King and Queen
Termites start with a king and queen termite, usually from different colonies. The two mate, and then find a location to start a nest and shed their wings. The king and queen will never fly again. Instead, they wait for the newly-fertilized queen to lay her first clutch of eggs. The eggs hatch into white larvae in a matter of weeks. As they mature, the larvae are inducted into one of three ranks of the colony, which closely resemble castes, or social classes.
Worker Termites
The lowest rank in the termite colony is the worker. Workers are young and not yet capable of reproducing. Because of this, they are assigned to dig tunnels and chambers, expanding the nest. They also may assist the upper classes with feeding and hygienic practices. They live about one to two years.
Soldier Termites
Over time, some termites grow large mandibles, which resemble sharp brown pincers. It is at this point that they become soldier termites, tasked with defending the colony. Their mandibles are lethal in combat against certain predators, but are too bulky for them to feed themselves. Because of this, worker termites must physically place food in the soldiers’ mouths for them. The soldiers can live up to two years.
Alates
As soon as termites reach sexual maturity, they turn black and grow wings. These are called alates, and are tasked with starting their own colonies as king or queen and continuing the cycle elsewhere. They are the longest-living termites, with a lifespan of up to 50 years.
Never forget that queen termites can lay over 1000 eggs per day, and this can spell serious trouble for your home if they decide to start a colony there. Burns Termite Control of Phoenix specializes in rapid, effective pest control to knock out the queen and her colony before they can inflict serious damage.
ไม่มีความคิดเห็น:
แสดงความคิดเห็น