Termites are a group of eusocial insects that, until
recently, were classified at the taxonomic rank of
order Isoptera, but are now accepted as the epifamily
Termitoidae, of the cockroach order Blattaria. While
termites are commonly known, especially in Australia,
as "white ants," they are not closely related to
true ants.
Like ants, some bees, and wasps--which are all placed
in the separate order Hymenoptera--termites divide
labour among castes, produce overlapping generations
and take care of young collectively. Termites mostly
feed on dead plant material, generally in the form
of wood, leaf litter, soil, or animal dung, and
about 10 percent of the estimated 4,000 species
(about 2,600 taxonomically known) are economically
significant as pests that can cause serious
structural damage to buildings, crops or plantation
forests. Termites are major detritivores, particularly
in the subtropical and tropical regions, and their
recycling of wood and other plant matter is of
considerable ecological importance.
As eusocial insects, termites live in colonies that,
at maturity, number from several hundred to several
million individuals. Colonies use decentralised,
self-organised systems of activity guided by swarm
intelligence to exploit food sources and environments
that could not be available to any single insect
acting alone. A typical colony contains nymphs
(semi-mature young), workers, soldiers, and reproductive
individuals of both genders, sometimes containing
several egg-laying queens.
