Male termite pairs will make nests, just as heterosexual termite couples do.

When male termites are single, and no female mates can be found, the guys tend to form homosexual couples in order to survive, a new study finds.These homosexual pairings may give male Japanesetermitesan evolutionary edge, according to new research. Scientists found that when female mates are lacking, male termites will pair up and nest together. Thesesame-sex pairswill even take over a heterosexual couple's nest, killing the resident male so that one can member of the male-male pair can mate with the female, the researchers said.Scientists previously thought homosexual pairings for invertebrates like insects were the result of misrecognition of males as females. However, in the new study, researchers at Kyoto University in Japan found that the male termites in same-sex couplings did not act as if they had mistaken their partner as female.