The soldier caste is responsible for defending and protecting the colony from enemies (which are mainly ants). They have protruding jaws and larger, armored heads than the workers, which are often a shade of yellow, orange, brown, or red. The soldiers of some species have snouts instead of jaws in which they squirt a repellent liquid at invading ants. Termite soldiers may be either male or female.
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Monthly Archives September 2009
The worker termites
The worker termites are the main caste of the termite colony. When a new reproductive pair of alates has settled down and the queen has started laying eggs, worker termites are always the first brood to emerge from the eggs. In some species there are 2 (sometimes even 3) size versions; a major variant (which is larger and often darker), and a minor variant (which is smaller). This trait is called polymorphism, and it also occurs in many species of ants.
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The termite colony
Termites live in well structured social systems, much like ants. There is a queen, a king, workers, and soldiers. Some species may have several queens and kings, but generally, the typical termite colony is ruled by a single queen and a male king, while the rest of the workers and soldiers are sterile males and females. Unlike other social insects like ants, wasps, and bees, termites have both genders in the worker and soldier caste.
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Termite identification
Termites may be called “white ants”, but actually, termites can also be black in color. Termites are found in a wide range of colors depending on species. There are nearly 3000 species of termites in the world, but scientists cannot be sure of the actual figure, because most species are found in the tropics and in tropical rainforests, where there may be yet undiscovered species occurring. Among lay people, termite identification can be a slight problem, as they are often confused with ants.
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Introduction to termites
Termites. Most people loath termites because of their reputation. But termites have been around on the earth for a very long time, and are essential to many habitats and ecosystems – Far longer than most creatures on earth today. Known as “white ants” to some folks, termites are most numerous in the tropics, but they are also found in many temperate regions of the globe. Read on to obtain an introduction to termites.
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