How Many Termites Are in a Colony?
WouterTermites are small insects that live in colonies. They are highly social and depend on each other to survive. These insects can be very destructive and can infest a building. They can cause up to five billion dollars in property damage annually. There are three main types of termites: swarmers, workers, and reproductives. Each has a specific role to play in a colony.
Termites form a colony when they find a wood source. They use pheromones to communicate with other termites. They build tunnels to reach the wood source, which is their food supply. They also forage outside of the colony for food.
They usually mate and form a new colony when they come to an area that is conducive to nesting. A newly founded colony may take a year or more to mature. A single subterranean colony can contain a million or more termites, depending on the species.
A six-year-old colony may have over one million termites. This number can increase each year as more workers join the colony. A colony can be very large and have multiple satellite colonies. In addition, there are different castes within a colony.
The king and queen of a colony are breeding termites. These termites are larger than workers and lay a higher number of eggs. They typically live for at least ten years. The king termite is usually found in the center of the colony and is protected by the queen.
During their lifetime, the queen will lay thousands of eggs. She also produces nymphal workers. The nymphs are sexually immature and have wingless bodies. The nymphs are responsible for caring for their siblings.
