The Wonders of God’s Creation
The unwelcome termites are found throughout the world. Living in large colonies complete with workers, soldiers, queens and nurses, they seek out dark places and never come out in the open, except when swarming to establish new colonies.
The workers, along with the baby nymphs, form the largest part of each colony. They never leave the nest, even at swarming time. Their lives are spent tunneling and feeding on the wood. They digest the wood and feed it to the king and queen and the babies, which cannot feed themselves.
The queen’s responsibility is to provide eggs to keep the colony growing. Soon after mating she takes on this duty, after swelling up with eggs until she is much larger than the workers. In fact, this load of eggs is so great that she has to finally settle down in her royal chamber where she will stay the rest of her life, producing millions of eggs during that time.
The workers stand by to take the eggs as soon as they are laid. They lick each one clean before placing it in the nursery area. It takes many months for the eggs to hatch and the young termites to fully develop. During its development, each nymph is blind and helpless. It could not survive if the workers did not take care of it by constantly bringing it food to eat.
Most of the soldier termites have big, armored heads and can attack enemies fiercely. Standing guard over the nest they often push their heads into the entrances to keep intruders out. If danger appears they make sharp noises, calling other soldiers to help them.
Termite homes are kept very clean. They are almost always found where it is dark and moist, because they cannot survive under any other condition. Where it is necessary to cross exposed areas, they make tunnels of mud. These are usually built by soldiers who are provided with specially pointed snouts. They have the ability to produce a liquid cement for holding the mud in place. In Australia a species known as “Compass Termites” build nests up to twenty feet above ground, with perhaps a million residents. The sides of these nests always face east and west, with the ends pointing north and south. Lost travelers are often saved by using such nests as compasses. Since these nests are exposed to the hot sun, the termites build ventilating flues into them to maintain a constant cool temperature.
These creatures, seeking dark places and hiding their activities, remind us of those persons who “love darkness rather than light.” They foolishly think they can hide evil deeds. But we are told, “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.” Proverbs 15:33The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good. (Proverbs 15:3). The verse at the beginning of this article also rinds us of the One from whom nothing can be hidden.
But we are happy to tell you that the Lord Jesus Christ, who knows all the secrets of our hearts, loves us and invites us to come to Him as the Saviour of sinners. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:99If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9).
ML-05/24/1981