Termites, birds and bats
This evening Vic and I witnessed termites emerge from their mound, aka ant hill, and become a feast for the black-collared barbets with their pronounced red faces, the Indian Mynas and rather large bats, though which species of bat I cannot tell you. Vic said it was like watching National Geographic on your doorstep, though the Internet is more interested in pest control than the life cycle of these tiny insects that are part of the cycle of life. They can cause huge amount of damage to people's homes, especially if they have damp wood from leaking plumbing. But like earthworms, these pilot ants, once they find a suitable nest and lose their wings, can create long tunnels great for water infiltration. This is needed in agriculture. There is an increase in nitrogen in the soil because termites have nitrogen-fixing gut bacteria. These two positives then yield more crop. So, voila! There is an upside to these annoying flying creatures, besides clipping their wings and fryi...