I did not see too many dragonflies on the trail today. There were several Trithemis aurora and only one Orthetrum testaceum, but there were lots and lots of butterflies and termites!
And these termites always fascinate me!
It must have been the break in the weather, such that every termite colony must have sent out groups of workers to harvest food!
Here's looking at a group of termite workers harvesting dead wood.
These are the Macrotermes species of termites that are found in abundance in our forests in Langkawi. While these termite workers cut away at the bark fragments, the large-jawed soldier termites stand guard around them.
You can also see one termite soldier in the foreground and another in the background in this next photo.
These termite soldiers would stand guard at intervals along the entire trail while the termite workers go back and forth carrying precious food home to its nest.
If any of the termite workers get confused or go astray, the termite soldier would admonish them, giving them the right signal to get them back on track again.
And if you observe these termites carefully, you will also see that along the termite trail, or "highway", as I like to call them, the termite workers that are loaded with food would walk in the centre of the trail while the ones heading towards the food source walk along the outer "lanes" of the "highway", almost like an additional barrier of protection for the harvested food.
Here's another look at a different section of the "highway".
And the termite trail stretches on and on for a long way...
Amazing insects, aren't they?
What do you think these termite soldiers are guarding against? One of their greatest enemies are the ants!
In all these years that people have been destroying ants' nests, indirectly we have also been encouraging the termite population to grow.
Although termites are generally considered pests because they eat dead wood and have caused the collapse of many homes, yet these termites are the ones who play important roles in the rainforest ecosystem, aiding in the decomposition of dead leaves and dead wood and nutrient recycling back into the soil.
Without these termites and millions of other insects, we wouldn't have our rainforests today.
Without these rainforests, what would happen to us?
