How Old Is Termite Queen?
WouterTermite queens can live up to 25 years or more. They are also known to lay thousands of eggs every day. Some have been known to lay up to 165 million eggs before they die.
Female termite queens are hairless and range from dark brown to golden brown. They have visible veins on their skin. They are the only type of termite with wings. They will land and chew off the wings of other termites.
The lifespan of termites is largely influenced by the social structure of the colony. As the colony grows, the number of reproductives increases. Some species of reproductive termites, such as the drywood termite, live for up to 10-12 years. The African mound-building termite, which lives in a mound, can live for up to 60 years.
When a colony is young, the termite queen is the only reproducer. In the early stages of the colony, she will produce 10 to 20 eggs. She will also have pheromones that control the development of other termite queens. These pheromones stop if the primary queen dies.
Once the colony has grown to a larger size, a caste system is implemented. A larger colony will have a primary and secondary queen. The secondary queen is smaller than the primary queen. She will not be as productive as the primary queen. This is because she does not have the same reproductive capacity.
When the primary queen dies, a new one will replace her. The primary and secondary queens may have different genes. The gene expression of older reproductively mature workers is lower than that of the younger workers.
