Topic Page: Termites Definition: termite from Merriam-Webster's Collegiate(R) Dictionary pronunciation (1781) : any of numerous pale-colored soft-bodied social insects (order Isoptera) that live in colonies consisting usu. of winged sexual forms, wingless sterile workers, and soldiers, feed on wood, and include some which are very destructive to wooden structures and trees called also white ant Summary Article: Termites from DK Eyewitness Books: Insect The biggest and most complex of insect societies are built by termites. The nests of some species, such as the AustralianMacrotermes bellicosus (see here), may house up to five million many more termites than the entire human population of Image from: Castes for New Zealand and are extraordinarily complex buildings, with full Isoptera. A lower termite air conditioning. Nests usually have a single queen, who lays all the group,... in Encyclopedia of eggs, and a single king, who fertilizes them all. In a really big nest a Insects queen and king may live for 15 years, and for much of her life the queen will lay one egg every three seconds. She looks like a small sausage and lives in a special chamber; she is fed continuously by the numerous workers of her nest. Radiating out from the nest are many covered trails, guarded by large soldier termites, along which the workers bring all the food needed for the colony. Unlike ants, these soldiers and workers are male or female, and they all feed only on plant material. Some species attack young plants, others eat seeds, but most eat rotting wood or cultivate special fungus gardens. Tree termites Many termite species build nests in trees; the nests are usually connected to other parts of the same colony, either underground or in other trees. Termites connect the galleries by sticking soil particles together and roofing in their highways, or by tunneling in wood and underground. The foraging galleries and tunnels of the Macrotermes nest shown here cover 2.5 acres (1 hectare).
Air-condit ioned cit y This towering mound built by Australian termites (Macrotermes bellicosus) is really a giant ventilation chimney through which hot air from the nest can escape. Beneath the tower is a cave about 9 ft (3 m) in diameter housing the nursery galleries, the queen's cell, and the fungus gardens. Below the main cave are cavities 32 ft (10 m) or more deep, from which the termites obtain water. At the top of the main cave is a hole, which the termites can make bigger or smaller by adding or removing soil particles. This varies the speed of warm, moist air passing up and out through the cave and
chimneys, and controls the temperature in the nest to within 1 degree. Inside a termites' nest The Macrotermes subhyalinus nest differs from that of its relative M. bellicosus, but the principle of keeping a constant temperature within remains the same.
Termite castes 1) Fully grown Macrotermes queen; the head and thorax are dwarfed by the enormous abdomen; 2) worker; 3) soldier; 4) young nymph; 5) short-winged nymph; 6) long-winged nymph; 7) male; 8) young female; 9) egg-laying female (note wings cut off after mating flight).
Myst erious umbrellas The study of insects often raises more questions than answers. These umbrella nests of African Cubitermes are well known. They are about 18 in (45 cm) high. But what is their function? A nest starts hidden underground. Then one or more columns may suddenly be built, and up to five caps may be added to each one. No queen cell is built by these termites.
APA Chicago Harvard MLA Termites. (2007). In L. Mound, DK eyewitness books: Insect (2nd ed.). London, UK: Dorling Kindersley Publishing, Inc. Retrieved from 2007 Dorling Kindersley Limited 2007 Dorling Kindersley Limited
APA Termites. (2007). In L. Mound, DK eyewitness books: Insect (2nd ed.). London, UK: Dorling Kindersley Publishing, Inc. Retrieved from Chicago "Termites." In DK Eyewitness Books: Insect, by Laurence Mound. 2nd ed. Dorling Kindersley Publishing, Inc., 2007. Harvard Termites. (2007). In L. Mound, DK eyewitness books: Insect. (2nd ed.). [Online]. London: Dorling Kindersley Publishing, Inc. Available from: [Accessed 27 September 2018]. MLA "Termites." DK Eyewitness Books: Insect, Laurence Mound, Dorling Kindersley Publishing, Inc., 2nd edition, 2007. Credo Reference,. Accessed 27 Sep. 2018.