Can the termites flying all over the sky be fried and eaten?

The topic of Liu Genghong fighting termites during live broadcast became a hot topic, and Tadpole then learned that Shanghai had recently encountered a large army of termites.

Looking back, this time of year is when termites are out, with large numbers of them gathering together, creating a large-scale blind date scene.

Termites have already resumed work before people have resumed work

I'm suffering from trypophobia after watching this.

Tadpole, who has been to the south, has also seen the mating flights of termites. Afterwards, they leave behind a field of white wings. I picked one up and took a closer look. It was quite beautiful.

And you may not know that there are people in this world who eat termites. They fry them in oil and eat one in a bite. They are quite delicious.

Termites are not ants, but cockroaches?

When you hear the name termite, do you think it is a kind of ant? In fact, termites are not related to ants.

Ants belong to the family Formicidae in the order Hymenoptera. They are complete metamorphosis insects (the life cycle includes four stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult). They are relatively advanced in evolution and are closely related to bees such as bees and wasps. The forewings of winged adults are larger than the hind wings. Termites are relatively primitive in evolution and belong to incomplete metamorphosis insects (the life cycle includes three stages: egg, nymph, and adult). The forewings and hind wings of winged adults are almost equal in length, and the wing length far exceeds the body length.

What may surprise you even more is that termites are actually relatives of cockroaches, belonging to the same order Blattaria, and both are insects with incomplete metamorphosis.

Termites are social, they can be called "social cockroaches", no wonder everyone is so afraid of them...

Okay, I won't give you pictures of cockroaches.

The wings scattered all over the ground are traces of their kissing

Termites are social insects. There is a strict hierarchy among individuals in the colony. Different types of termites have their own duties and cooperate with each other. There are also queen ants, king ants, soldier ants and worker ants.

The individuals in an ant colony can generally be divided into two types: reproductive and non-reproductive. Reproductive termites are also called reproductive ants, which refer to sexual female and male ants. As the name suggests, they are responsible for the task of breeding offspring.

Non-reproductive termites refer to termites that are incapable of reproduction, have no wings, and whose reproductive organs have degenerated. Depending on the tasks they perform in the ant colony, they are divided into worker ants and soldier ants.

The ones that came out to "scare" people these days are the long-winged reproductive ants among the reproductive ants. The sexually developed long-winged reproductive ants will choose to leave the nest and take off in the sultry evening or after the rain. Thousands of mating flying ants will gather in the air for "blind date", which looks crowded and a bit scary.

After the blind date and mating, they will fall to the ground, shed their wings, and then look for a suitable place to mate and build a new nest to reproduce. So afterwards we will see a lot of wings on the ground...

Harmful and harmless termites

Are you scared when you see termites? In fact, you don’t have to worry. The winged adult termites are not destructive, will not attack people, do not bite, are not poisonous, and will not spread diseases.

We need to guard against termites because although they have little impact on humans, they are extremely harmful to trees and buildings. They can cause serious damage to houses, reservoir dams, mountain orchards, and communication equipment. Among termites, white-headed termites and reticulate termites cause great harm to my country's houses. During their expansion, they can destroy the foundation of houses, which can cause wall cracks and house collapse in severe cases. Many ancient buildings are also susceptible to termites.

However, there are always positive and negative sides to every coin. In the ecosystem, termites also have their own role. For example, termites play an irreplaceable role in decomposing dead trees.

Moreover, termites are edible.

You see, while everyone is discussing how to kill termites, foodies are already studying how to eat termites.

Believe it or not, termites are really edible. They are eaten in many places. The preparation method is similar to other edible insects. Just fry them in oil until golden and crispy.

It is said that the taste is good, and I want to eat it too.

What other insects do we need to guard against recently?

Finally, let’s talk about something serious.

The weather is getting hotter and hotter, and all kinds of insects are appearing. In addition to termites, there are some other insects that we need to be careful about.

First of all, there are ticks. Recently, there were news reports that an elderly person in Henan died from tick infection.

April to October each year is the active season for ticks, which often attach to the human scalp, back, armpits, groin and under the ankles.

If a tick bites or penetrates your skin, do not rush to remove it forcefully. Applying alcohol to the tick can help loosen it and then remove it with tweezers. If there is a secondary infection at the wound site, anti-inflammatory treatment is required.

Another insect worth guarding against is the rove beetle. There is a strong acidic toxin in the rove beetle that can cause acute skin inflammation. Once the skin is infected, erythema, blisters, abscesses and even erosions will appear. Some people may also experience symptoms of systemic poisoning such as fever, headache, nausea and vomiting.

If it lands on your skin, do not slap it to death, flick it away. If bitten, seek medical attention.

Wasps. If you accidentally disturb a wasp, you may get stung. So if you encounter a flying wasp, don't hit it, just let it fly away.

There are also centipedes. After being bitten by centipedes, there will be severe pain and itching, and even headaches, fever, nausea and vomiting, convulsions and coma, local tissue necrosis, etc. Seek medical attention in time after being bitten by a centipede. If you cannot see a doctor immediately, first rinse the wound with alkaline liquids such as lime water and baking soda water, and then bandage it.

Of course, there is another creature that everyone hates the most - mosquitoes. Tadpole has been fighting wits and courage with mosquitoes for more than 20 years. He has used both physical mosquito prevention methods (wearing long clothes and long pants, installing mosquito nets, etc.) and chemical mosquito prevention methods (electric mosquito coils, spraying mosquito repellent, etc.), but he still can't defeat them.

However, Tadpole still recommends finding an object that is more attractive to mosquitoes to help you block them. It has been proven to be effective.

Finally, let me ask you, have you ever eaten fried termites?

END

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