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The hand that rocks the cradle
A peek into a termite nursery |
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| Mating
chamber |
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The female lays her first batch of 15-25 eggs about
five days after mating. The eggs hatch in 21-30 days
later. It is then that the mating chamber becomes known
as the nursery or royal chamber.
The male and female are now bestowed the royal titles of king
and queen. |
After two molts, the young begin to forage for food away
from the nest. It is then that they become known as workers.
The queen lays another batch of eggs. These and all
subsequent offspring are fed by the workers. This process repeats until the colony reaches a population of 2
million or more. It can take several years to reach such a size. |
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A soldier and several
hundred eggs |
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Adult workers tending
to the young |
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Baby termite
& eggs |
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The Queen
Over a period of a few years, the queen
grows into a monstrous termite, over 100 times her
original weight. She is about 1 to 1.25 inches long. Her
large abdomen is due to the growth of her ovaries, which
produce about 2,000 eggs per day. Undisturbed, the queen
will live in the royal chamber for the rest of her life.
She is so big that she can't easily move on her own--she must be
moved, fed, and groomed by the workers. |
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