- how do flagellates get into termites?

They get passed from one termite to the next via their food. They regurgitate food to each other and the regurgitated food contains the flagellates that digest the cellulose. Termites have to get 'recharged' with digestive flagellates every time they molt (shed their skins and grow) because their hind guts (where the flagellates live) get shed with the skin.

small (270 Kb)

tower (330 Kb)