Termite Life Cycle

Termite Life Cycle

The model of a termite life cycle shows the three stages; the reproductives, the soldiers and the workers.

Reproductives possess compound eyes and are more or less brown due to their sclerotized cuticle. Developing reproductives have wings, wing stumps or wing buds. Reproductives can be further divided as follows:

• Alates, the young winged reproductives of both sexes. During swarm season 100 to 1000 alates leave the colony for mating and colonising flight. After mating a pair settle down at a suitable site to establish a new colony.
• De-alates, alates cast their wings after the colonising flight and turn into queens and kings. Only a few eggs are laid and brought up by a female de-alate. As the number of termites in the colony grows, the more workers are available to help the queen to care for the colony.
• Queen and King, are the main reproductive termites on a colony. A large queen may lay more than 1000 eggs per day. The life span of a queen can be as much as 50 years.
• Neotenics assist the queen in laying eggs, once her productivity decreases. When the queen has died, one of the neotenics takes her place.

Workers are sterile, wingless and blind males and females. Their cuticle is up pigmented and not hardened, therefore the termites are confined to a dark, moist environment. Workers build the nest and galleries, they fetch food and care for the colony. A worker's life span is only 1 to 2 years.

Soldiers are also sterile, wingless and blind males and females with an unpigmented, unsclerotized cuticle. Soldiers defend the colony from intruders by use of powerful jaws and by injecting a white sticky repellent from an opening in their head. Usually the number of soldiers is much smaller than the number of workers. The life span of a soldier is 1 to 2 years.

Termite Sawrmer Identification

Termite Swarmer Identification

Termites are not difficult to identify; however, people often mistake winged ants for termites and become unnecessarily alarmed. Actually, the difference is quite pronounced. An alate or "swarmer" of the most common termites is generally black. It has a rather straight body, straight antennae and four cloudy white wings of equal length that are twice as long as the body.  The flying ants may be similar in color but have a distinctive pinched waist (the joint between the thorax and abdomen) and four unequal length wings that are not quite as long as the body. Ant antennae also bend sharply in the middle. Both termites and ants can lose their wings shortly after emerging, so it is common to find reproductive termites and ants without wings in the same area as the swarmers. For more information about termites and ants, please continue to follow our blog.

Termites in the Mid-South Area

Termites in the Mid-South Area

Termites are active in both Tennessee and Mississippi.


What Type of Termite is Most Common in the Mid-South?

Subterranean termites, the most destructive wood-feeding insect in Tennessee and Mississippi.

When Do Termites Swarm in the Mid-South?

Generally, termites swarm on a warm day after a rainfall. Swarms also may occur during the winter months in heated buildings. The swarming habits of the most common species in the Mid-South are as follows:

• The Eastern Subterranean termite typically swarms in the morning, any time from February to May.

• The Dark Southeastern Subterranean termite usually swarms in daylight between March and June.

• The Light Southeastern Subterranean termite swarms in daylight from August to October.

• The Formosan termite, not native to our area but have been identified in the past, swarms at night during the late Spring.

More Information about Termites in Tennessee and Mississippi

According to Termite Infestation Probability Zones, Tennessee is located in region #2 and Mississippi is located in region #1. The termite Infection Map was developed by the U.S. Forest Service years ago. The map is a depiction of the scientific studies conducted by the Forest Service. This is for subterranean termites only.