: depending on you know, what takes place, they can become 268 00:15:52,240 --> 00:15:55,160 Speaker 1: secondary or tertiary or the king and the queen. Yeah, 269 00:15:55,200 --> 00:15:57,400 Speaker 1: and like you said earlier, which is I think one 270 00:15:57,400 --> 00:16:00,520 Speaker 1: of the facts of the show for sure is that 271 00:16:00,560 --> 00:16:03,520 Speaker 1: they can go backward. And they don't like reverse aging 272 00:16:03,600 --> 00:16:06,400 Speaker 1: or anything, but it is a reverse molt, where a 273 00:16:06,440 --> 00:16:09,960 Speaker 1: regressive malt where they can go from soldier back to worker, 274 00:16:10,760 --> 00:16:14,720 Speaker 1: right they go they would go soldier back to nymph, 275 00:16:14,800 --> 00:16:18,000 Speaker 1: I think, and then to work. Yeah, you have to 276 00:16:18,000 --> 00:16:20,840 Speaker 1: go two steps back to go one step to home 277 00:16:20,840 --> 00:16:23,920 Speaker 1: base pretty much. Okay, But so there's like we said, 278 00:16:24,160 --> 00:16:27,760 Speaker 1: every colony has one king and one queen um, but 279 00:16:27,880 --> 00:16:30,800 Speaker 1: sometimes it's not enough, like the colony may get too big. 280 00:16:31,520 --> 00:16:34,160 Speaker 1: And so when that happens, some of the reproductives, the 281 00:16:34,200 --> 00:16:38,640 Speaker 1: secondary of tertiary reproductives, will start to grow wings and 282 00:16:38,720 --> 00:16:43,160 Speaker 1: possibly eyes as well, and that's probably pretty freaky. I'm 283 00:16:43,200 --> 00:16:45,360 Speaker 1: sure it's their life that certain way. And all of 284 00:16:45,400 --> 00:16:47,560 Speaker 1: a sudden they're like, whoa, yeah, these things coming out 285 00:16:47,600 --> 00:16:50,200 Speaker 1: of my bes like The fly right, you know what's 286 00:16:50,240 --> 00:16:53,560 Speaker 1: happening to you? The movie The Fly right? Okay, um, 287 00:16:53,680 --> 00:16:56,600 Speaker 1: yeah I knew what's you're saying, just intuitively I did. Yeah, 288 00:16:56,600 --> 00:16:59,240 Speaker 1: we did, one, implies to didn't we? Yes, we did. Okay, 289 00:16:59,400 --> 00:17:02,800 Speaker 1: that one's pretty interesting insect week, right, So as the 290 00:17:02,960 --> 00:17:06,280 Speaker 1: as your friend is starting to grow wings and eyes 291 00:17:06,560 --> 00:17:08,840 Speaker 1: and you're not right, You're like, well, I guess I'll 292 00:17:08,880 --> 00:17:11,840 Speaker 1: stay here. We can't see it though, at least right 293 00:17:11,920 --> 00:17:14,360 Speaker 1: you know you can hear it though? Are you growing wings? 294 00:17:14,720 --> 00:17:17,880 Speaker 1: Growing wings? Can hear it? Sounds like wings? No, don't 295 00:17:17,920 --> 00:17:20,879 Speaker 1: worry about it. But the other difference with your friend, 296 00:17:21,119 --> 00:17:24,000 Speaker 1: is that he or she is suddenly attracted to light, 297 00:17:24,119 --> 00:17:28,720 Speaker 1: which is unusual with termites. Light equals dried out, so 298 00:17:28,760 --> 00:17:31,399 Speaker 1: they're they're normally like away from the light, they're not 299 00:17:31,440 --> 00:17:34,120 Speaker 1: big on the light. Now they are attracted the light, 300 00:17:34,160 --> 00:17:36,200 Speaker 1: which means that they all start to kind of hang 301 00:17:36,240 --> 00:17:40,000 Speaker 1: out around the entrance of the colony, like what's out there. 302 00:17:40,440 --> 00:17:44,680 Speaker 1: And then maybe one warm day, humid day, possibly after 303 00:17:44,720 --> 00:17:47,320 Speaker 1: a rain a day that they're not going to dry out, 304 00:17:47,600 --> 00:17:51,880 Speaker 1: maybe after sundown, they all stumble out of the colony, 305 00:17:52,359 --> 00:17:57,800 Speaker 1: do some terrible flying and try to go find other mates. Yeah, 306 00:17:57,800 --> 00:18:00,080 Speaker 1: and that's called a swarm. And that is called a 307 00:18:00,200 --> 00:18:04,160 Speaker 1: nuptial flight. And uh, for obvious reasons that we will 308 00:18:04,160 --> 00:18:07,639 Speaker 1: see here in a second. And um, that's their only flight. 309 00:18:07,680 --> 00:18:10,520 Speaker 1: And it's not like they just fly around like that's it. 310 00:18:10,880 --> 00:18:12,960 Speaker 1: The only reason they have those wings is to kind 311 00:18:12,960 --> 00:18:16,439 Speaker 1: of get from the nest to another termite. Right, And 312 00:18:16,480 --> 00:18:19,560 Speaker 1: apparently the vast majority of them are going to eaten 313 00:18:19,800 --> 00:18:23,280 Speaker 1: bat food or frog food or whatever. Lots of things 314 00:18:23,280 --> 00:18:28,040 Speaker 1: eat termites. Some do survive. Yeah, And the other interesting 315 00:18:28,119 --> 00:18:31,600 Speaker 1: thing is one colony will swarm at the same time 316 00:18:31,640 --> 00:18:37,600 Speaker 1: another colony way far away, um will swarm and scientists 317 00:18:37,600 --> 00:18:39,480 Speaker 1: think that this is a way that they keep the 318 00:18:39,600 --> 00:18:43,000 Speaker 1: gene pool deep. Yeah, that makes total sense. So like 319 00:18:43,040 --> 00:18:46,160 Speaker 1: you just mate with someone from another colony, and uh, 320 00:18:46,480 --> 00:18:49,840 Speaker 1: you know it's like a tea party, right, you know, 321 00:18:50,000 --> 00:18:53,600 Speaker 1: it's like a social like a box feed dating. Yeah, 322 00:18:53,800 --> 00:18:58,560 Speaker 1: ice cream social social. So speed dating, you find a 323 00:18:58,600 --> 00:19:01,240 Speaker 1: little mate. A male go out, he sees a female 324 00:19:01,359 --> 00:19:03,480 Speaker 1: a late that he likes. Yeah, I don't think we 325 00:19:03,520 --> 00:19:07,600 Speaker 1: said a late is Latin for wing and um, they land, 326 00:19:07,720 --> 00:19:11,000 Speaker 1: they break their wings off. So now they're called