Termites, or white ants, are closely related to the cockroach and not ants. When you drive to and from this location you can see their architectonic masterpieces on the roadside or in the fields either side, withstanding heat, rain and wind. Termites feed on any organic matter and can become a pest in our backyards and home, as they fulfill their ecological ‘clean up job’. Mastotermis darwiniensis, or the Darwin Termite, is doing its job around Darwin in the Northern Territory, where it has become a major pest destroying agricultural land by chewing down organic matter, dead or alive.
Let’s hope that climate change will not make this region an interesting dinner plate for this termite.
Help to check the site by looking for the cache hidden in a dark spot with plenty of decaying organic matter nearby. Hopefully you will only encounter one Mastotermis darwiniensis. When you return the little termite to its home, please close the 'house-lid' gently only, ensuring that fellow inspectors can access the cache with ease. Thank you.