Termites are small insects that live in colonies and feed on wood. They can cause serious damage to homes and other wooden structures. But termites also play an important role in nature by helping to break down and recycle dead plant material. So what animals eat termites and help keep their populations under control?
Ants
Ants are one of the main predators of termites. Many ant species actively hunt, kill and eat termites. Ants often raid termite colonies to steal their eggs and larvae which they take back to their own nests to feed to their young. Soldier termites will fiercely defend against ant attacks, but ants often overwhelm them with their large numbers.
Some examples of ant species that prey on termites include:
- Carpenter ants
- Fire ants
- Argentine ants
- Army ants
- Leafcutter ants
Ants may take a heavy toll on termite populations, especially newly formed young colonies which are more vulnerable. Ant predation is one of the reasons termite colonies invest so much in producing soldier termites to defend the colony against intruders.
Aardvarks
The aardvark is a unique African mammal that specializes in eating ants and termites. With their long sticky tongues and strong claws for digging, aardvarks are extremely effective at breaking into and raiding termite mounds in search of a meal. A single aardvark can lap up tens of thousands of termites in one night using their long, sticky tongues.
Aardvarks locate termite mounds using their excellent sense of smell. Once they break into a mound, they will gorge themselves, slurping up termites by the mouthful. The aardvark’s grindstone-like teeth allow it to easily crush the hard bodies of termites. Their thick skin also protects them from termite bites.
Anteaters
Anteaters in South America and Australia, close relatives of the aardvark, also feed heavily on termites. Their long sticky tongues can protrude more than 2 feet to capture thousands of termites at a time.
Some species that prey on termites include:
- Giant anteaters
- Silky anteaters
- Numbat
- Pangolins
With their strong claws, anteaters break into termite mounds and lick up the insects with their long tongues. They swallow their prey whole without chewing. Their stomachs have muscular walls that crush the termite exoskeletons.
Insectivorous birds
Many species of insect eating birds also feed heavily on termites. They use their beaks to probe into termite mounds and pull out the soft-bodied workers and larvae.
Birds that regularly eat termites include:
- Woodpeckers
- Crows
- Orioles
- Starlings
- Brown creepers
- Chickadees
- Laughing kookaburras
Woodpeckers in particular are adept at chiseling into wood to extract termites; the termites make up as much as 60% of their diet. Birds often follow swarming termites as well, snapping them up in mid-flight.
Amphibians and reptiles
Various frogs, toads, lizards and snakes also consume termites as a major food source. Their sticky tongues allow them to grab the soft-bodied insects.
Some examples include:
- Cane toads
- Geckos
- Iguanas
- Skinks
- Bearded dragons
These cold-blooded vertebrates often wait near termite mounds and pick off the workers as they come and go. Their hunting helps keep termite numbers in check.
Mammals
Many mammal species also opportunistically feed on termites when they encounter them. Termites provide an important source of protein for omnivorous and insectivorous mammals.
Mammals that consume termites include:
- Armadillos
- Anteaters
- Pangolins
- Aardvarks
- Bears
- Pigs
- Coatis
- Cattle
- Monkeys
- Apes
- Rodents like rats, mice and squirrels
These mammals dig into termite mounds with their claws, break apart rotting logs full of termites with their strength, or use their long snouts to sniff out and consume termites wherever they can find them.
Arachnids
Spiders, scorpions and other arachnids are also opportunistic termite predators. Their venom allows them to easily subdue and consume termites.
Some examples include:
- Tarantulas
- Trapdoor spiders
- Wolf spiders
- Vinegaroons
- Scorpions
- Solifuges
- Pseudoscorpions
Many arachnids hide near termite colonies or wood infested with termites and ambush the workers as they go about their business maintaining the colony.
Insects
There are also many predatory insects besides ants that eat termites. These include:
- Assassin bugs
- Dragonflies
- Centipedes
- Earwigs
- Beetles
These aggressive insect predators capture and consume worker termites as well as soft-bodied larvae and eggs using pincer-like mouthparts or sharp mandibles.
Parasites and pathogens
Termites are also attacked by a variety of parasites and pathogens that can decimate colonies:
- Nematodes often infect and consume termites from the inside out.
- Mites and ticks parasitize termites and transmit diseases.
- Protozoa and bacteria cause termite diseases like septicemia.
- Fungal pathogens can spread quickly and wipe out whole colonies.
These microscopic parasites and pathogens help regulate termite populations naturally, preventing them from growing out of control.
Competition for food
Termites also face intense competition for food from other insects that eat wood and dead plant material, like:
- Carpenter ants
- Wood wasps
- Powderpost beetles
- Death watch beetles
- Old house borers
When these insects deplete the wood resources in an area, it can starve out termite colonies and limit their numbers.
Predation impact on termites
Researchers estimate that in tropical rainforests, where termite densities are highest, ants alone may consume up to 400 million termites per acre per year. Other insectivores likely consume just as many. This incredible predation pressure prevents termite populations from spiraling out of control.
One study in Costa Rica found that predation eliminated 80-99% of termite colonies within 3 years of them initially forming. This constant attrition of newly formed colonies helps stabilize mature termite numbers in tropical ecosystems.
Predation may play a even greater role in temperate regions where termites make up a smaller portion of the overall insect biomass available to insectivores. The variety of termite predators gives them few places to hide.
Defense against predators
Termites have evolved a variety of defenses to protect themselves against relentless predation pressure:
- Soldier termites have enlarged heads and mandibles for fighting off intruders.
- Worker termites swarm out in large numbers to overwhelm invaders.
- Chemical alarms recruit soldiers to attack specific threats.
- Toxic chemicals secreted from their bodies repel certain predators.
- Termites construct well-fortified mounds with small entrances.
- Some termites form symbiotic relationships with ants for protection.
Despite these defenses, predators still consume termites in enormous quantities and play a vital ecological role in regulating their populations.
Importance of termite predation
The intense predation pressure on termites has several ecological benefits:
- It prevents termite populations from growing exponentially and consuming all available wood resources.
- It helps recycle nutrients from termites back into the food web when predators excrete wastes.
- It sets up competition that promotes diverse communities of insects, birds, reptiles and mammals.
- It selects for defense adaptations in termites that encourage complex social behavior.
Predators thus play an integral role in maintaining stable termite populations as part of functioning ecosystems.
| Predator | Examples | Feeding Strategy |
|---|---|---|
| Ants | Carpenter, fire, army | Raiding colonies |
| Aardvarks | – | Digging into mounds |
| Anteaters | Giant, silky, numbat | Licking up with sticky tongues |
| Birds | Woodpeckers, crows, orioles | Probing mounds and wood |
| Reptiles & Amphibians | Geckos, skinks, cane toads | Ambushing with tongues |
| Mammals | Pigs, armadillos, monkeys | Sniffing out and digging up |
| Arachnids | Tarantulas, scorpions | Capturing with venom and pincers |
| Insects | Assassin bugs, beetles | Attacking with mandibles |
| Parasites & Pathogens | Nematodes, fungi, bacteria | Infecting colonies |
This table summarizes some of the main groups of termite predators, examples, and their feeding strategies.
Conclusion
Termites face attack from all sides by predators including ants, mammals, birds, reptiles, arachnids, insects, and microbial parasites. These predators employ diverse strategies to hunt, kill and consume termites, acting as a natural check on termite populations. While termites have evolved defenses like soldier castes, toxins and fortified mounds, predators still consume them in massive numbers, preventing them from dominating ecosystems. Predation pressures help maintain stable termite and predator populations as part of a balanced food web.