Hormigas hacha: the Amazonian Termites

By Camilo Flórez-V 
Edited and translated into English by Valeria Arce

In the jungle, the cardinal directions are 'where the sun rises' and 'where it sets'. The fact that the sun shines equally upon all is something that I learned there. I also came to understand that the beings that inhabit the jungle exist in a sort of balance between good and evil. Everything is part of the intricate workings of a marvelous 'creation', retold in hundreds of Amazonian oral tales. Although these stories are part of a centuries-old tradition, I wanted to write about what has been the heart of nights illuminated by candles and wood fires, in the presence of mambe[1], rapé[2], and ambil[3]. Don Miguel and Doña María, paisanos[4] from the Bora community, and Rosendo, a paisano from the Yucuna community, were the ones who opened up to show me part of this wonderful world in the Colombian Amazon.

Mileidy, Santiago, and I were visiting these forests in search of membracids (also known as treehoppers), small sap-sucking insects, and groups of ants with which they are associated. In order to understand their mutualisms, we spent entire days looking for them, recording their behaviors and types of associations.

Of course, walking through those Amazonian forests made it impossible not to be curious about everything, so we were constantly asking Don Miguel, Doña María, and Rosendo questions. I often wondered if there was really anything that wasn't eaten in the jungle. The gastronomic variety is as vast as the diversity found in those forests. However, with our city-dweller way of thinking, with food options limited to what supermarkets offer, it's difficult to fully comprehend this immense variety of food. This story focuses on just a small part of it, and on one that, although small, is abundant when taken as a whole, and above all, very tasty.

Encountering Hormigas Hacha 

On one of our trips searching for membracids, we came across a thirty-meter tree surrounded by several mounds of orange, clay-like soil. This scene caught Don Miguel's eye, as it indicated that a nest of 'ants', known in the jungle for their unique flavor, could be found there. A few days earlier, Don Miguel and Doña María had told us about various insects that the paisanos usually eat, but they mentioned that, without a doubt, the most desirable to them were 'ants' and weevils. Doña María had a special interest in 'ants' and had asked Don Miguel, just a couple of days before, to bring some to the maloca[5] if we found them along the way.

Hole made to access the tunnels and extract the termite soldiers. Photo: Camilo Flórez-V

Don Miguel explained to us the process of collecting these insects: you start by using a thin but sturdy stick, pressing it repeatedly into the ground, looking for a spot where the stick goes in with less resistance. This signals that the ants have tunnels in that area, making it the right place to begin digging to reach them. The digging can't be rushed; it has to be done carefully for one very important reason, as Don Miguel warned: 'those ants bite really hard'. It's no wonder they're called hormigas hacha, which translates as 'Axe Ants' in English, due to their sharp bite. Once the tunnel is uncovered, the insects begin to emerge, defending their nest. When it finally happened, it was thrilling because we were all eagerly waiting for the ants to come out. And indeed, insects came out. But to the surprise of Mile, Santi, and me, what emerged were huge insects that didn't look like ants: they were termite soldiers!

Biology of Hormigas Hacha

From a scientific perspective, hormigas hacha are termites of the species Syntermes aculeosus (Insecta: Blattodea: Termitidae). Like other social insects, these termites have a division of labor across different castes, with individuals assigned to particular tasks. Some build and maintain the nest, while others defend it and protect the queen and king, who are responsible for reproduction. Sizes between casts may vary, and in the particular case of these termites, the soldiers, who defend the colony in most social insects, have massive mandibles and a large body compared to the other castes, making them one of the species with the largest soldiers in the world. Their considerable size is also the reason they're preferred by the paisanos.

Don Miguel recalled that some time before this expedition, he observed hormigas hacha at night: thousands of individuals collecting leaf litter. He explained that this is why the areas around their nests are particularly clear, with little debris and more exposed soil. According to scientific literature, in this group of termites, the workers usually collect the litter, escorted by soldiers, and then transport it back to the nest. However, Don Miguel observed that it was the soldiers themselves who gathered and transported the leaves. These nests are typically found at the base of large trees, where the soil forms mounds near the roots. Below the surface lies a network of tunnels leading to chambers, as reported in scientific studies, where the leaves are stored. In other species of this termite genus, these chambers can reach depths of over a meter, and it is within them that the larvae feed on the collected material.

Despite the size of hormigas hacha and their widespread use among various cultures in the Amazon, little is known about the biology of these organisms, which could represent various species from the Syntermes genus. We still don't know the size of their populations, the extent of their colonies, or how many individuals they can support. It is suspected that, like other soil organisms, these termites are crucial for nutrient recycling through the digestion of leaf litter in Amazonian forests. What remains unknown is whether they have preferences for specific types of leaf litter or particular forest conditions.

