Termite (order Isoptera)

InsectInvertebrateEusocial

Overview

Termites are small, pale, social insects that live in large colonies and feed on wood and other plant material. Often nicknamed “white ants,” they are not ants at all — in fact, modern science classes termites within the cockroach group (they are essentially highly social, wood-eating cockroaches). Like ants and some bees and wasps, termites are eusocial: a colony is divided into castes, including reproductive kings and queens, workers, and soldiers, each with its own role.

Termites are famous both as destructive pests of timber and as remarkable ecosystem engineers — recyclers of dead plant matter and builders of some of the largest structures made by any animal.

Note: there are many termite species with varied habits; details here cover them broadly. Treat general statements as approximate and verify against authoritative sources.

Habitat & Range

Termites are found mainly in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide, with some in temperate areas, living in soil, dead wood, and the structures they build. Some species nest underground, others inside wood, and many build mounds or nests of soil, saliva, and droppings — including the towering earthen mounds that dot some African and Australian landscapes.

Diet

Termites eat cellulose — the tough material in wood, dead leaves, grass, and other plant matter. Because cellulose is very hard to digest, termites depend on microbes (bacteria and protozoa) living in their guts, or on fungi they cultivate in special gardens, to break it down. This lets them recycle huge amounts of dead plant material that few other animals can use — and is also why they damage wooden buildings.

Behavior

A termite colony works as a coordinated unit. Blind, wingless workers do the building, foraging, and feeding; soldiers, with enlarged heads or jaws (or chemical-spraying snouts in some species), defend the nest; and a king and a long-lived queen — who can lay enormous numbers of eggs — reproduce. Their mounds are marvels of natural engineering, with networks of tunnels that help ventilate and regulate the temperature and humidity of the nest. New colonies start when winged reproductives swarm out, pair up, shed their wings, and found a nest.

Human Interaction & Conservation

Termites have a dual reputation. A small number of species are serious pests that damage timber buildings, crops, and stored materials, costing a great deal worldwide. But the vast majority are hugely beneficial: by breaking down dead wood and plant litter, aerating and enriching soil, and recycling nutrients, termites are among the most important decomposers and ecosystem engineers on land, especially in the tropics — and they are food for many animals. Consult authoritative sources for details.

More photos of the termite