Insects live in many different types of homes. Some insects live together in large groups, some live alone.

This storybook is about Naeku and Naserian - two sister termites living in the grasslands of southern Kenya.

The sisters live in a colony with about 80,000 other termites.

A termite colony lives in a nest made of earth. This nest can be under the ground, or above ground, or both.

The part of the nest we can see above ground is a termite mound. Most termite mounds are about two to five meters above ground.

Termites in the colony do different activities for the whole group. Naeku and Naserian are worker termites. All workers are female. "We are the builders and engineers!" says Naeku.

The worker termites build and maintain the termite nest. Naserian says, "We build large, complex structures."

"Let's explain how we build our homes," suggests Naeku. "We begin by digging underground tunnels through the earth."

Naserian interrupts, "We use our powerful jaws to dig through the earth. We can move a lot of soil!"

"To make sure that the walls of our tunnels are strong, we cover them with a sticky mixture of spit (saliva) and soil," says Naserian.

"When the sticky mixture dries, it becomes hard like clay. Termite nests can last a very long time," adds Naeku.

"We carry out the soil that we dig and use it to build a mound above the ground. The mound is usually round or a cone shape, with many tunnels," says Naserian.

"Some termite mounds are as high as nine meters!" says Naeku.

Termites are social insects living in a large group. They have different roles for creating and maintaining the colony.

Worker termites like Naserian and Naeku dig and build the nest. Soldier termites guard the nest. Both workers and soldiers go out to find new places to build nests.

Nurse termites look after the queen and baby termites called larvae.

The nest has different areas. There are rooms for the queen, rooms for the larvae, and rooms for storing food. Tunnels link the different areas.

The queen is the biggest termite and can live the longest.

Naserian continues, "We build tunnels or shafts out to the surface for fresh air to flow through the nest."

Naeku adds, "Termites need fresh air to live." Naserian explains, "The shafts also help to control the temperature in the nest so that it doesn't get too hot."

"We have gardens in our nest, where we grow fungus. We collect tiny bits of plants and other natural materials, which we use to grow fungus," says Naserian.

"Yum!" exclaims Naeku. "The fungus gardens feed the whole colony. We are the only type of termite that farms fungus."

Termite colonies have a queen and king. The workers feed and protect these important members of the colony.

A queen termite usually lives about 20 to 30 years. She can lay millions of eggs in her lifetime. Larvae hatch from eggs and nurse termites care for them.

Naserian says, "Termite society is very well organised. Every termite contributes to the survival and growth of the whole colony."

Naeku adds, "We each have a job to do, and we do it. Termites work well together." "Yes," agrees Naserian. "Now let's get back to digging!"