delights 327 00:19:12,000 --> 00:19:15,320 Speaker 1: and they say, hey, you're kind of cute. You want 328 00:19:15,320 --> 00:19:17,040 Speaker 1: to go, like see if we can make a go 329 00:19:17,119 --> 00:19:19,720 Speaker 1: of this, And she says sure, let's go found a 330 00:19:19,760 --> 00:19:22,520 Speaker 1: colony exactly. So they look for a shelter. They dig 331 00:19:22,560 --> 00:19:25,720 Speaker 1: into a hole, um, and then they seal it with 332 00:19:26,800 --> 00:19:28,720 Speaker 1: like to set the mood. They don't want like light 333 00:19:28,720 --> 00:19:31,840 Speaker 1: coming in there. They see it with poop and saliva. Yeah, 334 00:19:31,840 --> 00:19:35,320 Speaker 1: they're poop is also they're pooping. Their saliva are really handy, 335 00:19:35,600 --> 00:19:37,520 Speaker 1: super handy. He's just like, let me take care of this, 336 00:19:38,160 --> 00:19:40,320 Speaker 1: like it's windy, let me go poop and seal up 337 00:19:40,480 --> 00:19:43,280 Speaker 1: our door right with mix it with my spit. Yeah, 338 00:19:43,400 --> 00:19:46,800 Speaker 1: maybe they's building some wood and soil and uh. Then 339 00:19:46,800 --> 00:19:49,040 Speaker 1: they have a little love nest and they mate and 340 00:19:49,400 --> 00:19:51,840 Speaker 1: the new queen lays her eggs. What's cute is like 341 00:19:51,880 --> 00:19:54,119 Speaker 1: this this uh, and now they're the new king and 342 00:19:54,160 --> 00:19:57,600 Speaker 1: the new queen. This colony that they just founded, the 343 00:19:57,640 --> 00:20:01,800 Speaker 1: first generation. They're going down kind of but not really. 344 00:20:02,920 --> 00:20:04,800 Speaker 1: It's kind of like the opposite of Jamestown. There's a 345 00:20:04,800 --> 00:20:09,320 Speaker 1: lot of birth. Yes, Um, so the the the the 346 00:20:09,480 --> 00:20:11,680 Speaker 1: king and the queen will take care of this first 347 00:20:11,720 --> 00:20:15,760 Speaker 1: generation until they have enough workers to take over the duties. 348 00:20:16,040 --> 00:20:18,120 Speaker 1: Then they get lazy and then they just yeah, they 349 00:20:18,160 --> 00:20:21,320 Speaker 1: go back and the queen. The queen doesn't exactly get lazy. 350 00:20:21,359 --> 00:20:25,200 Speaker 1: She's laying thousands of eggs every day. Yeah, the most 351 00:20:25,320 --> 00:20:27,800 Speaker 1: prolific um. That's like the high end for sure. But 352 00:20:28,440 --> 00:20:30,320 Speaker 1: it can happen well. And it takes about two to 353 00:20:30,400 --> 00:20:33,840 Speaker 1: four years for a colony to become fully mature. Um. 354 00:20:33,920 --> 00:20:36,719 Speaker 1: And depending on whether it's a primitive or a higher 355 00:20:37,480 --> 00:20:41,280 Speaker 1: termite species, there can be tens of thousands or millions 356 00:20:41,280 --> 00:20:45,880 Speaker 1: of individuals in this mature colony. And then eventually, uh, 357 00:20:45,920 --> 00:20:49,399 Speaker 1: it becomes clear that they need to swarm again and 358 00:20:49,440 --> 00:20:52,480 Speaker 1: the whole process just takes over again. Yeah, and uh, 359 00:20:52,520 --> 00:20:54,440 Speaker 1: the King and Queen will find out later they live 360 00:20:55,080 --> 00:20:58,879 Speaker 1: um in the deepest, safest part of their nests, whatever 361 00:20:58,920 --> 00:21:02,040 Speaker 1: it may be. Um. And here, I think to me 362 00:21:02,200 --> 00:21:05,240 Speaker 1: is finally the de fact of the podcast what queens 363 00:21:05,280 --> 00:21:08,960 Speaker 1: can live to be twenty years old? If you thought 364 00:21:08,960 --> 00:21:11,359 Speaker 1: that was the fact of the podcast, twenty five years 365 00:21:11,359 --> 00:21:14,720 Speaker 1: old for an insect I saw elsewhere six to seventy 366 00:21:14,840 --> 00:21:18,840 Speaker 1: really wow? Yeah, man, that is crazy. So that's for 367 00:21:18,920 --> 00:21:21,760 Speaker 1: the queen only. Um, but even the workers can live 368 00:21:21,800 --> 00:21:24,119 Speaker 1: two to five years, which is pretty impressive. Yeah, in 369 00:21:24,160 --> 00:21:26,640 Speaker 1: the insects world, Yeah, for sure. And that's of course 370 00:21:26,680 --> 00:21:30,359 Speaker 1: barring accident and you know, well bats and frogs, and 371 00:21:30,480 --> 00:21:33,160 Speaker 1: it'll be the same thing with us once we overcome aging. 372 00:21:33,440 --> 00:21:35,760 Speaker 1: You'll still be able to die from an accident as Yeah. 373 00:21:35,800 --> 00:21:38,120 Speaker 1: And I keep saying people eat them. I didn't look 374 00:21:38,160 --> 00:21:40,600 Speaker 1: into it that much, but it's they're definitely on the 375 00:21:40,600 --> 00:21:44,840 Speaker 1: menu in a lot of countries. Um. I think is 376 00:21:44,840 --> 00:21:47,000 Speaker 1: that the United States and Europe and Canada are the 377 00:21:47,040 --> 00:21:50,840 Speaker 1: only countries that don't eat insects in the world. And 378 00:21:51,200 --> 00:21:54,320 Speaker 1: if you're need to survive, I know if you've watched Survivor, 379 00:21:54,320 --> 00:21:57,359 Speaker 1: man uh, a termite nest is like a really great 380 00:21:57,359 --> 00:21:59,639 Speaker 1: thing to happen upon. I'd be like trapped in the woods, 381 00:21:59,680 --> 00:22:02,000 Speaker 1: a lot of protein. Yeah, and if you're an art 382 00:22:02,040 --> 00:22:05,520 Speaker 1: Parker an ant eater, same deal exactly. So you've got 383 00:22:05,600 --> 00:22:11,280 Speaker 1: your colony and they need a place to live. They 384 00:22:11,320 --> 00:22:14,240 Speaker 1: don't just wander around. They're not Bedouins, right. They've built 385 00:22:14,240 --> 00:22:18,560 Speaker 1: a nest, but they haven't really built there home yet, 386 00:22:19,359 --> 00:22:21,680 Speaker 1: their shelter. They've got the house, but they haven't made 387 00:22:21,680 --> 00:22:24,639 Speaker 1: it a home kind of, but they haven't expanded it 388 00:22:24,640 --> 00:22:28,159 Speaker 1: into a city. They've established a house, it's down the 389 00:22:28,240 --> 00:22:31,280 Speaker 1: middle of nowhere. Now they need to build the infrastructure 390 00:22:31,480 --> 00:22:34,800 Speaker 1: and a society basically exactly. And once they raised that 391 00:22:34,840 --> 00:22:37,400 Speaker 1: first generation of workers, then it starts to take over 392 00:22:37,680 --> 00:22:41,440 Speaker 1: and the colony grows exponentially from there. Yeah. Um, their 393 00:22:41,520 --> 00:22:43,520 Speaker 1: nests are going to be called They all build nests 394 00:22:43,520 --> 00:22:48,480 Speaker 1: no matter what species. They're called termitaries or termitaria. And 395 00:22:49,240 --> 00:22:51,680 Speaker 1: even though they all build nests, they can be quite 396 00:22:51,680 --> 00:22:54,399 Speaker 1: different depending on what the species is and where you 397 00:22:54,440 --> 00:22:57,480 Speaker 1: find them. Like we said, the primitives are going to 398 00:22:57,560 --> 00:23:00,440 Speaker 1: be living in the wood that they're consuming until what's gone, 399 00:23:00,440 --> 00:23:03,960 Speaker 1: and then they die and they are categorized according to 400 00:23:04,000 --> 00:23:05,640 Speaker 1: the wood that they like to eat, which is kind 401 00:23:05,640 --> 00:23:11,679 Speaker 1: of cool. Yeah, like damp, dry, or rotten. Yeah, they 402 00:23:11,720 --> 00:23:15,760 Speaker 1: probably love that stuff, the rotten stuff. Uh. And then 403 00:23:15,800 --> 00:23:18,400 Speaker 1: you talked earlier about the fun guy that they share 404 00:23:18,440 --> 00:23:21,280 Speaker 1: their home with in bacteria, which is pretty cool. That's 405 00:23:21,359 --> 00:23:25,560 Speaker 1: very much symbiosis as well. Well, actually it's not. It's 406 00:23:25,600 --> 00:23:28,280 Speaker 1: one guy can't live without the termites. There is a Yeah, 407 00:23:28,840 --> 00:23:33,879 Speaker 1: there's a there's a specific type of termite, macro terminite 408 00:23:34,280 --> 00:23:41,840 Speaker 1: neatne macro term You sounding like an islander. Yeah, I 409 00:23:41,880 --> 00:23:45,200 Speaker 1: got it, though, I got it. So um. They actually 410 00:23:45,640 --> 00:23:49,720 Speaker 1: grow mushrooms like they garden. That was one of the 411 00:23:49,760 --> 00:23:52,200 Speaker 1: facts of the podcast too, isn't that neat? Yeah, they 412 00:23:52,240 --> 00:23:55,400 Speaker 1: grow these specific types of mushrooms that eventually grow out 413 00:23:55,400 --> 00:23:58,080 Speaker 1: of the termite mound. The termites grow these, and the 414 00:23:58,119 --> 00:24:01,280 Speaker 1: reason the termites grow them is because this fungus u 415 00:24:01,640 --> 00:24:06,600 Speaker 1: helps to break down the cellulosic material that the mound 416 00:24:06,680 --> 00:24:10,399 Speaker 1: is built against. So they're they're growing these mushrooms to 417 00:24:10,440 --> 00:24:12,240 Speaker 1: help them break this stuff down so they can in 418 00:24:12,320 --> 00:24:15,520 Speaker 1: turn eat it more efficiently. Yeah, they're actually gardening. It's 419 00:24:15,560 --> 00:24:21,160 Speaker 1: really amazing. Yeah, what's his name, Aaron Mullins. He was right, 420 00:24:21,640 --> 00:24:24,119 Speaker 1: they are fascinating. So we'll get to the mounds in 421 00:24:24,119 --> 00:24:27,600 Speaker 1: a second, but we'll cover subterranean now. They are the 422 00:24:27,600 --> 00:24:32,080 Speaker 1: ones underground obviously, and it's uh, it's sort of like 423 00:24:32,080 --> 00:24:34,000 Speaker 1: when you've looked at like the little ant farms that 424 00:24:34,040 --> 00:24:36,399 Speaker 1: you buy all the little series of tubes and caves 425 00:24:36,440 --> 00:24:39,880 Speaker 1: and tunnels. Um, that's what they're building down there. Some 426 00:24:40,000 --> 00:24:44,159 Speaker 1: they have galleries for storage and for classroom education and 427 00:24:44,240 --> 00:24:48,080 Speaker 1: raising the young, and then they have they obviously lived 428 00:24:48,080 --> 00:24:50,840 Speaker 1: down there as well, and then they connect it all together. 429 00:24:51,040 --> 00:24:53,520 Speaker 1: Sometimes they connect it to their food source. Like they'll 430 00:24:53,520 --> 00:24:56,120 Speaker 1: build a next near a tree route that connects right 431 00:24:56,160 --> 00:24:57,719 Speaker 1: to it and they can just tap right into it. 432 00:24:58,520 --> 00:25:01,880 Speaker 1: And then I guess does that kill the tree eventually? Well, 433 00:25:01,920 --> 00:25:05,240 Speaker 1: it just disintegrates the tree. It's not there any longer. Yeah, 434 00:25:05,720 --> 00:25:09,240 Speaker 1: but it's already dead tree. They eat rotting wood or 435 00:25:09,359 --> 00:25:12,800 Speaker 1: dead wood. I don't think they eat live wood. Okay, 436 00:25:12,840 --> 00:25:15,840 Speaker 1: so this is just like an old root, I guess. Yeah. Um. 437 00:25:15,880 --> 00:25:20,200 Speaker 1: And the the they they'll build their um their nests 438 00:25:20,200 --> 00:25:24,199 Speaker 1: such that if it's cold out, yeah, they'll it'll be 439 00:25:24,240 --> 00:25:27,520 Speaker 1: deep enough that they can all migrate down to a 440 00:25:27,560 --> 00:25:30,280 Speaker 1: warmer spot in the earth. There's like different areas within 441 00:25:30,320 --> 00:25:33,440 Speaker 1: the colony that they'll take root, right, and if it's 442 00:25:33,480 --> 00:25:35,920 Speaker 1: if it's hot out or something, they'll, um, they'll maybe 443 00:25:35,920 --> 00:25:39,240 Speaker 1: go to like part of the colony that's under the 444 00:25:39,280 --> 00:25:41,520 Speaker 1: shade of a tree or something like that. I mean 445 00:25:41,520 --> 00:25:44,879 Speaker 1: they're pretty complex. Yeah, And if they are building their 446 00:25:44,960 --> 00:25:48,080 Speaker 1: nest underground and they come upon a big slab of 447 00:25:48,280 --> 00:25:52,000 Speaker 1: rock or something, they build little what's called shelter tubes 448 00:25:52,080 --> 00:25:55,280 Speaker 1: about the size of a pencil in diameter, and they 449 00:25:55,640 --> 00:25:58,920 Speaker 1: they're basically just a little alternate highway. It's like detours. 