Termite Social Organization and Behavior
In the strictest sense, termites are eusocial insects classified under the taxonomic order, Isoptera. The term eusocial is defined as having the “highest level of social organization in a hierarchical classification.” Because of their very communal nature, they are usually found in clusters of colonies with a number of individual members that range from several thousand to several million.
Each member of a termite colony instinctively knows their job and how to work with the other members of the termite colony. This swarm intelligence works even in the absence of centralized control. It is a classic example of a self-organized, decentralized system. This allows termite colonies to continue on even if a significant portion of the colony was lost.
The termites social organization is divided into four key groups. Young nymphs which are the undeveloped termite young. The reproductive termites consisting of a primary queen and king, as well as possible secondary reproductives. Worker termites to build and gather for the colony and soldier termites to defend the colony from outside threats.
Termite queens and kings start as young alates, which are winged termites. These termites leave their colonies and fly off to form their own. They officially recive the designation of king and queen titles after having mated and started a colony. The king termite will always stay close to the queen termite and they mate for life. Interestingly, a termite colony can have secondary queen and king termites. These additional reproductives allow the colony to grow and expand quicker.
As the colony grows and is able to support a larger termite family, the queen termites egg laying capacity will increase. As she gets older her body will elongate which will in turn increase her egg laying capacity. A fully mature queen is capable of laying tens of thousands of eggs every single day.
Worker termites are responsible for the task of building and maintaining the nest, gathering food and feeding the other members of the colony. It is actually the termite workers that cause the damage to your home and property. They work tirelessly during their short two to four year life to take care of the colony.
Soldier termites have evolved to make them great defenders against outside predators. Soldiers have enlarged heads and heavy jaws that make them great protectors. If there is ever a break that exposes the hive soldier termites will line the opening, protecting against outside invaders, while worker termites seal the opening. They will also use their large heads to block tunnels, sacrificing themselves to protect the colony.
Termites get their nutrients by feeding on organic matter. More specifically, they feed on cellulose that is found in abundance in wood.
While humans consider termites a nuisance, they fill an important role in nature. Termites accelerate the decomposition and breakdown of trees and wood that would otherwise build up and clutter the ecosystem.
Visit Our Friends:
Free SEO Tips
Latest Hairstyles
========================================
Advertising Space
You can put your link in here for just $2/month, your link will showing on new articles and recent articles.
Contact beantownlab@gmail.com for further detail
