termite colony
Subterranean insect society
A termite colony is the social unit in which termites live, comprising thousands to millions of individuals organized into castes—workers, soldiers, and reproductives—centered around a queen.
The colony functions as a superorganism, with members performing specialized roles: workers build and maintain the nest, soldiers defend it, and the queen produces eggs continuously.
Termite colonies can persist for decades and construct elaborate mounds or tunnel systems: The termite colony had hollowed out the entire foundation before anyone noticed.
- moundHeaped earth formation
- mud tubesTermite-made protective tunnels
- queenMost powerful chess piece
- workersPeople doing jobs
- soldiersMilitary personnel who fight
swarm · nest · wood · tunnels · insects · hive · infestation · mud · galleries · larvae · wingless · eusocial · social insects · cellulose · wood damage · excavation · chambers · superorganism
- coloniesPlymouth, Jamestown, British India, Dutch East Indies, French Indochina
- insect homesanthill, ant hill, ant mound, beehive, hive
- social insectsworkers, queen, nest, brood, foragers
- superorganismsPortuguese man-of-war, army ants, leafcutter ants, honeybees, fire ants
- cave lifecavefish, cave cricket, cave crickets, cave bats, cave dwellers
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