Do Termite Colonies Have Queens?
Much like ants, termites also have a queen, and she is a god to them in their little own universe. The queen is the most important member of the colony; while the male is always beside her as a loyal supporter and companion to the female queen-termite.
Termites
The queen fulfills many functions that would cause the whole daily termite operation to come to a halt if the queen were not around. Of course, the colony must remain well populated since so many worker ants are meant for nothing more than a quick death during battle.
The king is responsible for ensuring that the colony is sufficiently powerful. The king is sure to provide the queen with as many offspring as she can handle. The king can make this assurance since he spends his, and the queen’s life, mating underground. The king and queen choose to mate underground because, only there, can they remain safe from the multitudes above. The only time the queen makes any significant physical movements is when her mating duties have ceased. Once the queen’s offspring become old enough to care for the queen’s larvae, the queen moves on, and retires perhaps.
Much like ancient India, termite colonies have a caste system, so no equal rights for termites I am afraid. The cast system is made of workers, soldiers and reproductives. The caste system is also determined by the king. For example, the king termite will release pheromones that work as a mind control solution that helps give the king a better idea as to where an individual would fit into a caste system. What’s more, if the pheromones disappear from the termites’ environment, they all just default to being reproductives.
To the naked eye, kings and queens may look awfully similar, but after a while, both the king and queen begin to develop distinct bodies as well as improved eyesight. It seems that even when it comes to termites, it is good to be the king.
Have you ever witnessed two arthropods of any kind mating? Contact us for a free inspection is you suspect your have termites in the Texas region.