Termites build large chimneys to circulate air and control temperatures in their mounds.
Termite mounds roof.
Termite mounds are sturdy structures and it can be difficult to break them down.
In many cases a shovel or hoe will be adequate while in others you may need to use a rototiller or other mechanical device to break up the compacted dirt of the mound.
By emulating the ingenuity of termites zimbabwean architect mick pearce used an approach called biomimicry to design a natural cooling system that harnessed nature.
The mounds sometimes have a diameter of 30 metres.
Sometimes other colonies of the same or different species occupy a mound after the original builders deaths.
I replace the damaged wood and prep for the new roof installation.
These termites live in africa australia and south america.
Eastern subterranean termites caught on a cleaning cloth.
Drywood termites can even establish colonies underneath wood shingles.
Found termites in roof.
Termites might not be the most majestic creatures.
Termite infestations cause extensive damage over time and since the pests tunnel inside wood property owners rarely see the pests.
Most of the mounds are in well drained areas.
If the inner tunnels of the nest are exposed it is usually dead.
What makes termites unique is that they all feed on cellulose.
Unlike drywood termites subterranean termites typically build their colonies in the soil.
Lothar herzog via wikimedia commons in the building that pearce and multidisciplinary engineering firm arup group designed each floor had air ducts running underneath it.
Mound building termites are a group of termite species that live in mounds.
Fortunately non tropical species don t.
However subterranean termites will build colonies in any area where they have access to wood.
They can establish colonies inside ceiling rafters roof beams eaves and other wooden structures associated with your roof.
Drywood termites live and feed inside wood.
Removing termite damaged rafters and starter boards.
Termite colonies range in size from as low as several hundred individuals to as high as a couple of million.
Signs of a nearby drywood termite nest.
Only they can build several feet tall termite mounds to get accommodated in them.
Perhaps the most famous example of nature inspired architecture comes from mick pearce a zimbabwean architect whose designs model termite mounds.
Termites are insects closely related to cockroaches but behaviorally similar to ants and bees in that they organize into social communities with complex divisions of labor.
Their mounds are extremely complex.
The result is an architectural marvel that achieves 90 percent passive climate.
Termite mounds usually outlive the colonies themselves.