Exploring with Doña María

Since our arrival, Doña María had been busy at the maloca, fishing, gathering canangucha (moriche, the fruit of the Mauritia flexuosa palm), and collecting wood to keep the fire going. She was excited that we had found the hormigas hacha nest. Before leaving to another maloca (Don Miguel and Doña María's, nearly 15 km away from where we were staying), we decided to look for more hormigas hacha to eat along with other ingredients from the jungle and the chagra (a space prepared by paisanos to grow edible, medicinal, and/or religious plants). So, on one of our rest days, we set out with Doña María to hunt them.

For Doña María, these insects were more than just food, they seemed to transport her back to her childhood, when she used to collect them with her mother. This was clear from the joy in her steps as she walked the path from the maloca to the nest. She carried a basket that Don Miguel had woven for her just a few days earlier from vines he had been gathering, preparing, and carefully weaving each day. Along the way, Don Miguel and Doña María gathered spear leaves (young apical fronds emerging from the heart of palms), preferring those with hairs and spines (possibly from Bactris and Astrocaryum), and filled a pot with water from a stream before we reached the nest. Once we got there, Doña María led the collection, and we immediately looked for the tunnel we had previously dug and covered with sticks, leaves, and clay soil. The hormigas hacha had partially filled it and only a few soldiers emerged to defend it. For some reason, they seemed less active.

We suspect the rain from the night before played a role, as Doña María mentioned these insects don't like damp soil, and the ground was clearly much wetter than on previous days. Nonetheless, she inserted one of the palm spears into the tunnel. You can tell if the soldiers are biting it by watching if the exposed end starts to move; if so, the process is working. Since only a few soldiers were holding onto the spear when Doña María pulled it out, she lit some dry leaves and used others to fan the smoke into the tunnels. As she explained, the smoke makes hormigas hacha "angry", and forces them to come out. She repeated this several times, then inserted more palm spears, which soon came out covered with many more soldiers. Because their mandibles are so strong, removing them isn't easy. Thick leaves are used to firmly slide your hand down it, wiping the termites into a container, which should ideally be filled with water to keep them from moving or escaping. The spear needs to be replaced regularly once it becomes too muddy or chewed up. If there are multiple tunnels, you can insert several spears simultaneously.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jwszueWkpY

[Video] Doña María and Don Miguel exploring and extracting hormigas hacha from one of the tunnels in their nest. Field trip in the Amazon, Leticia (Colombia), in July 2022.

The hole needs to be wide enough because the soldiers will start climbing the walls, and if you're not careful, they can bite you—hard (really hard!). Doña María was bitten twice, as was one of us. But we were lucky—Don Miguel got bitten more than seven times. While Doña María was busy extracting, Don Miguel and the rest of us started working on another hole with three tunnels. Before we knew it, the walls were crawling with soldiers, and we couldn't make it any wider. As it was too narrow, we were much more likely to get bitten. After about an hour, both Doña María's pot and Don Miguel's container were full of hormigas hacha. Once we finished, we closed up the holes, laid sticks across them and placed leaves on top.

Eating termites

A mix of some traditional dishes from the paisanos and food from the Northern Andes, alongside hormigas hacha. Photo: Camilo Flórez-V

These termites can be eaten raw, though usually only their heads. Eating them alive can be risky, as they can easily bite your lips or tongue—something we've learned firsthand. They can also be cooked and prepared in many different ways. Since they have mud and detritus in their digestive tract, it's important to first clean them out. They are washed several times to remove any dirt from their bodies, then boiled to clear out any debris inside them. The water is discarded, and they're rinsed again. After that, they can be sautéed in a pan or deep-fried to give them a crunchy texture. Either way, their flavor is aromatic and slightly spicy, which biologist Reginaldo Constantino, a leading expert on termites, believes comes from a defensive secretion produced by their frontal gland.

Doña María put a lot of effort into the entire preparation. Once she finished sautéing them, she stored the termites in several plastic containers, leaving one on the table for us to snack on throughout the afternoon. Doña María, Don Miguel, and Rosendo (who had arrived at the maloca earlier that day) kept returning to the table to grab handfuls, as if they were just any ordinary snack. For dinner, we mixed them with rice, beans and farinha6. It's worth noting that this meal contained a mix of ingredients brought by us, people from the Northern Andes, and the paisanos. If Doña María had done the shopping herself, there probably wouldn't have been as much rice or beans, but definitely more cassava starch, farinha and dried pirarucú (Arapaima gigas, a large Amazonian freshwater fish).

We brought most termites to Don Miguel and Doña María's maloca, a spectacular spot near the Tacana river, surrounded by palms, guamos (Inga spp.), uva caimarona (Pourouma cecropiifolia), and other edible plants. They had a chagra nearby, mainly growing cassava and mambe. By cassava, we mean over seven different varieties, and from what we understood, they fall into two categories: those that can be cooked and eaten directly, and others used to make cassava starch, farinha, and tucupí. Tucupí is a sauce that comes from the process of cassava starch extraction, and sometimes, chili peppers or even termites are added to it. It's mainly used as a spicy seasoning, and when termites are included, they add a more aromatic and distinctive flavor. Termites were also served with other dishes, such as with Amazonian mazamorra and roasted Maraca seeds.  