450 00:26:00,040 --> 00:26:03,239 Speaker 1: Well yeah, it's like, um, it's an extension of the 451 00:26:03,280 --> 00:26:07,679 Speaker 1: nest that protects the termites from exposure to sunlight or 452 00:26:07,680 --> 00:26:09,399 Speaker 1: the air or anything like that. Yeah, But a lot 453 00:26:09,440 --> 00:26:12,080 Speaker 1: of times just to get around something too right, but 454 00:26:12,359 --> 00:26:14,720 Speaker 1: rather than having to like crawl up over the rock 455 00:26:14,800 --> 00:26:19,960 Speaker 1: and be exposed, they build this this basically like a tunnel. 456 00:26:19,400 --> 00:26:23,360 Speaker 1: Then it's like, um, it's like the opposite of a tunnel. 457 00:26:23,720 --> 00:26:27,920 Speaker 1: It's it's exposed, it's above ground. So like let's say 458 00:26:27,920 --> 00:26:32,399 Speaker 1: you have a subterranean colony chuck, And here's the ground, 459 00:26:33,200 --> 00:26:35,480 Speaker 1: and an inch above the ground is your house. But 460 00:26:35,560 --> 00:26:39,359 Speaker 1: between the ground and your house is cement, the slab 461 00:26:39,440 --> 00:26:42,080 Speaker 1: that your house is built on. They may build a 462 00:26:42,200 --> 00:26:46,159 Speaker 1: um what's it called a shelter tube from the ground, 463 00:26:46,200 --> 00:26:50,119 Speaker 1: from their nest to your house, and it's just like 464 00:26:50,160 --> 00:26:53,760 Speaker 1: an extension of their their colony, of their subterranean nest. 465 00:26:55,200 --> 00:26:58,919 Speaker 1: So those are the subs. They're also mounds. I encourage 466 00:26:58,920 --> 00:27:01,879 Speaker 1: you to google giant might mound and see some of 467 00:27:01,920 --> 00:27:05,000 Speaker 1: these things that are like tall. Some of them are 468 00:27:05,119 --> 00:27:11,360 Speaker 1: uncannily like houses. They look like human houses. Yeah, really neat, like, uh, 469 00:27:11,480 --> 00:27:13,320 Speaker 1: you'll find these in Africa. You're not gonna find these 470 00:27:13,320 --> 00:27:16,600 Speaker 1: in Georgia or anything like that, not this tall. But um, 471 00:27:16,640 --> 00:27:20,439 Speaker 1: they are domed, towered structures, and they are made up 472 00:27:20,480 --> 00:27:25,040 Speaker 1: of soil and excrement and poop and saliva and all 473 00:27:25,080 --> 00:27:28,200 Speaker 1: the moisture that glue like and moisture they can secrete, 474 00:27:28,200 --> 00:27:31,639 Speaker 1: I guess. And uh. Some of them are little nests 475 00:27:31,640 --> 00:27:33,399 Speaker 1: like on the side of stumps or trees, but some 476 00:27:33,480 --> 00:27:35,400 Speaker 1: of them are just free standing out in the middle 477 00:27:35,400 --> 00:27:40,560 Speaker 1: of nowhere. Yeah, and like freestanding and structurally sound like, Yeah, 478 00:27:40,600 --> 00:27:42,840 Speaker 1: they'll survive longer than the termites. Weil. Yeah, they can 479 00:27:42,840 --> 00:27:47,040 Speaker 1: survive brush fires. Seen pictures of brush fires that just 480 00:27:47,160 --> 00:27:51,600 Speaker 1: went past the termite mound. Um floods flood l kill 481 00:27:51,680 --> 00:27:55,160 Speaker 1: the termite colony, but the mound itself will remain intact. 482 00:27:55,640 --> 00:27:58,760 Speaker 1: And they also have a built in heating and cooling 483 00:27:58,800 --> 00:28:03,120 Speaker 1: system eventally system where they build chimneys into the mounds 484 00:28:03,560 --> 00:28:05,720 Speaker 1: and there's ventilation chefts coming in the other way and 485 00:28:05,720 --> 00:28:08,960 Speaker 1: it forces heat out and cool air in. And there's 486 00:28:09,000 --> 00:28:14,359 Speaker 1: actually a UM mixed use development in uh Harrara, Zimbabwe 487 00:28:15,080 --> 00:28:18,720 Speaker 1: called East Skate Center and it has no central h 488 00:28:18,880 --> 00:28:23,359 Speaker 1: v A C. It uses termite inspired chimney ducks for 489 00:28:23,480 --> 00:28:25,840 Speaker 1: heating and cooling of this place. It's pretty cool. So 490 00:28:25,880 --> 00:28:28,199 Speaker 1: they just got their idea from like how they do 491 00:28:28,240 --> 00:28:32,680 Speaker 1: their work. Yeah, it's like biomimicry. Oh yeah, we talked 492 00:28:32,680 --> 00:28:34,360 Speaker 1: about that before. Yeah, I don't think we ever did 493 00:28:34,359 --> 00:28:39,120 Speaker 1: an episode on it. Now added to the list, my friend. Um. 494 00:28:39,160 --> 00:28:41,080 Speaker 1: So another way that termites. You know, they're gonna get 495 00:28:41,080 --> 00:28:43,880 Speaker 1: eaten a lot, but that is another way that they 496 00:28:43,920 --> 00:28:47,840 Speaker 1: benefit um the ecosystem. If you're part of the food 497 00:28:47,920 --> 00:28:50,200 Speaker 1: chain and other animals are gonna eat you and poop 498 00:28:50,200 --> 00:28:54,720 Speaker 1: you out. Then you're doing your job right sadly, But 499 00:28:55,160 --> 00:28:59,960 Speaker 1: termites also eat other animals pop. Yeah, they eat herban 500 00:29:00,040 --> 00:29:04,120 Speaker 1: wars poop because there's frequently cellulosic material left over, and 501 00:29:04,120 --> 00:29:07,200 Speaker 1: the termites eat that. If they're cellulose, they're gonna eat it. 502 00:29:07,240 --> 00:29:08,920 Speaker 1: They don't care if it's poop. Yeah, And they play 503 00:29:08,920 --> 00:29:12,160 Speaker 1: a really vital role to the um to their ecosystems. 