termite society

Termite 1: winged male; termite 2: soldier; termite 3: worker

Workers are made up of sterile males and females, who make up the majority of individuals in society. These termites have functions like digging tunnels, gathering food, caring for nymphs, etc.

Soldiers are sterile males and females endowed with a large head, jaw and very strong paws . They are very aggressive animals that are responsible for defending the termite mound.

The kings and queensare fertile organisms that emerge from the termite mound in the hottest months of the year. They feature wings and are known to many people as “hallelujahs” or “crabs”. After leaving the termite mound, these animals make a flock, mainly in places where there are lighted lamps, and then fall to the ground and lose their wings. Males and females unite, forming couples, and go looking for suitable places to build the nest, where they will be the king and queen and give rise to all individuals in society. The king termite does not die after fertilization and so it manages to fertilize the queen periodically. The queen, in turn, can live up to 50 years, laying up to three million eggs a year. During pregnancy, the queen’s abdomen is filled with eggs and greatly increases in size.

The termite is an animal that does not waste food and therefore has the habit of ingesting the fecal cake of its companions to take advantage of the remains that have not yet been digested. That dust we see on old furniture that has been attacked by termites is actually tiny balls of termite feces.