In Which I Meet the Queen

{the squeemish should look away}

So there are these HUGE termite mounds all over in Africa, including here in Moshi.

Today I got to meet the queen.
It's the only way to get rid of the colony.  You've got to find the queen, remove her and the rest of them will disappear.  I wish the picture was a video.  Because then you could see the lower part of her body pulsating, moving, squirming with all the tiny eggs that filled her body.  It was like watching a wave machine.  But gross.  WAY gross.

Here it is.  I've warned you - if you're squeamish, look away!  There's a normal-distance shot to show you the size perspective, and then a close up.

 So there's two of them in there.  If you look at the one on the bottom you can see it's main body - it like of looks like an ant.  Then it just drags it's... erm.... rear end? around with the eggs in it.  See how it's bumpy?  That's because it's filled with thousands of teeny tiny eggs, moving around and pulsating in there.  It was disgusting.  But the kind of disgusting that's kind of hard to look away from.  So I had to take a picture. :)

So there ya have it.  If you still aren't feeling squeamish, it might be a fun fact for you to know that these are often eaten.  Yup.  Fried up in a pan and CRUNCH.  Full of nutrients.  In fact, a missionary we know here has eaten one.  And it was even bigger that those above.  GROSS.  I may have eaten goat liver, but I would NOT do that.  No. Way. Not. Ever.
::gag::

Okay.  I'll stop grossing you out now.

Kwaheri! (goodbye)