The termite queen is the reproductive core of the termite colony

The termite queen is the female individual responsible for reproduction in a termite colony, usually developing from a winged reproductive termite after it swarms and mates. Together with the king, it establishes a new nest, and it is the foundation on which the entire colony continues. In a mature termite colony, the queen handles the vast majority of the egg-laying, and the enormous numbers of workers and soldiers are all bred from her.

In terms of appearance, the queen's most obvious feature is an extremely enlarged abdomen, which is the result of highly developed reproductive organs such as the ovaries. As the abdomen keeps growing, it gradually loses its mobility, and daily activities such as feeding and cleaning all depend on the care of worker termites. The larger the body, the stronger the egg-laying capacity, and at the peak of reproduction the queen can lay eggs continuously without stopping.

The queen lives far longer than workers and soldiers, usually surviving for many years, and in some species the queen can even live more than ten years, making it a rare long-lived individual among insects. It also secretes pheromones to regulate the colony's structure and behavior, controlling the proportions of workers, soldiers and reproductive termites, and playing a key role in maintaining order in the colony.

In termite control practice, the queen is often the key target for eradication. As long as the queen remains alive, the colony can keep replenishing new individuals, and the infestation is difficult to eliminate completely; conversely, finding and killing the queen usually means the entire colony is heading toward decline. That is why termite control often stresses treating the whole colony rather than only removing the individuals active on the surface.