The Termite Colony Plan
We know that termites are one of the biggest contributors to house destruction in USA. We are also aware that these insects dwell in tunnels, feeding on cellulose and plant material throughout their lives. Any pest control provider in Charlotte NC will tell you this is the reason why these ‘silent invaders’ hollow out wooden structures and furniture in the house.
However, not many people are aware about how the termites actually live and operate in their colonies!
A termite colony has an intricately organized ‘caste system’ that controls the functions and behavior of each of the thousands or even millions of termites dwelling there. The termites are loosely divided into workers, soldiers and the reproductives.
The workers are the youngest of the lot and sterile per se. They form the largest population in the colony and are charged with all the ‘work’. They do everything right from building mud tunnels and chambers to fetching food and also grooming the other termites. They are pale or white in color with round heads and generally live for a year or two.
The soldier termites are also sterile but feature a rung above in the pecking order. They are yellow-brown in color with large heads, powerful jaws and a lifespan similar to workers. They are responsible for protecting the colony and its inhabitants from attacks by ants and other threats. They will sacrifice themselves to save the colony, but are incapable of feeding themselves.
A fertile king and queen (darker in color) are the primary reproductives of every colony. They stay cocooned in a special chamber deep inside the colony. The queen is the one who lays all the eggs — a dazzling rate of an egg every 3 seconds for as long as 10 years! The entire population kowtows to her wishes and takes care of her needs. The worker termites even tend to the eggs until they hatch and develop into one of the three divisions that is obscurely controlled by pheromones. The queen has a large body and also a long lifespan ranging from 25 to even 50 years!
Additionally, there is a small group of secondary reproductive termites in the colony known as alates. They have wings and are considered fertile. At the right time, they will fly away from the colony in search of a swarm to mate. Once mated, they shed their wings and settle to form a colony of their own! At times, the alates may also help the original colony to grow and flourish further by forming branch colonies.
This is the reason why most pest control providers in Charlotte NC choose to target the worker termites. It is the workers that will come into contact with the termiticide or bait when foraging for food. They will either die instantly or carry the toxins to the rest of the colony. Either way, the colony gets eradicated as they may lose their source of food or get contaminated themselves.
