TERMITES
Insect     -     Invertebrate     -    Herbivore

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QUEEN TERMITE SURROUNDED BY WORKERS

Male   ..........................................   Bull
Female   ....................................   Cow
Young  .......................................   Larva

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COLLECTIVE NOUNS

1. A brood of termites
2. A nest of termites
3. A colony of termites
4. A swarm of termites

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Termites …

• Colonies are found in the ground or in wood
  
• Have wings that they shed once they have found a suitable place to nest
  
• A colony may house several million individuals
  
• Most prefer a warm, moist environment
  
• Feed on each other's faeces
  
• Are descended from a cockroach-like ancestor
  
• Are very sociable and well groomed
  
• Queens can lay thousands of eggs per day
  
• Queens can live up to 50 years
• Workers build and maintain the nest - foraging for and storing wood, leaf litter, soil and animal dung
  
• Soldiers defend the nest
  
• Workers and soldiers are blind
  
• When a soldiers detect danger, they tap warning signals to the colony
  
• Never sleep
  
• Mounds can be very tall
• Eat through wood twice as fast when listening to rock music
• Like the smell of biro ink 

• There are about 4,000 termite species
  

SOLDIER ANTS (RED HEADS) AND WORKERS (PALE HEADS)

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TERMITE WORKERS EATING WOOD

GIRAFFE AT TERMITE MOUND IN BOTSWANA

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