The study showed that termites have fewer receptors associated with smell than other social insects, like ants, wasps and bees.
“The vast majority of termites are not pests,” said co-author Ed Vargo, professor of entomology . “They serve important functions in decomposition, for example. But we can use this sequence information to figure out ways of disrupting certain pathways which could have pest control implications for termites causing problems in homes.”