Researchers are developing smart, robot-built sandbag shelters for NASA astronauts on the moon inspired by termite mounds.

Queen and king termites are fantastic parents to upstart colonies. But only until their offspring can take over.

Researchers investigated termites' discovery and decay of wood at more than 130 sites in a variety of habitats across six continents.

"In a way, just like our cities, termite colonies are resilient and change over generations. So as each city is unique, each termite colony is just as unique."

It only takes a few termites consuming poisonous bait to eliminate an entire colony, a study of 1.68 million termites shows.

Two invasive termite species in South Florida allowed researchers to better understand how they breed and form new colonies.

"Termites are mostly misunderstood," says entomologist Thomas Chouvenc. Tracing their evolution shows they do more than eat wood and destroy homes.

A tiny termite might see an elephant's foot as a threat but losing herbivores to hunting may cause even more problems for them.