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Termites
Termite Families
As we said earlier, termites have very large families. Each family member has specific chores. Termite families are broken up into four major groups: workers, soldiers, reproductives, and of course the Queen!
WORKERS:
- Most abundant
- Responsible for feeding nymphs, soldiers, and reproductives
- Dig tunnels
- Locate food and water
- Build and repair nests
- garden mushrooms
SOLDIERS:
- Develop from nymphs
- The metamorphosis into this type takes two moults
- Possess specialized defensive weaponry
- Provide colony defense against predators
REPRODUCTIVES:
- Some of these are winged, called Alates. Others lose their wings, called Dealates
- Swarm during certain times of the year
- Starts the family
QUEEN:
- She is cleaned, fed, and attended after, by the King
- She is immobile and dependent on the workers
- She can produce thousands of eggs a day
- She can be up to ten centimeters in length!
Now that we've met the family in general...
Let's meet Tommy, the Wood Magic Termite!
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