504 00:29:12,200 --> 00:29:15,160 Speaker 1: In some places, termites are the only things breaking down 505 00:29:15,960 --> 00:29:21,080 Speaker 1: cellulosic material like a fallen tree, um or animal poop 506 00:29:21,240 --> 00:29:25,440 Speaker 1: that would build up otherwise if the termites didn't eat it. Um. 507 00:29:25,480 --> 00:29:28,600 Speaker 1: So they they have a really bad they get a 508 00:29:28,600 --> 00:29:34,040 Speaker 1: bad rap among humans. But apparently the species are beneficial. Yeah, 509 00:29:34,040 --> 00:29:36,000 Speaker 1: that's true. And I guess this is the point where 510 00:29:36,000 --> 00:29:38,640 Speaker 1: we should get into the sad part, which is if 511 00:29:38,640 --> 00:29:41,800 Speaker 1: you want to prevent termites from coming to where you 512 00:29:41,840 --> 00:29:44,600 Speaker 1: live or get rid of them if they are there. 513 00:29:44,640 --> 00:29:52,560 Speaker 1: But um, right after this message break. If you have 514 00:29:52,640 --> 00:29:56,840 Speaker 1: a woodhouse, the termite doesn't know that it's not just 515 00:29:56,920 --> 00:29:59,920 Speaker 1: a fallen log, it's dead wood as far as they're 516 00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:03,280 Speaker 1: in turn, and it it's on the menu, especially if 517 00:30:03,320 --> 00:30:06,160 Speaker 1: that would is making direct contact with the ground. Yeah, 518 00:30:06,160 --> 00:30:08,480 Speaker 1: it's always a good thing not to have a good 519 00:30:08,560 --> 00:30:13,080 Speaker 1: starting point for a termite though. Um So around the 520 00:30:13,120 --> 00:30:15,320 Speaker 1: world where termites are really really bad, you might even 521 00:30:15,360 --> 00:30:18,160 Speaker 1: see a house with one stilts with like metal posts 522 00:30:18,720 --> 00:30:21,320 Speaker 1: so the termites can't get up in there. Um it's 523 00:30:21,360 --> 00:30:24,680 Speaker 1: not nearly like that around here, but it sounds like 524 00:30:24,720 --> 00:30:29,640 Speaker 1: Africa and Australia have like some serious serious problems with termites. 525 00:30:30,360 --> 00:30:33,440 Speaker 1: In Australia, yeah, and I mean those are the places 526 00:30:33,440 --> 00:30:37,440 Speaker 1: where you will see like a stilt with metal around 527 00:30:37,520 --> 00:30:40,560 Speaker 1: it because the termites, Which makes sense because if there's 528 00:30:40,640 --> 00:30:43,400 Speaker 1: enough termites, there's not a lot you can do, so 529 00:30:43,520 --> 00:30:46,200 Speaker 1: you just take preventative measures and live with it. Yeah, 530 00:30:46,320 --> 00:30:49,640 Speaker 1: like before you build your house. Um, these days they 531 00:30:49,680 --> 00:30:52,720 Speaker 1: will treat the ground before they even break ground. But 532 00:30:52,800 --> 00:30:55,240 Speaker 1: that stuff is pretty toxic and it only lasts about 533 00:30:55,280 --> 00:30:58,800 Speaker 1: five years. Um, if you're not into that, you can 534 00:31:00,120 --> 00:31:02,680 Speaker 1: say no, thank you for the toxic treatment. I would 535 00:31:02,760 --> 00:31:06,560 Speaker 1: just like to do this every few years. It's still 536 00:31:06,600 --> 00:31:09,560 Speaker 1: probably pretty toxic though. Like the way they like, I 537 00:31:09,600 --> 00:31:13,720 Speaker 1: have this stuff. Um, I have these little uh they're 538 00:31:13,720 --> 00:31:15,800 Speaker 1: not traps, they're built into the ground all around my 539 00:31:15,840 --> 00:31:18,640 Speaker 1: house and the termite guy. The only reason to know 540 00:31:18,720 --> 00:31:20,600 Speaker 1: he's been there is because he leaves a little note 541 00:31:20,600 --> 00:31:23,960 Speaker 1: on my door instead of checked your traps. But they're 542 00:31:24,000 --> 00:31:27,640 Speaker 1: not traps. It's probably just leaching nasty stuff into my soils. 543 00:31:27,680 --> 00:31:30,840 Speaker 1: What it's doing probably yeah, which is no good, but 544 00:31:30,920 --> 00:31:34,600 Speaker 1: it works. Yeah, you don't have termites, that's true. Uh. 545 00:31:34,640 --> 00:31:36,240 Speaker 1: And like we said, you don't want your wood coming 546 00:31:36,280 --> 00:31:39,080 Speaker 1: into direct contact with the soil. That's gonna be a 547 00:31:39,200 --> 00:31:42,760 Speaker 1: basically an open invite for termites to come in there. Uh, 548 00:31:42,800 --> 00:31:45,600 Speaker 1: you don't want, but I mean, termite prevention can be 549 00:31:45,640 --> 00:31:48,480 Speaker 1: as simple as that. Yeah. If you put like a 550 00:31:48,520 --> 00:31:51,440 Speaker 1: moisture barrier in your basement, yeah, just keep it dry. 551 00:31:51,520 --> 00:31:53,600 Speaker 1: It's gonna keep your basement dry and that will kill 552 00:31:53,720 --> 00:31:56,440 Speaker 1: termites just in and of itself. And then if you 553 00:31:56,480 --> 00:31:59,280 Speaker 1: don't have any dirt up against any wood part of 554 00:31:59,280 --> 00:32:01,520 Speaker 1: your house. Every once in a while you just walk 555 00:32:01,560 --> 00:32:03,680 Speaker 1: around your house and make sure there's no shelter tubes 556 00:32:03,760 --> 00:32:06,960 Speaker 1: crawling up to your the wood on your house, you 557 00:32:07,000 --> 00:32:09,760 Speaker 1: should be fine. Yeah, And before you buy your house, 558 00:32:09,800 --> 00:32:12,720 Speaker 1: you're gonna get a termite inspection. That's like one of 559 00:32:12,720 --> 00:32:14,880 Speaker 1: the big things that you should do if you live 560 00:32:14,880 --> 00:32:16,920 Speaker 1: in an area proneo termites, that is. But let's say 561 00:32:17,000 --> 00:32:22,200 Speaker 1: let's say you do suspect that there's been a termite infestation. 