Termite (Nasutitermes costalis) nest in a tree on Bonaire, Dutch Caribbean.&lt;br /&gt;
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They are sometimes called white ants, but termites are no ants. Termites live in colonies with a queen and a king who has to take care of the fertilization process. An equal number of males and females are born.&lt;br /&gt;
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Their colonies live in enormous nests built from chewed wood and saliva. It is often situated between the branches of a tree. Away from the nest, they move through self constructed tunnels to keep away from the light, as they possess almost no pigment.&lt;br /&gt;
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They live from wood and have one-celled organisms (animals) live in their gut to help digest this. These protozoa turn the wood into sugar which termites can use.&lt;br /&gt;
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Though extremely devastating to houses and buildings, termites fulfill an important role in nature by cleaning the forest floor of dead wood. Thus the chemicals in the wood are freed to return much faster to the natural cycle than otherwise would be possible.&lt;br /&gt;
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Photo credit - Marjolijn Lopes Cardozo: SHAPE/DCNA