How Long Do Termites Live For?
Termites have a life cycle that varies based on the species. Some termites can live for decades, while others can survive only a few years. The lifespan of termites is largely determined by the environment, as well as the social structure of the colony.
Termites usually live in colonies, which are comprised of workers, alates, and soldiers. Each member of a termite colony does a specific job, such as foraging for food or building a nest. These members overlap their generations to ensure that the colony can continue to grow and thrive.
There are three different types of termites. These include workers, reproductive termites, and flying termites. The worker termite is the most common species. These are the smallest and live for a couple of years. The termite also has a front pair of wings that it uses for flight. The termite nymphs shed their wings several times before becoming adults.
The reproductive termite is the most important type to recognize. It has long wings that it uses for mating. When the nymphs are ready to mate, they gather into swarms for about 30 minutes. After mating, they form a new colony.
Termite colonies can grow to hundreds of thousands of members. Some of these colonies will continue to grow for the lifetime of the queen. In some colonies, a single queen may lay up to 18,250,000 eggs.
The nymphs will then molt several times before they reach adulthood. They have soft, white bodies that appear to have no legs. They eventually transform into flies.