Termites – How Do Termites Live Without a Queen?

Termites are a colony of insects that live in subterranean areas. They can travel hundreds of feet underground to obtain food. When they find a good place to live, they form a nest.

The queen termite is the mother of the termite colony. She lives in a special chamber. The chamber has thick walls and numerous passages. She can lay thousands of eggs a day when she is mature. She leaves the colony on warm spring days and returns on warm fall days.

A termite colony usually contains 60,000 to one million termites. The queen lays about 30,000 eggs a day. The colony can grow to 300,000 workers within five years. If the queen dies, the colony will start to break apart.

When the queen dies, the secondary reproductives take over. They are smaller than the primary queen and do not have wings. These reproductives help the primary queen produce eggs. They also serve as backup plans in case the queen does not survive.

A secondary reproductive can also mate with the primary kind. The two of them may form a secondary king. The king will reside in a protective capsule with the queen.

The termite colony becomes more organized after several years. It becomes more difficult for the queen to access the nest. This is because of the presence of the soldier termites.

As the queen grows, she will stretch her skin to accommodate the expansion of her egg-laying organ. This causes her whole body to stretch. This makes her look like a striped caterpillar.