How Do Termites Reproduce? Detailed Explanation of Reproduction Methods and Process

Termites are a type of ant, with a total body length reaching 60-70 mm, and the queens of some species can even exceed 100 mm, with body colors ranging from white, pale yellow, reddish brown, all the way to black. So, how do termites reproduce?

1. How do termites reproduce?

Termites reproduce by laying eggs, and their survival, reproduction and continuation of the species depend on reproductive termites (winged adults). April to June each year is the breeding season. After mating, male and female termites begin laying eggs in about one week, and the process of termite eggs hatching into young termites takes about twenty days. After several molts, the young termites become adult worker termites and soldier termites in about one month.

2. Where are termites distributed?

Termites are thermophilic insects, distributed with the equator as the center and spreading north and south; the lower the latitude, the more species there are. Their distribution range has a northern boundary of 45°N in the Palaearctic region, 52°30′N in the Nearctic region, and a southern boundary of 45°25′S in the Neotropical region. In China, except for Heilongjiang, Jilin, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Qinghai and Xinjiang, where they have not yet been found, they are distributed and cause damage in all other provinces and regions.

3. What do termites eat?

Termites have a very broad diet. Their nutrients come from plants, with plant cellulose and its products as their main food, along with fungi and lignin, and occasionally starch, sugars and proteins, etc. They also bore into and eat synthetic fibers, plastics, wires, cables and even bricks, stones, metal, etc., and can also swallow termite corpses within the same nest, the old skins shed during the development of young termites, termite eggs and even young termites.