562 00:32:22,240 --> 00:32:26,080 Speaker 1: What are some of the signs? Uh, Well, seeing termites 563 00:32:26,120 --> 00:32:28,840 Speaker 1: in your house, that's the one that means you're screwed 564 00:32:28,880 --> 00:32:31,760 Speaker 1: because they're already through the wood. Especially if you see 565 00:32:31,760 --> 00:32:35,200 Speaker 1: a swarm. Oh, you're super screwed because that means there's 566 00:32:35,240 --> 00:32:37,240 Speaker 1: so many already in your house that they have to 567 00:32:37,280 --> 00:32:41,200 Speaker 1: go form another colony elsewhere in your house. Yeah, that's 568 00:32:41,440 --> 00:32:45,040 Speaker 1: when it's time to call a termite professional. That's right. 569 00:32:45,200 --> 00:32:48,040 Speaker 1: Um they might look like ants, So if you think 570 00:32:48,080 --> 00:32:50,200 Speaker 1: you have an ant problem, you want to like look 571 00:32:50,280 --> 00:32:54,479 Speaker 1: extra close in um flying ants. Yeah, at their waste. 572 00:32:54,640 --> 00:32:58,080 Speaker 1: Um Ants have a narrower waste than termites do. Um 573 00:32:58,120 --> 00:33:00,360 Speaker 1: Ants front wings are a lot long or than the 574 00:33:00,360 --> 00:33:03,400 Speaker 1: back wings, whereas termites wings are the same length. So 575 00:33:03,440 --> 00:33:06,000 Speaker 1: that's another good way to um tell. And they fold 576 00:33:06,040 --> 00:33:09,120 Speaker 1: over one another to make like a straight line. That's 577 00:33:09,120 --> 00:33:13,080 Speaker 1: a big giveaway. Uh. And then the antenna and an 578 00:33:13,080 --> 00:33:16,720 Speaker 1: ant's antenna's bent and the termites is straight and looks 579 00:33:16,720 --> 00:33:22,800 Speaker 1: like a little round pearls. Yeah, so uh yeah, look closely, Yeah, 580 00:33:23,000 --> 00:33:27,800 Speaker 1: catch one, hold it gently, look closely and you really 581 00:33:28,040 --> 00:33:30,800 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, you could do that. Um, you might. There 582 00:33:30,880 --> 00:33:35,000 Speaker 1: might also be other signs, less obvious signs, UM, Like 583 00:33:35,080 --> 00:33:39,000 Speaker 1: you might find little tiny wings, like flying ant wings 584 00:33:39,160 --> 00:33:42,120 Speaker 1: around your windows in your lights. That's a sign that 585 00:33:42,280 --> 00:33:45,320 Speaker 1: termites have been there and have already sworn because they 586 00:33:45,320 --> 00:33:50,240 Speaker 1: went from allites to d allites. Um, do you have decayed? 587 00:33:50,240 --> 00:33:52,000 Speaker 1: Would if you tap your wood with a hammer, does 588 00:33:52,040 --> 00:33:54,920 Speaker 1: the hammer go right through it? If so, that's a 589 00:33:54,920 --> 00:33:59,720 Speaker 1: pretty good sign you have termine. Don't like that infomercial? Yeah, uh, 590 00:34:00,000 --> 00:34:02,960 Speaker 1: pretty much do in every episode. No, you don't. But 591 00:34:03,120 --> 00:34:06,600 Speaker 1: it can also get confused with like water damage and things. Um. 592 00:34:06,680 --> 00:34:09,200 Speaker 1: The way you can tell the difference is termite damage 593 00:34:09,239 --> 00:34:11,880 Speaker 1: follows the grain of the wood and it's also lined 594 00:34:12,640 --> 00:34:16,279 Speaker 1: um with wood and soil, and that's obviously not the 595 00:34:16,280 --> 00:34:20,080 Speaker 1: case with water damage. Um. And then, like you said, 596 00:34:20,320 --> 00:34:23,560 Speaker 1: just look for the shelter tubes. That's a pretty giveaway. 597 00:34:23,560 --> 00:34:26,080 Speaker 1: To pick up a cinder block and do you see 598 00:34:26,360 --> 00:34:29,759 Speaker 1: tubes and termites. Yeah. What's great though, is if you 599 00:34:29,800 --> 00:34:33,919 Speaker 1: see this, you don't need to panic. Like it takes many, many, 600 00:34:33,960 --> 00:34:37,880 Speaker 1: many years for termites to really do significant damage to 601 00:34:37,960 --> 00:34:40,160 Speaker 1: your house. Yeah, but it's on the flip side though. 602 00:34:40,200 --> 00:34:45,400 Speaker 1: They it's often invisible until it's too late, you know, 603 00:34:45,800 --> 00:34:47,600 Speaker 1: like you gotta get if you if you see a 604 00:34:47,640 --> 00:34:50,000 Speaker 1: couple of swarms in your house, then yeah, you need 605 00:34:50,080 --> 00:34:52,279 Speaker 1: to handle that immediately. You should handle it immediately no 606 00:34:52,320 --> 00:34:55,840 Speaker 1: matter what. But if you spotted a shelter tube for 607 00:34:55,880 --> 00:34:58,200 Speaker 1: the first time, and you just also looked last week, 608 00:34:58,920 --> 00:35:01,640 Speaker 1: you're not necessarily in any danger in The point is is, 609 00:35:02,480 --> 00:35:05,279 Speaker 1: since it takes a while, you want to take a 610 00:35:05,280 --> 00:35:09,600 Speaker 1: while in finding the right exterminator because they're gonna you're 611 00:35:09,719 --> 00:35:12,879 Speaker 1: gonna make friends with this person because they have some 612 00:35:12,960 --> 00:35:15,640 Speaker 1: serious work to do. Yeah, and you need an exterminator. 613 00:35:15,680 --> 00:35:17,080 Speaker 1: This isn't the kind of problem you can get rid 614 00:35:17,080 --> 00:35:20,880 Speaker 1: of on your own. It's not for civilians to tackle. 615 00:35:21,000 --> 00:35:23,880 Speaker 1: And we're not shills for exterminators either, We're really saying this. 616 00:35:24,080 --> 00:35:26,520 Speaker 1: So you don't want to tackle it on your own. Uh, 617 00:35:26,640 --> 00:35:28,759 Speaker 1: you want to hire your exterminator. The first thing they're 618 00:35:28,760 --> 00:35:33,160 Speaker 1: gonna do is obviously verify that is infect termites and 619 00:35:33,200 --> 00:35:35,200 Speaker 1: not water damage or something. They're gonna hit the wood 620 00:35:35,200 --> 00:35:37,400 Speaker 1: in your house with the hammer. Yeah, pretty much. They 621 00:35:37,440 --> 00:35:39,239 Speaker 1: have all kinds of things that like heat sensors and 622 00:35:39,320 --> 00:35:42,799 Speaker 1: little tiny infrared cameras they'll stick into your walls, and 623 00:35:43,600 --> 00:35:47,800 Speaker 1: um stethoscopes, like I can hear them, do they They 624 00:35:47,840 --> 00:35:52,800 Speaker 1: have sound sensors. It's just like a high texts stethoscope. 