Termites – Eusocial Insects
How can such a small insect be so destructive? Termites cause more damage than the mightiest of storms and natural disasters.
Termites are social insects and if you study them you might notice some similarities to ants. Members of the worker class of termites are even sometimes called “little white ants.” Within a colony the termites are separated into classes: workers, soldiers, winged reproductive termites, queen and king.
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Most of the colony’s population is comprised of workers, who are responsible for building and repairing passageways, feeding the colony, caring for eggs and finding food. As their name indicates, soldiers protect the colony. The soldier’s distinctive characteristics are its large hard head and large jaws, which can be deadly weapons against other insects.
The king and queen are the original and primary reproducers of the colony. However, they are aided by winged reproductive termites (secondary reproducers) that mate and lay eggs, allowing the colony to grow more quickly. A colony can house several million residents. The winged termites are also responsible for flying off in search of sites for new colonies where they will become the kings and queens.
Dry-wood and ground termites are the most common types of the insects. Both groups eat wood and wood products. Dry-wood termites can do a large amount of damage to a wood structure over a relatively short period of time.
