E-mail: Password: Create an Account Recover password

About Authors Contacts Get involved Русская версия

show

Infectious diseases of social insects

Community and Forum → Insects biology and faunistics → Infectious diseases of social insects

Chromocenter, 13.01.2007 13:29

The population density inside the nests of ants and termites is probably one of the highest indicators for the biomass density of a single species among insects. It would seem that for bacteria and viruses-a complete expanse. But as if they are not particularly interested in these events - they write more about other intra-nest enemies. Do they have any defenses against this? Or is it just that no one really started studying their infections? (Although it seems that an epidemic in an anthill or termite hill would be completely disastrous for him, which would be very noticeable)

Comments

13.01.2007 13:40, Tigran Oganesov

Cleanliness is the key to your health! And insects are no strangers to hygiene umnik.gif
Likes: 1

13.01.2007 14:39, Chromocenter

Well, what exactly do they do for this? Where is it written about this? if I'm not mistaken, bees have some kind of device on their front legs for reaching out to clean their antennae. In the anthill live some cohabiting strigilators, who seem to clean them, apparently this is an example of coevolution. But it seems to me that these are crumbs from what exists...

13.01.2007 15:25, Tigran Oganesov

Bees have cleaners - they just throw out all the garbage, monitor the cleanliness,and individually clean everything. Here, in the photo, she is so actively "washing" that she turned her head smile.gif

 the image is no longer on the site: apis.JPG 

Pictures:
apis.JPG — (30.94к) 13.01.2007 — 27.01.2007
Likes: 1

15.01.2007 0:47, Chromocenter

Do they have any substances inside their nests that would inhibit bacterial growth? However, here's what to do with viruses is not clear...
Well, cleanliness is yes, of course, which reduces the possibility of reproduction in bacteria, too, but is this enough?
By the way, cleaning bees, are they the ones that are young at all? somewhere up to two or three weeks from the exit of the pupa?

15.01.2007 1:32, Tigran Oganesov

Do they have any substances inside their nests that would inhibit bacterial growth?
Propolis.

15.01.2007 12:31, Mikhail F. Bagaturov

Nosematosis-also affects colonies of crickets and cockroaches (in culture, the latter are widespread throughout the former USSR)...
He also frolics on bees.

15.01.2007 13:36, Tigran Oganesov

Nosematosis is not an infectious disease, but an invasive one (the causative agent is microsporidia Nosema apis). And there are enough infectious diseases in general - sac brood, acute paralysis, darkened wing, filamentovirus, rot, gafniosis, salmonnelosis, ascospherosis, etc.

15.01.2007 13:47, Mikhail F. Bagaturov

Yeah, I agree, not a vet, thanks for the correction.

15.01.2007 13:56, Chromocenter

  
Do they have any substances inside their nests that would inhibit bacterial growth?
Propolis.

Do ants and termites have something similar?
And there are enough infectious diseases in general - sac brood, acute paralysis, darkened wing, filamentovirus, rot, gafniosis, salmonnelosis, ascospherosis, etc.

M-yes, they get enough, but in general, for sure, all infections are enough-bacteria are not fraera. wink.gif It just seemed to me that the public should have more mechanisms to protect against them...

16.01.2007 15:37, Nilson

Well, also the intra-nest climate. The architecture of termite mounds is focused almost entirely on providing the colony with proper ventilation (more precisely, it provides the required temperature and humidity). Termite towers are not just exhaust pipes that work according to Archimedean laws, they also use wind energy.

17.01.2007 19:13, Chromocenter

Well, also the intra-nest climate. The architecture of termite mounds is focused almost entirely on providing the colony with proper ventilation (more precisely, it provides the required temperature and humidity). Termite towers are not just exhaust pipes that work according to Archimedean laws, they also use wind energy.

Ah-ah-ah! What's it like to use the power of the wind? That is, they are used for cogs?

18.01.2007 17:54, Nilson

Ah-ah-ah! What's it like to use the power of the wind? That is, they are used for cogs?

I've already lost this link, probably can be found on "ventilation Macrotermes", or something like that. In short, ventilation requires traction. Previously, it was assumed that the termite garden works exclusively due to metabolism, i.e. the heated air from the colony went up due to the density difference, etc.But it turned out that everything is more complicated, and there are special "mushroom-shaped" structures in the walls, thanks to which the dynamic wind pressure is converted into static (as in static chambers of air distributors). This pressure is different from the windward and downwind sides, so the termite house is constantly pumped with fresh air. The process itself is quite complex - everything takes place in several zones...

18.01.2007 18:05, Chromocenter

M-yes, wow... are anthills also screwed somehow? And the" towers " of termite mounds play the role of pipes, but termite mounds without "towers"...

19.01.2007 10:54, Nilson

M-yes, wow... are anthills also screwed somehow? And the" towers "of termite mounds play the role of pipes, but termite mounds do not have "towers"...

Leaf cutters have ventilation shafts sticking up-that's for sure. As for termite mounds without towers, I tried to find some information, but to no avail. There are species with underground nests. Probably, for small colonies, simple diffusion of gases through the walls is enough...

19.01.2007 17:19, Tigran Oganesov

I have long heard a story about how a hotel was built in South Africa, the ventilation of which was partially copied from termite mounds (with appropriate adaptation, of course). That is, it was more passive. It seems like everything was successful - there was a big saving of electricity.

22.01.2007 9:27, Nilson

This is already offtopic, but still...
There are many excellent building designs borrowed from animals - you don't even need to invent anything: read student research papers from some construction university. A thousand years ago, Indian mangkhas worked great-houses made of clay (or adobe) with moistened vent channels. Today, the problem is that an architect and a communications engineer almost never work together, moreover, they can't stand each other smile.gif

10.02.2007 13:16, Chromocenter

Today, the problem is that an architect and a communications engineer almost never work together, and they can't stand each other. smile.gif

Yes, yes... and they (insects) probably know how to work together smile.gif
I forgot something about this topic... shuffle.gif and here it turns out that they write interesting things. thank you.

New comment

Note: you should have a Insecta.pro account to upload new topics and comments. Please, create an account or log in to add comments.

* Our website is multilingual. Some comments have been translated from other languages.

Random species of the website catalog

Insecta.pro: international entomological community. Terms of use and publishing policy.

Project editor in chief and administrator: Peter Khramov.

Curators: Konstantin Efetov, Vasiliy Feoktistov, Svyatoslav Knyazev, Evgeny Komarov, Stan Korb, Alexander Zhakov.

Moderators: Vasiliy Feoktistov, Evgeny Komarov, Dmitriy Pozhogin, Alexandr Zhakov.

Thanks to all authors, who publish materials on the website.

© Insects catalog Insecta.pro, 2007—2024.

Species catalog enables to sort by characteristics such as expansion, flight time, etc..

Photos of representatives Insecta.

Detailed insects classification with references list.

Few themed publications and a living blog.