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Termites can be significant agricultural pests, particularly in East Africa and North Asia, where crop losses can be severe (3100 percent in harvest reduction in Africa).216 Counterbalancing that is the considerably improved water infiltration where termite tunnels in the dirt allow rainwater to soak in deeply, which will help reduce runoff and consequent soil erosion through bioturbation.217 In South America, cultivated plants like lavender, upland rice and sugarcane can be severely damaged by termite infestations, together with strikes on leaves, roots and sterile tissue.

Termites and ants can re-colonise untilled land which contains harvest stubble, which colonies use for nourishment when they set their nests. The presence of nests in areas enables larger amounts of rainwater to soak into the ground and increases the amount of nitrogen in the soil, both essential for the development of plants.218.

The termite gut has inspired many research efforts targeted at replacing fossil fuels with cleaner, renewable energy sources.219 Termites are efficient bioreactors, capable of producing two litres of hydrogen from a single sheet of paper.220 Roughly 200 species of germs live inside the termite hindgut, releasing the hydrogen that has been trapped inside timber and plants that they digest.219221 Throughout the action of unidentified enzymes in the termite gut, lignocellulose polymers are broken down into sugars and are transformed into hydrogen.

The development of autonomous robots capable of constructing intricate structures without human assistance has been inspired by the intricate mounds that termites build.222 These robots operate independently and can proceed independently on a tracked grid, capable of climbing and lifting up bricks. Such robots may be handy for future projects on Mars, or even for building levees to prevent flooding.223.

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Termites use sophisticated means to control the temperatures of the mounds. As mentioned above, the form and orientation of the mounds of the Australian compass termite stabilises their internal temperatures during the day. As the towers heat up, the solar chimney effect (stack effect) creates an updraft of air within the mound.224 Wind blowing across the tops of the towers enhances the circulation of air throughout the mounds, which also include side vents in their construction.

Especially in Africa, the pile effect has become a popular means to achieve natural ventilation and passive cooling in modern buildings.224.

The Eastgate Centre is a shopping centre and office block in central Harare, Zimbabwe, whose architect, Mick Pearce, utilized passive cooling inspired by that used by the regional termites.226 This was the first significant building exploiting termite-inspired cooling techniques to attract international attention. Other these buildings include the Learning Resource Center at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa and the Council House 2 building in Melbourne, Australia.224.

Few zoos hold termites, on account of the difficulty in keeping them captive and into the reluctance of government to allow potential pests. One of those few that do, the Zoo Basel in Switzerland, has two thriving Macrotermes bellicosus populations  resulting in an event very rare in captivity: the mass migrations of young flying termites.

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African tribes in several countries have termites as totems, and for this reason tribe members are forbidden to consume the reproductive alates.228 Termites are frequently used in traditional popular medicine; they act as treatments for diseases and other conditions such as asthma, bronchitis, hoarseness, influenza, sinusitis, tonsillitis and whooping cough.208 In Nigeria, Macrotermes nigeriensis can be used for religious protection and to navigate here treat wounds and ill pregnant women.

In Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, termite mounds are commonly worshiped among the populace.229 Abandoned mounds are viewed as structures made by spirits, believing a neighborhood guardian resides within the mound; this is known as Keramat and Datok Kong. In urban areas, local residents construct red-painted shrines over mounds that have been abandoned, in which they pray for good health, protection and fortune.229.

It is unknown whether the termite was male or female. When it was a female, the body length would be far greater than 25 millimetres when mature.

a b Cranshaw, W. (2013). "11". Bugs Rule! : An Introduction to the World of Insects. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. p. 188. ISBN 978-0-691-12495-7.

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Lobeck, A. Kohl (1939). Geomorphology; an Introduction to the Study of Landscapes (1st ed.) . University of California: McGraw Hill Book Company, Incorporated. pp. 431432. ASIN B002P5O9SC.

Cleveland, L.R.; Hall, S.K.; Sanders, E.P.; Collier, J. (1934). "The Wood-Feeding Roach Cryptocercus, its own protozoa, and the symbiosis between protozoa and roach". Memoirs of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. 17 (2): 185382. doi:10.1093/aesa/28.2.216.

McKittrick, F.A. (1965). "A contribution to the understanding of cockroach-termite affinities". Annals of the Entomological Society of America. 58 (1): 1822. doi:10.1093/aesa/58.1.18. PMID 5834489.