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Termites
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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!
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WORKERS:
* Most abundant
* Responsible for feeding nymphs, soldiers,
and reproductives
* Dig tunnels
* Locate food and water
* Build and repair nests
* garden mushrooms
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SOLDIERS:
* Develop from nymphs
* The metamorphosis into this type takes two moults
* Possess specialized defensive weaponry
* Provide colony defense against predators
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REPRODUCTIVES:
* Some of these are winged, called Alates.
Others lose their wings, called Dealates
* Swarm during certain times of the year
* Starts the family
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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!
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Now that we've met the family in general...
Let's meet Tommy, the Wood Magic Termite!
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