Termites are considered an invasive species and when one recalls about these insects, we speak about their detrimental effects on human health. What we will discuss is the lifecycle of termites. Like humans, bees, ants or any living species the termites also have a life cycle; they are born and go through multiple stages. Does that arouse curiosity? Their life span is short-lived, somewhere around one to two years but the Queen termites survive even decades with optimal conditions. Yes, they have colonies and have king and Queen!
It all starts with the egg
Did you know termites capture the largest landmasses on earth? They are generally transparent and males are developed from unfertilised eggs whereas females develop from fertilised eggs.
- Eggs and larva: Like bees and ants, the lifecycle begins with eggs and they hatch into larvae. These larvae grow and assume a role in the termite colony castes namely; workers, soldiers and reproductive termites.
- Workers, soldiers and reproductive alates: These all come under nymphs and molt into any of three castes. They have different colours and perform different tasks in a colony. Interesting. Worker termites are responsible for constructing tunnels, feeding and grooming other termites. Soldier termites are yellow-brown and are useful in combat but depend on workers for being fed. The reproductive ones are born with wings and are darker in appearance.
- Adults: The development process to become adults takes a few months and depends on variables like availability of food, temperature, climatic conditions and population of the colony.
The colony constructed by this species varies in the number of occupants, ranging from 100- 1000 individuals. The essential part of every colony is the Queen. A mature queen has the capacity to lay thousands of eggs in a day and has the longest life span. The workers provide aid to king and queen during their whole life. They really are the king and queen, as they do not move outside the colony ever.
What do termites feed on?
The feeding habits of termites distinguish their groups as well; the termites, which feed on wood predominantly, are called the lower termites. Fungus-infected wood is mostly their feed. The other group is high termites, which feed on a variety of materials like faeces, grass, humus, leaves and roots.
Humans just hope that the wood termites feed on is not of their home. As such take a little care of the places, they might build their colonies. Damages can be controlled and the life cycle of termites can transpire somewhere else.