Termites’ wood-heavy diet offers little nitrogen, a critical nutrient for growth and reproduction. But their exoskeletons are nitrogen rich, and new research shows that eating shed exoskeletons after molting is a core strategy for recycling nitrogen throughout the termite colony and boosting the queen’s egg-laying. Shown here are two subsets of colonies of Asian subterranean termites (Coptotermes gestroi) in dishes for observation in a lab. (Photo courtesy of Reina Tong, Ph.D.)