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 is a closeup of a single exuvia, or shed exoskeleton, of an in species such as the Asian subterranean termite (Coptotermes gestroi). (Photo courtesy of Reina Tong, Ph.D.)