Why termites are attracted to ink

Termites pursue the ink developed by pen brands such as Bic, Papermate, and more due to the smell of the ink that emits a particular trail marker pheromone.

If you use one of these pens to put a line along a ground, you may encounter a line of termites attempting to follow it like it is some sort of guide.

Almost every termite is deaf and blind. Therefore, termites utilize pheromones to interact. Chemical signals, pheromones help in communicating messages. Termites naturally produce these signaling agents on their bodies from different glands and sense pheromones on their antennas utilizing chemoreceptors. Termites generate various pheromones for various uses. There are not many—if any—homeowners out there who would want to deal with a termite infestation in their home.

However, only a few have a good understanding of their anatomy. After spending years studying the movement of termites, researchers found very strange behavior in termites—they have are attracted to ink found in pens. They follow it like a guide to wherever it leads them to. So, what is the reason for termites to follow ink?

A glycohol compound is present in the ink of the pens we use. This compound attracts termites by mimicking a chemical produced by termites themselves. That chemical is diethylene glycol monoethylether. Because a large percentage of termites in a given colony are blind, with the exception of the royalty i.

It is extremely crucial for termites to recognize fellow members of their colony rather than their enemies because they are social beings and can only stay alive by working with their own kind. Termites can detect their own existence by detecting the pheromones which other termites emit. They generally utilize their sense of smell for almost everything, including following the path leading to their habitats. The inclination of termites towards these pheromones is quite understandable.

What does not make too much sense, though, is the instinct of termites to pursue ink trails seen by many humans. This is what propelled research scientists to study termites to find out why they are attracted to ink and follow it. Their findings are detailed next. Researchers are intrigued by the attachment of a termite to ink. Completely by accident, people discovered termites follow ink trails made by the black or blue ink from Bic and Papermate ballpoint pens.

The reason they follow some ballpoint pen lines is because the ink contains a chemical that acts as an insect pheromone. Worker and soldier termites are completely blind.

When a termite locates food, it releases pheromones from its abdomen as it returns to the colony. The pheromones leave an invisible chemical trail other termites can smell to follow. The pheromone is volatile, meaning it is present in the air above the trail, so termites that get close to the trail without actually touching it can find their way. Termites also follow trails produced by chemicals that mimic pheromones.

These include alcohols and fatty acids. The blue and black ink in ballpoint pens contain the alcohol 2-phenoxyethanol PE. PE is a volatile solvent that helps blue ink flow smoothly and dry quickly. Have you ever personally noticed a termite following an ink trail? If you have, was the ink blue in color? Share on Facebook Share. Share on Twitter Tweet. Share on Pinterest Share. Share on LinkedIn Share. Share on Digg Share.