CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE Termites Termites are a group of eusocial insects that, until recently, were classified

at the taxonomic rank of order Isoptera (see taxonomy below), but are now accepted as

the epifamily Termitoidae, of the cockroach order Blattodea(Wikipedia,2011). Termites mostly feed on dead plant material, generally in the form of wood, leaf litter, soil, or animal dung. About ten percent of the estimated 4,000 species (about 2,600 taxonomically known) are significantly regarded as pests that can cause serious structural damage to buildings, crops or plantation forests. (Piper, 2007) Like ants, some bees, and waspswhich are all placed in the separate order Hymenopteratermites divide labour among castes, produce overlapping generations and take care of young collectively. Termites mostly feed on dead plant material, generally in the form of wood, leaf litter, soil, or animal dung, and about 10 percent of the estimated 4,000 species (about 2,600 taxonomically known) are economically significant as pests that can cause serious structural damage to buildings, crops or plantation forests. Termites are major detritivores, particularly in the subtropical and tropical regions, and their recycling of wood and other plant matter is of considerable ecological importance. As eusocial insects, termites live in colonies that, at maturity, number from several hundred to several million individuals. Colonies use decentralised, self-organised systems of activity guided by swarm intelligence which exploit food sources and environments unavailable to any single insect acting alone. A typical colony contains nymphs (semi-mature young),

workers, soldiers, and reproductive individuals of both genders, sometimes containing several egg-laying queens. Termites are an important group of insects and with high diversity of species in the tropical Asia Pacific region. They play a role in natural decomposition, particularly in forest, however, also turn out to be the structural insect pests infesting buildings and cost an enormous economic loss to our society. Due to the reason of termites is being a pest the researchers has come to this study to lessen termites being destructive and use it in greater way. Termites are an important group of insects and with high diversity of species in the tropical Asia Pacific region. They play a role in natural decomposition, particularly in forest, however, also turn out to be the structural insect pests infesting buildings and cost an enormous economic loss to our society. And because termites nowadays are being destructive, the researchers done the study. For termites be useful and productive. Termites are proven to have bioactive components that can be used as medicine. Bioactive components or natural products are chemical compounds or substance produced by a living organism that are mostly found in nature and has a pharmacological or biological use in pharmaceutical drug discovery and drug design. (Cutler, 2000) Termites potential of having antibacterial properties

The world health organization estimates thatas many as 80% of the world's more then six billion people rely primarily on animal and plant based medicine. In modern societies, zootherapy constitutes an important alternative among many other known therapies practiced worldwide. Wild and domestic animals and their byproducts(e.g. hooves, skin, bones, feathers and tusks) form important ingredients in the preparation of curative, protective and preventive

medicine. Red velvet mites are arachnid arthropods inhabiting the subterranean habitats for over several million years and they protect their soft velvet like body and young ones in the soil by some special defense mechanism from soil borne microbes. According to Sharma since insects had evolved over 500 million years ago and flourish in all sorts of habitats, they must be manufacturing a wide assortment of compounds to counter microbes that threaten them. The Trombidumspecies are exposed to a cocktail of nasty bacteria and fungi so that their defense mechanism unleashes all its power against the pathogens. Antibacterial activity of the other subterranean arthropods like termites had been well documented . Antimicrobial peptides had been reported from termites and ants . Insects had been proved to bevery important sources of drugs for modern medicine since they have immunological, analgesic, anti-bacterial, diuretic, antirheumatic and anestheticproperties .Beattie et al.,had stated that the arthropods that live on close proximity to each other such as wasps, bees, mole crickets, scarablarvae, cicadanymphs, and centipedes are subject to microbial attack sand epidemic diseases. To limit disease activity they incorporate antimicrobial compounds into their nests.

Many researches and experiments about termites have been done in different countries. Especially in India they use termites in their folk medicines. With this studies we can conclude that termites do really have the potential to have antibacterial properties that can be used in making medicines the only question is if our local termites can possess the characteristics of other termites in other part of the world. .( Lighty George, Padmalatha. C., Ranjitsingh. A.J.A and P. Dhasarathan, 2003)

_______________________ Mrs Agnes Alimboyoguen