78 nests of termites dug out of reservoir in Sichuan

Have you ever seen a 30-year-old termite? There are a total of 67 dams in Dongxing District of Neijiang city in southwest China's Sichuan province. Through a general survey, experts found signs of termites in most of those reservoirs in September 2015. From November 2015 to now, experts have completed the task of annihilating termites in 16 reservoirs. There were 78 nests of termites dug out of one reservoir, and the oldest termite found was 30 years old.

Reporters learned that the largest diameter of one of these termite nests was about 1.5 meters, and the depth was about 2.5 meters. In addition to the three floors of the main nest, several decades of sub-nests had been built around it, making the nest seem almost like a termite palace.

"We can judge that this nest is about 30 years old, according to its size, width and the size of the queen termite. There is a queen cell at the center of each nest, which is specially prepared for the king and queen. Ergate, or worker termites, live in the queen cell and are responsible for cleaning it. The next area is the 'barrack', where 'soldiers' defend their nest and fight foreign enemies. In addition, there are multiple areas including entertainment and eating areas, which truly make it seem like a proper city of human beings," said Zhang Hanchang, who is a famous termite expert in Huanggang city of central China's Hubei province.

Termites cause considerable harm to the dams of reservoirs. Without timely treatment, they can endanger the safety of reservoirs and collapse dams. The government of Dongxing District has invested over 1.5 million yuan in termite management for the reservoirs and safety guarantees for the dams.