Termites are small, ant-like creatures that live in crowded colonies. They build surprising nests that tower above the ground, which are in themselves wonders of architecture. What's even more interesting is the fact that the builders of such grandiose towers, the worker termites, are totally blind.

The structure of the termite nest demonstrates extraordinarily complex systems. There are special soldier units in the termite colonies that are responsible for defense. Soldier termites are equipped with wonderful artillery. While some are warriors, some are patrolling termites and yet others are "suicide commandos". From the incubation of the queen to the construction of tunnels and walls or the harvesting of the cultivated mushrooms, every affair inside a termite nest depends on the soldiers’ defensive performance.

The survival of the colony is dependent upon the existence of the king and queen who engage in reproduction. The queen starts expanding after the first fertilization. Its length can reach up to 3.5 inches (9 centimeters), and it looks exactly like a reproductive machine. It cannot move around easily. Since she does not do anything other than lay eggs, she has a special crew responsible for taking care of her feeding and cleaning. She lays about thirty thousand eggs in a day, which means close to ten million eggs in her lifetime.

Being barren, the worker termites take care of housekeeping in the colony. Their lifespan ranges from two to four years. A certain group constructs and maintains the termite nest. Another group watches over the eggs, the newborn termites and the queen.

All members of the termite colony live together in organized communities. The members of these communities communicate through senses such as smell and taste, where chemical signals are exchanged. These deaf, dumb and blind creatures perform and co-ordinate such complicated duties as, building, hunting, stalking, security alerts and defense maneuvers by means of chemical signals.

The worst enemies of the termite colonies are ants and anteaters. When a colony comes under attack by one of these predators, a special suicide arm is launched. African termites are excellent warriors equipped with razor-sharp teeth. They tear the attacker's bodies into pieces.

The only connection of a termite nest to the outside world is through tunnels that are the size of a single termite. Passing through any one of these tunnels requires "permission". The "guard" soldier termites at the door easily detect if the intruders are in fact residents of the colony from their smells. The head of a single termite can also work as a cap for any one of these tunnels, which are exactly the same size. In the case of an attack, termites actually use their heads to close off these holes by entering backwards and becoming stuck in these doorways.

The Sacrifice of Termites

Another one of the methods of defense that termites often use is to willingly sacrifice their lives in order to secure the colony and harm the enemy. Various species of termites achieve these suicide attacks in different ways.  A certain species living in the rainforests of Malaysia is particularly interesting. These termites are like "walking bombs" due to their anatomy and behavior. A special sac within their bodies holds a chemical compound that renders their enemies ineffective. In the case of an attack, when squeezed harshly by an ant or any other intruder the termite contracts its stomach muscles and ruptures the lymph tissues, thus saturating the predator with a thick, yellow-colored fluid. Worker termites in Africa and South America utilize a similar method. This is a suicide attack since the internal organs of the creature are fatally damaged and the creature dies shortly thereafter.

If the offensive attack is very strong, then even the workers enter the battle in order to help the soldiers.

Termites' teamwork and such sacrifice destroy the fundamental assertion of Darwinism that "every creature lives for its own interest". Furthermore, these examples show these creatures to be organized in a very amazing way. For instance, why should a termite want to be a guardian? If it had an option, why would it choose to have the heaviest and most self-sacrificing job? If in fact it could choose, it would have chosen the easiest and least demanding duty. Even if we assume that it decides to sacrifice itself in defense, then it is still impossible for it to pass this behavior down to succeeding generations through its genes. We know that worker termites are barren and are not able to produce any descendent generations.

Only the Creator of termites could have designed such a perfect colony life and given constituent termite groups distinct responsibilities. Guardian termites, too, diligently execute the duty that Allah inspires in them. The Qur'an states:

“…There is no creature Allah does not hold by the forelock…” (Surah Hud: 56)

Systems Preventing Coagulation

Termite nests are wonders of architecture towering high above the ground.

Termites utilize special systems created in their bodies in implementing inborn defensive and instinctive sacrifices. For instance, some termites spray poisonous chemicals into the scars inflicted as a result of bites. Some apply an interesting "brushing" technique; they paste the poison onto the offender's body by using the upper lip like a brush. Some termites apply an infectious adhesive onto the attacker by a "spraying" method.

Defense of the termite nest is the responsibility of a group of females in a species of African termite. These females are barren and relatively smaller soldiers. Royal guardians, which are much larger in size, safeguard the young larvae and the royal couple by preventing any intruders from entering the royal cell. Smaller soldiers help the workers in food gathering and repair of the nest.

The royal guards have been created for battle; they have shield-like heads and razor-sharp mandibles designed for defense. 10% of the body weight of the large soldiers is comprised of special fluids. These fluids are composed of open-chain hydrocarbons (alkenes and alkanes) and are stored inside sacs located in the front of their bodies. Royal guards inject these chemical fluids into wounds inflicted on enemies by means of their lower jaws.

