Researchers spent five years trapping termites with sticks – all in the name of science

British and American anthropologists during a multi-year study, the results of which are described in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, tried to catch termites in Tanzania’s Issa Valley with sticks, akin to the way chimpanzees catch them, and eventually the scientists found that the availability of these insects for catching is due to seasonal factors, as well as their dispersal.
It is noted that over a period of five years, the researchers visited about 14 termite sites in the valley, and they tried to establish what is associated with the success in catching termites. Thus, twice a week between 2018 and 2022, the scientists arrived at the termites, trying to catch their inhabitants the way chimpanzees do – with sticks. In addition, they also collected meteorological data in order to establish the dependence of the beginning of termite settlement on the weather.