There are 300 species of termite in Australia, so Australia must have been in the grip of one of those seven-year droughts during this period.

Hive (or communal) insects require a Queen, several mating "princes", workers, soldiers, and larvae attendants, for continued existence. All termites require humidity and temperature maintenance; with openings to the "outside" covered by secretion. Some species live inside a rock-hard 3 m high mound, thicker across their east-west axis.

More interesting still (in regard to habitat) are the Army Ants from South America, which live inside a "hive" built of living ants - suspended from above, and which venture abroad en-mass when they need a new feeding area. During these migrations, they consume ALL usable plant & animal life in their path.