soil so if you find a nest and open it they will probably die off.
Formosan subterranean termite One of the worst varieties: causing considerable damage. Their nests are located in building walls, under roofs and in trees. They are more common in the Gulf States, Hawaii, areas of Georgia and southern California. Their colonies can number millions of termites and they have soldiers that can secrets a gluey type of defense fluid from their heads. They are strong enough to displace other types of termites if they enter an area. To identify their soldiers, look for the oval-shaped heads instead of the typical square head.
WORKER The king & queen After the female has flown, mated and has produced eggs she is called a "queen." A male that has flown, mated and is in the area of a queen is termed a "king." Only one male (king) produces mates within the colony. When mature, a primary queen has a great capacity to lay eggs and it has been reported that they can produce more than 2,000 eggs a day.
The distended abdomen with eggs increases the queen's body length to several times more than before mating and reduces her ability to move freely. Attendant workers provide assistance. The queen is also widely believed to be a primary source of pheromones useful in colony integration, which are thought to be spread through shared feeding.
The king grows only slightly larger after mating and continues to mate with the queen for life, which may be as long as 45 years. This is very different from ant colonies, in which a queen mates once with the male(s) and stores the gametes for life since the male ants die shortly after mating.
Worker termites Worker termites are the labors are responsible for foraging, food storage, brood and nest maintenance and some defense duties in certain species. Workers are the main caste in the colony for the digestion of cellulose in food and are most likely to be found in wood. This is achieved in one of two ways. Entomologists that study termites found that termites can produce their own cellulose enzyme and can digest wood in the absence of their symbiotic microbes, however, there is now evidence suggesting that these gut microbes makes use of termite-produced cellulose enzymes.
The workers also feed the other members of the colony with substances derived from the digestion of plant material. This process of feeding of one colony member by another is one of the keys to the success of the group. It frees up the parents from feeding except but the first generation of offspring, allowing for the colony to grow much larger and ensuring that the necessary gut relationships are transferred from one generation to another.
Soldier termites The soldier caste has anatomical and specific behavioral specializations, providing strength and armor, which are primarily used against ant attacks. The number of soldiers within a colony varies among species. A number of soldiers have jaws so large that they cannot feed themselves and are fed by workers. Some soldiers have the ability to exude noxious liquids through either a horn-like nozzle or holes in their forehead.
Many species are easily identified using the characteristics of the soldiers' heads. Termite soldiers are usually blind, but in some families, particularly among the damp wood termites, soldiers may have at least partly functional eyes.
The soldier caste is primarily a defense against predatory ants. A tunnel-blocking soldier can rebuff attacks from many ants. Usually more soldiers stand by behind the initial soldier in case the first one falls another soldier will take the place.