625 00:35:53,800 --> 00:35:56,600 Speaker 1: One of the things they can do is bates use baits, 626 00:35:56,640 --> 00:36:02,320 Speaker 1: which is basically unfortunately wood soaked and pesticide. It's poisoned 627 00:36:02,320 --> 00:36:04,040 Speaker 1: food and they say, hey, come in here and eat this, 628 00:36:04,120 --> 00:36:05,399 Speaker 1: and they eat it and then they take it back 629 00:36:05,440 --> 00:36:10,680 Speaker 1: to their colony and kill everybody. It's exactly like snow white. Yeah, 630 00:36:11,120 --> 00:36:13,360 Speaker 1: it's awful though, Like I've grown, I had grown to 631 00:36:13,400 --> 00:36:15,840 Speaker 1: love termites by the end of this, and then I 632 00:36:15,880 --> 00:36:18,080 Speaker 1: started reading about how they kill him. I'm like, that's awful. 633 00:36:18,400 --> 00:36:20,440 Speaker 1: Can't you just relocate them? I feel it very much 634 00:36:20,440 --> 00:36:23,520 Speaker 1: the same way. Yeah, you can't know, No, you can't. 635 00:36:23,680 --> 00:36:25,799 Speaker 1: You can't relocate him. You have to kill them, or 636 00:36:25,920 --> 00:36:30,120 Speaker 1: you could move just get leave them the house kind 637 00:36:30,120 --> 00:36:34,080 Speaker 1: of why not. Repellents is another thing they can use, 638 00:36:34,160 --> 00:36:37,040 Speaker 1: my friend, uh, and that's just like any kind of 639 00:36:37,040 --> 00:36:39,719 Speaker 1: insect repellent that keeps them from like if you see 640 00:36:39,719 --> 00:36:42,720 Speaker 1: a swarm near your house, you're gonna use a repellent. 641 00:36:42,800 --> 00:36:44,400 Speaker 1: That means they're not at the house yet and you 642 00:36:44,400 --> 00:36:46,239 Speaker 1: can keep them away. Is that what you're guys doing 643 00:36:46,480 --> 00:36:50,080 Speaker 1: with a little trap thing or whatever. Uh, he's probably 644 00:36:50,120 --> 00:36:53,719 Speaker 1: using your repellent. Yeah, it's some sort of Yeah, I 645 00:36:53,719 --> 00:36:56,719 Speaker 1: don't think it's killing like an ultrasonic way that just 646 00:36:56,800 --> 00:36:58,799 Speaker 1: shatters their head, you know what it is. It's so weird, 647 00:36:58,880 --> 00:37:01,600 Speaker 1: these little round you just when you walk by, it 648 00:37:01,600 --> 00:37:04,200 Speaker 1: looks like a little round disk, green disk. And then 649 00:37:04,400 --> 00:37:06,120 Speaker 1: I've seen him pull it up though, and it goes like, 650 00:37:06,239 --> 00:37:08,520 Speaker 1: you know, six inches into the ground. I think that's 651 00:37:08,560 --> 00:37:10,640 Speaker 1: probably repellent. I think it's got to be. And the 652 00:37:10,680 --> 00:37:14,000 Speaker 1: cool thing about repellents too, is, um, the ones that 653 00:37:14,040 --> 00:37:17,799 Speaker 1: are already inside are trapped inside, and they're cut off 654 00:37:17,880 --> 00:37:20,719 Speaker 1: from the rest of the Uh, they're safe colony, which 655 00:37:20,719 --> 00:37:23,319 Speaker 1: means that they probably die of dehydration pretty soon. So 656 00:37:23,400 --> 00:37:25,840 Speaker 1: that's cool and very sad. All right. Well, I'm just 657 00:37:25,880 --> 00:37:30,640 Speaker 1: saying like, yeah, they called me. The final thing that 658 00:37:30,680 --> 00:37:33,240 Speaker 1: they can do is just kill them with a termatic side, 659 00:37:33,360 --> 00:37:37,040 Speaker 1: and that means pumping sometimes hundreds of gallons of poison 660 00:37:37,960 --> 00:37:40,759 Speaker 1: into their nests and killing them into your house. Yeah, 661 00:37:41,280 --> 00:37:44,799 Speaker 1: which is the thing that's why you just move and 662 00:37:44,880 --> 00:37:48,240 Speaker 1: leave him the house. You tell the bank like, sorry, guys, 663 00:37:48,280 --> 00:37:50,400 Speaker 1: I'm not paying on this anymore. Go hit the termites 664 00:37:50,480 --> 00:37:54,520 Speaker 1: up for your monthly payment. If you're brave, you got 665 00:37:54,520 --> 00:37:59,440 Speaker 1: anything else? No, yeah, it did kind of Who are 666 00:37:59,480 --> 00:38:01,440 Speaker 1: hanging on by our fingernails there? I wish we had 667 00:38:01,480 --> 00:38:04,160 Speaker 1: one more, like, great, fact, let's just make one up 668 00:38:04,520 --> 00:38:07,719 Speaker 1: and then at the end they turn into carrot top. Yes, 669 00:38:07,880 --> 00:38:12,040 Speaker 1: it's pretty good. Good going back to the show, I've 670 00:38:12,080 --> 00:38:15,279 Speaker 1: got one. Oh, we didn't cover the foremotion, so we're 671 00:38:15,320 --> 00:38:18,719 Speaker 1: gonna talk about Okay, I didn't even highlight that one. Yeah, 672 00:38:19,239 --> 00:38:23,480 Speaker 1: the termite poop is called frass f R A S 673 00:38:23,480 --> 00:38:27,600 Speaker 1: S and frass is rich in magnesium, so when they 674 00:38:27,640 --> 00:38:30,480 Speaker 1: poop they enrich the soil. They're just pretty much perfect 675 00:38:30,480 --> 00:38:32,600 Speaker 1: in every way except for when they're eating your house. 