Termite Detection
The detection of termite activity in the ground and in timber has long been a problem to society. Many a home and structure has been eaten by these insects. When Metacoustics became involved in a timber pole-monitoring project, one of the poles in the pole farm was attacked by white ants. After the pole supplier was accused of delivering populated poles, it was proved that the termites were local and came from the school area nearby. The work on timber integrity was disrupted by the spurious activity from the termites. As a side project, Metacoustics has developed an acoustic emission termite monitoring technique. This work was upset when large amounts of activity were detected from the populated pole. Visual examination (it always helps to have a look !) revealed that a large number of black ants had penetrated the white ant tunnel, and were stealing the white ant eggs. Metacoustics is probably the only group to have acoustically monitored a war between black and white ants, and it has happened twice in the past six years.
