A remarkable cohort of arboreal termite (Blattaria: Termitidae: Microcerotermes arboreus) colonies

Abstract

In a line of 22 coconut palms, 18 each had a single active colony of Microcerotermes arboreus nested on the trunk. While the nests varied considerably in their height above the ground, they showed marked unity in their compass-point positions. Fifteen of the 18 were situated between west and southwest on their respective palms. This placed them on the leeward side, as the prevailing winds are from the east. A heavy rainstorm during our study period left only one of the nests wetted.