What exactly do these fluids do when applied to enemies? Researchers encountered a very astounding fact in answering this question. The fluids applied by the termites act to prevent the enemies' blood from clotting. In the bodies of ants there is a fluid called "hemolymph" which acts as blood. When there is an open wound in the body, another chemical starts coagulation and enables the wound to heal. The chemical fluid from termites renders this clot-forming chemical useless.

The presence of a coagulation system inside the body of a minute insect like the ant is another testimony to the creation. It is simply miraculous not only that termites produce a fluid that can neutralize this system but also have organs that can deliver the fluid effectively. Certainly, a perfect harmony such as this cannot possibly be explained through coincidence in any way. Termites are surely not chemists, who understand the details of the coagulation system in ants or synthesize a compound formula to neutralize this system. This flawless design is without a doubt another clear evidence that these creatures have been created by Allah.

Weapons of Termites

One can find many other similar examples of flawless design in the world of termites. The soldier termites of a termite family kill their enemies by rubbing poison onto their bodies. In order to accomplish this more effectively, they are given smaller mandibles and brush-like upper lips. These soldiers can also synthesize and store insecticide chemicals. A typical soldier can store defensive fluids that comprise up to 35% of its body weight, which is enough to kill thousands of ants.

Florida resident Prorhinotermes are created possessing a poison rubbing technique. They make use of chemicals called "nitroalkane" as poisons. Many other termites also use methods involving the application of poisons, but the amazing point is the different chemical structures of all these poisons. For instance, an African Schedorhinotermes utilizes "vinyl ketones". Guyanan termites have "B-ketoaldehydes" and Armitermes termites have a "molecular string" as poison and chemicals called "esters" or "lactones" as their weapons. All of these poisons immediately react with biological molecules and cause death.

On the foreheads of members of a Nasutitermitinae termite family are hose-like projections that have special sacs inside. In case of danger, the termite points this projection towards the enemy and sprays an infectious fluid. This weapon works just like a chemical bazooka. [Bilim ve Teknik Görsel Bilim ve Teknik Ansiklopedisi (Encyclopedia of Science and Technology), p. 291]

According to the theory of evolution, one has to accept the assumption that "primitive termites" had no chemical production systems in their bodies and that it somehow formed later as a result of a series of coincidences. However, such an assumption is totally illogical. For the poisoning system to work properly, not only the chemical itself but also the organs to handle these chemicals need to be totally functional. Furthermore, these organs have to be adequately isolated so that no poison spreads within the body. The dispensing organ has to be properly formed and isolated as well. The spraying pipe further requires a mechanical system that is powered by a separate muscle.

All these organs could not possibly have formed in a process of evolution over time since the lack of a single component would render the whole system useless causing the extinction of the termite. Therefore, the only logical explanation would be: the "chemical weapon system" was created all together at the same moment. This would prove that there is a deliberate "design" in all of these, which is called "creation". Just like all other creatures in nature, termites were created in a moment. Allah, Lord of the Worlds, fabricated the poison production center in their bodies and inspired in them the best way to utilize their faculties. This is mentioned in the Holy Quran as follows:

“He is Allah - the Creator, the Maker, the Giver of Form. To Him belong the Most Beautiful Names. Everything in the heavens and earth glorifies Him. He is the Almighty, the All-Wise.” (Surat al-Hashr: 24)

Harun Yahya is the author, who writes under the pen name Harun Yahya, was born in Ankara in 1956. He studied arts at Istanbul's Mimar Sinan University and philosophy at Istanbul University. Since the 1980s, the author has published many books on political, faith-related and scientific issues. Harun Yahya is well known as an author who has written very important works disclosing the imposture of evolutionists, the invalidity of their claims and the dark liaisons between Darwinism and bloody ideologies. Some of the books of the author have been translated into English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Albanian, Arabic, Polish, Russian, Bosnian, Indonesian, Turkish, Tatar, Urdu and Malay and published in the countries concerned. Harun Yahya’s books appeal to all people, Muslims and non-Muslims alike, regardless of their age, race and nationality, as they center around one goal: to open the readers’ mind by presenting the sign’s of God’s eternal existence to them. 
Please visit : www.harunyahya.com
e-mail : info@harunyahya.com 

Read Also:

• Unlocking the Secrets of Sight

• Wherein Is Healing For Men

• The Science of Sound

Mountains as Stabilizers for the Earth The Pill in Reproductive Management Uzbeks Discover Additional Benefits of the Deadly Autumn Crocus Birds in the Quran: The Hoopoe Religion in Mental Health: The Soul Under Pressure The Termite Colony and Its Chemical Defensive Systems Health & Science Archive Search Articles