It is helpful to understand the life cycle of the termite if you ever need to combat an infestation. This is because you will not get rid of your problem if you only kill the adults. Within a few weeks, your problem might come back even worse.
They start out with a mating flight. A swarm of male and female termites depart form their colonies to procreate. After the females are fertilized, they land, shed their wings, and begin their own new colonies. There will be a queen and king of these new colonies, and they are the center of the colony and responsible for reproduction. What do you do if you find live termites?
The queens eggs will hatch into larvae. These are pale and white. Once the larvae have molted a few times, they grow into adult termites. They may have one of the following castes:
workers soldiers reproductive termites
It is interesting to note that each caste has their own look.
The workers build tunnels and chambers, and they feed and groom other types of termites.
Soldiers are brownish in color, and they have much bigger heads and big mandibles. This makes them ready for combat, but they might not even be able to feed themselves. This is why the workers have to feed them.
The reproductive termites are darker, and they have two sets of wings.
Even scientists are not sure exactly how different termites become members of the different castes. It is also interesting to learn that termites might change into another caste if their colony requires it. In other words, a soldier can become a worker or a reproductive termite.
Originally posted here:
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