676 00:38:33,800 --> 00:38:36,359 Speaker 1: That's a great way to end it. I know your 677 00:38:36,400 --> 00:38:39,920 Speaker 1: carrot top one was the best way to end it. So, uh, 678 00:38:40,000 --> 00:38:43,759 Speaker 1: let's see if you want to learn more about termites, right, yeah, 679 00:38:43,920 --> 00:38:45,680 Speaker 1: you go type that word into the search bar at 680 00:38:45,719 --> 00:38:48,200 Speaker 1: how stuff works dot com and says I said search part. 681 00:38:48,200 --> 00:38:53,959 Speaker 1: Its time for listener mail. I'm gonna call this bird killer. Uh. 682 00:38:53,960 --> 00:38:59,279 Speaker 1: In our show on myth Busting Common Misconceptions, we I 683 00:38:59,280 --> 00:39:01,359 Speaker 1: told the story about killing a bird, and Josh told 684 00:39:01,400 --> 00:39:04,680 Speaker 1: the story about Youmi microwaving and bird, but you say 685 00:39:04,719 --> 00:39:07,600 Speaker 1: not killing right. It eventually died. She didn't kill it 686 00:39:07,640 --> 00:39:12,279 Speaker 1: in a microwave. It just died later from microwave internal complications. 687 00:39:12,280 --> 00:39:15,640 Speaker 1: Just died of being overtreated. Okay, So we got a 688 00:39:15,719 --> 00:39:18,640 Speaker 1: letter from Matt about that. Um Hi, guys, you broke 689 00:39:18,680 --> 00:39:20,879 Speaker 1: my heart this morning. I was listening to your myth 690 00:39:20,960 --> 00:39:23,520 Speaker 1: busting podcast on the drive in. I don't like this one. 691 00:39:23,680 --> 00:39:25,759 Speaker 1: I read this one. I don't like it. Should I 692 00:39:25,760 --> 00:39:29,160 Speaker 1: not read it? Yeah, you can't go. It's so you 693 00:39:29,160 --> 00:39:32,919 Speaker 1: can excuse yourself if you want to leave. Okay, I'll 694 00:39:32,920 --> 00:39:35,640 Speaker 1: sit through it. You started talking about the mama bird 695 00:39:35,640 --> 00:39:37,760 Speaker 1: baby bird myth, and it brought tears to my eyes. 696 00:39:38,360 --> 00:39:39,719 Speaker 1: You see, when I was in the fourth grade, my 697 00:39:39,719 --> 00:39:41,719 Speaker 1: friend John and I were playing in the woods and 698 00:39:41,760 --> 00:39:44,840 Speaker 1: the beautiful South Hills of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We encountered a 699 00:39:44,880 --> 00:39:47,640 Speaker 1: baby bird, and I, being an animal lover, picked it 700 00:39:47,719 --> 00:39:50,000 Speaker 1: up because it was so cute. As soon as I did, 701 00:39:50,000 --> 00:39:51,600 Speaker 1: I remember that I had just doomed it to a 702 00:39:51,640 --> 00:39:54,680 Speaker 1: slow death of lonely starvation because his mother would never 703 00:39:54,719 --> 00:39:57,279 Speaker 1: care for it again. For some reason, even though I 704 00:39:57,320 --> 00:40:00,120 Speaker 1: was and am an animal person, neither John nor I 705 00:40:00,160 --> 00:40:02,600 Speaker 1: thought of raising it ourselves. Instead, we thought we would 706 00:40:02,640 --> 00:40:05,239 Speaker 1: spare it a horrible slow death by snatching it with 707 00:40:05,320 --> 00:40:09,560 Speaker 1: the cinder block, which we did just so you know, guys, 708 00:40:09,600 --> 00:40:11,279 Speaker 1: I haven't killed an animal since and I'm not a 709 00:40:11,320 --> 00:40:15,160 Speaker 1: serial killer currently. Until this morning, I actually thought that 710 00:40:15,200 --> 00:40:17,239 Speaker 1: we did the right thing. So this dude from the 711 00:40:17,280 --> 00:40:19,839 Speaker 1: fourth grade, until last week, I thought that he had 712 00:40:19,880 --> 00:40:24,320 Speaker 1: like spared this bird. Yep. Uh. Now I can't stop 713 00:40:24,360 --> 00:40:26,680 Speaker 1: thinking about the mama bird watching from high in a 714 00:40:26,760 --> 00:40:28,719 Speaker 1: tree as we smashed her baby with the cinder block. 715 00:40:28,960 --> 00:40:32,120 Speaker 1: So thanks for that. Also, I have an anti joke. 716 00:40:32,200 --> 00:40:33,719 Speaker 1: We got a lot of anti jokes, by the way, 717 00:40:34,160 --> 00:40:38,360 Speaker 1: apparently there's some like established anti jokes. Yeah, the the 718 00:40:38,440 --> 00:40:41,440 Speaker 1: rabbits in the bathtub. I didn't see that one. Two 719 00:40:41,520 --> 00:40:43,359 Speaker 1: rabbits in the bathtub, and one and said, hey, pass 720 00:40:43,440 --> 00:40:44,759 Speaker 1: me the soap, and the other one said, what do 721 00:40:44,800 --> 00:40:47,920 Speaker 1: I look like a typewriter? So that one didn't do it. 722 00:40:48,440 --> 00:40:51,319 Speaker 1: I like this one. Though a man walks into a bar, 723 00:40:51,560 --> 00:40:54,359 Speaker 1: he's an alcoholic and it's destroying his family. Oh yeah, 724 00:40:54,360 --> 00:40:58,200 Speaker 1: I saw that one. I love it. Uh. In all 725 00:40:58,239 --> 00:41:01,960 Speaker 1: seriousness though, guys, thanks with the best podcast around and 726 00:41:01,960 --> 00:41:06,120 Speaker 1: that is from Matt. Thanks Matt. Appreciate that, sorry bubble 727 00:41:06,160 --> 00:41:09,080 Speaker 1: of my friend. Actually I don't appreciate that one at all. 728 00:41:10,239 --> 00:41:12,799 Speaker 1: If you want to send something that traumatizes Chucker me, 729 00:41:12,920 --> 00:41:15,320 Speaker 1: you can tweet to us at s y ESK podcast. 730 00:41:15,680 --> 00:41:17,840 Speaker 1: You can join us on Facebook dot com slash stuff 731 00:41:17,840 --> 00:41:21,000 Speaker 1: you Should Know. You can send us an email to 732 00:41:21,160 --> 00:41:24,239 Speaker 1: Stuff Podcast at Discovery dot com, and as always, you 733 00:41:24,239 --> 00:41:25,959 Speaker 1: can hang out with us at our home on the web, 734 00:41:26,000 --> 00:41:33,360 Speaker 1: Stuff you Should Know dot com. For more on this 735 00:41:33,520 --> 00:41:43,960 Speaker 1: and thousands of other topics, visit how stuff Works dot com. Hey. 736 00:41:44,120 --> 00:41:48,000 Speaker 1: Netflix streams TV shows and movies directly to your TV, computer, 737 00:41:48,400 --> 00:41:51,720 Speaker 1: wireless device, or game console. You can get a thirty 738 00:41:51,760 --> 00:41:55,319 Speaker 1: day free trial membership. Go to www dot Netflix dot 739 00:41:55,320 --> 00:41:56,960 Speaker 1: com slash stuff and sign up now.