It's not an easy task to describe the sensations and flavors of Amazonian cuisine. Meals with Doña María, Don Miguel and Rosendo, went beyond just having the ingredients to prepare and assemble a dish. The entire process of making a single meal requires several hours or even days of preparation, during which Doña María never spared any effort. Preparing  canangucha juice requires gathering the fruits from the ground or from the palms, straining it patiently, and then cleaning the husk (or outer shell of the seed) with even more patience. For casabe7 preparation, cassava must first be cultivated in the chagra, then harvested, peeled, ground and strained through a sieve to extract the starch. After that, it's strained again with a finer mesh before making the casabe. This brief description doesn't even take into account that, throughout all these steps, the fire must be kept going, which requires having enough firewood. In this experience, food becomes a ritual, connecting the body to what is consumed, and how every organism involved in the food, as well as the way it's prepared, carries oral traditions passed down through generations.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYnVPXc4Les 

[Video] Doña María cleaning and cooking hormigas hacha. Field trip in the Amazon, Leticia (Colombia), in July 2022. 

Preserving Traditions by Deepening Our Understanding  

The consumption of insects is of great importance for many paisanos in the Amazon. Studies have shown that various ethnic Amazonian groups eat insects throughout the year. They are highly nutritious; for instance, hormigas hacha have a higher protein content than other sources of protein, such as red meat. It is often believed that paisanos eat insects due to the scarcity of other food sources, mainly from vertebrates. However, from Doña María's reaction, it is clear that these termites are eaten not only out of necessity, but also for the great flavor they add to meals.  

Collecting and eating hormigas hacha represents a tradition passed down orally through generations. Women play a crucial role in this practice. In many indigenous Amazonian communities, it's been documented that only women are responsible for gathering hacha soldiers, and even leaf-cutter ants. This was reflected in Doña María's stories about collecting them with her mother, as well as her skill and fondness for these insects.

We still know little about the biology of these termites, particularly their leaf litter preferences and nesting conditions. They are widely eaten by various ethnic groups in the Amazon, and despite their abundance, they seem to be sensitive to overexploitation; many individuals are collected to ensure there's enough for a meal. As Doña María and Don Miguel explained, because hormigas hacha are so highly valued by the communities, continuous harvesting from the same colony can lead to the termites abandoning their nests and moving elsewhere, or the colonies may simply disappear. This emphasizes the need to study and understand their biology alongside the communities, to create strategies for harvesting hormigas hacha without posing a threat to their populations. A possible approach could be to collect individuals from various nests within a forested area, while implementing rotation cycles to give colonies time to restore their population numbers. Furthermore, understanding conditions and preferences that allow colony establishment could help us develop strategies to encourage the growth or emergence of new colonies. Much of this knowledge is already embedded in the cosmogony of the paisanos, who have always deeply understood forest dynamics.

Glossary

1. Mambe: A powdered mixture made from toasted coca leaves and ash, traditionally consumed by indigenous communities in the Amazon for spiritual and social gatherings.
2. Rapé: A snuff made from pulverized tobacco and other herbs, used by indigenous Amazonian communities for ceremonial purposes and to cleanse the mind.
3. Ambil: A paste made from tobacco and other ingredients, typically consumed with mambe in traditional Amazonian rituals for communication and reflection.
4. Paisano: A local or countryman, often used to refer to a fellow member of the same community or culture, particularly in rural or indigenous contexts.
5. Maloca: A large communal house used by indigenous communities in the Amazon, often serving as a place for gatherings, ceremonies, and shared living.
6. Farinhna: A staple food in the Amazon, farinha refers to toasted cassava (yuca) flour, which is commonly used as a side dish or ingredient in various traditional meals.
7. Casabe: A type of flatbread made from cassava (yuca), which is a starchy root native to South America.

Thanks to Don Miguel Arcángel, Doña María, and Rosendo for their generous hospitality, and to Santiago Quintero and Cristian Camilo Chica for their invaluable help in the field. Thanks to Laura Ospina and Satúrnida Laboratorio de Divulgación Científica for their help with the initial editing of this article.

An abandoned maloca in El Zafire. The roof is deteriorating due to lack of use and maintenance. Inhabited malocas are preserved thanks to the smoke and heat from indoor fires, which protect the palm-thatched roofs over time.

Roasting process of coca leaves, which are then ground, sifted several types and then mixed with Yarumo ash powder to make mambe.

The maloca of Doña María and Don Miguel.

Tucupí preparation. The process begins by straining cassava to extract its juice. The starch is left to settle and separate from the liquid, which is then cooked for several days to obtain tucupí.

A diverse meal including rice topped with drops of tucupi, beans, a boiled egg, farinha, and hormigas hacha.