Soldier Termites Attack

Along with causing devastation to homes and protecting the queen of their colony, termites are actually very social insects. Termites live in colonies that are made up of several different castes. There are typically three castes found within a termite colony: the soldier caste, the worker caste, and the reproductive caste.

Termites in the reproductive caste will eventually leave their home colony and enter into a termite swarm, where they will find a mate and start a colony of their own. Female termites from this caste will go on to become queens of their colonies; the males will die shortly after mating. Worker termites repair and work around the colony in order to maintain it.

The soldier caste is responsible for the protection of the colony. Soldier termites are born with enlarged mandibles that can help them in their defense against predators and other threats to the colony. The downside of the enlarged mandibles is that the soldiers cannot feed themselves, leaving the task to the workers. Worker termites have the job of feeding all of the other castes.

Termites do not usually attack without provocation and tend to be calm. Many colonies are often attacked by predators similar to them, such as ants. When their colony is breached, the soldiers will sacrifice themselves by remaining outside of the colony to fight against the predators. The workers remain inside and repair damage to the colony as it happens.