Queen Termites – Royalty Or Disaster?
Termites are known to be social insects like the ants because they have their social classification. In a colony, there is a highest form up to the lowest form. This caste group involves different members that have their own responsibility for the entire colony. This can absolutely be comparable to humans that have their own responsibilities to fulfill within the society.
This caste system would generally imply that termites are organized insects. Although termites play an important role in the ecosystem, they are considered as pests because they would usually cause great damage to houses. What’s more is that these termites can’t be easily located and determining their attacks are also not that easy since these termites are typically attacking from inside out.
In a colony of termites, a king and queen are considered to be the highest form. They are the founders of the colony but even the queen of that specific colony has been once a part of a colony.
The queen termite is considered to be the main founder because through her, the number of members in the colony will be increased. The queen would often lay numerous eggs per minute which contributes to the great number of their colony.
In the caste system of termites, the queen is considered to be the highest because it is the most important member. A single colony can contain numerous queens in order to assist the main queen in reproduction.
Typically, the queen in a colony came from the reproductive caste of termites. The queen and the king are previously regular reproductive termites that left their colony once they already had grown their wings.
Swarming season usually begins from April to July. At this time, the termites are looking for a place to build their nest and feed on it at the same time. Usually, swarmers consist of male and female reproductive castes and they will pair together to become king and queen.
The termite queen would begin laying eggs in order to increase the population and build a colony. When the eggs hatch, they would become nymphs. From these nymphs, the different castes in the termite colony will be developed. Every social class in the colony of termites has their own distinguishing characteristics as well as their responsibilities in maintaining the colony. A good example would be the soldier termites wherein they develop large mandibles which are used to defend the colony against predators.
Learn more about termite castes and how to control them!
