Termite Assassin
Genesis 1:25
And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
The assassin bug uses a combination of camouflage and baiting which is totally unknown to any other creature.
The assassin bug glues bits of termite nest to himself using fluid from special glands in his body. This termite nest material is his camouflage as he performs his work at the nest. By the time he is done, no part of his body will be showing.
Sneaking, unnoticed, to an opening in the nest, the assassin bug waits for some hapless termite to come by. Having captured his first victim and drained it of body fluids, the assassin bug now takes his victim and waves it near the nest opening. Seeing the corpse, a worker moves forward. As he does so, the assassin bug slowly draws his bait back, luring the worker further from the protection of the nest. Suddenly, the assassin bug grabs his new victim and discards the old one. Victim number two will become bait for victim number three. In one such operation, researchers watched as one assassin bug continued this for three hours, killing 31 termites!
The gruesome way in which the assassin bug makes his living demonstrates a great deal of intelligence. The assassin bug is yet another example of the fact that intelligence doesn't have anything to do with evolution - rather, it is a gift of the Creator to His creatures.
Prayer:
Dear Father in heaven, I thank You for the gift of intelligence. Help me to use the intelligence You have given me wisely, and to Your glory. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Notes:
“Bugs that use bait,” January/February, Science 83, pp.6-7
