How Termite Become Queen: The Incredible Change Termites Undergo to Become Queens!

After finishing their growth from nymph to adult, most termite species reach reproductive maturity, which typically occurs between 1-3 years of age. Once termites reach this stage, they may reproduce the colony by mating and changing into alates.

Alates will often leave their nest and swarm in search of mates in response to important conditions including temperature, humidity, rainfall, and variations in the length of the day. Mating flights often occur in warm weather after spring rains because the environment is favorable for the development of new colonies.

Her hugely expanded abdomen, which almost doubles in size to that of a laborer, is the most striking modification. Her ovaries and fatty body both experience this fast development in order to sustain her strong egg production. She has a bulging belly full of eggs to lay. 

Depending on the species, queens may lay anywhere between 1,000 and over 30,000 eggs every day. This incredible output is essential for filling the nest.

Termite queen lifetime varies by species and may last anywhere from a few years to many decades. According to one research, a Formosan termite queen produced hundreds of eggs each day for more than 12 years! Their longevity is essential for colony expansion.

The queen, who is the only egg-laying female, continuously produces young termites, maintaining workforce numbers and allowing for nest development. She would ultimately stop producing young, and the colony would finally cease to exist without any new members. She is really necessary.

Termite queens are huge because they are crucial to the colony. Their huge bodies hold millions of egg-producing ovaries. A queen may lay 30,000 eggs each day and 200 million in her decade-plus lifetime! The queen’s huge size allows her to produce infinite brood, which is necessary to populate and sustain the colony. Her size allows her to store adequate resources for her lengthy existence as the nest’s reproductive heart. The queen’s bulk allows her to release key pheromones that govern other termites. 

The number of termite queens varies by species. Formosan termites, for example, only have a single queen in the colony. But eastern subterranean termites are known to have multiple queens within their nest. Since the queen is the sole fertile termite capable of laying eggs, her presence is vital. Her eggs develop into the sterile worker termites that maintain the colony. Colonies with more queens tend to be larger and more prolific due to higher egg production. With queens living so long, these multi-queen colonies can survive many years. But when the final queen dies, total colony collapse becomes inevitable without her reproductive powers.

Termite queens are quite stationary, only migrating when the colony swarms to reproduce. When the existing nest grows overcrowded, the queen – as the largest and only fertile termite – participates in the swarming event, her sole journey outside the nest. She departs with some workers to establish another colony elsewhere. The queen remains mobile until they find a suitable location to settle. She then begins laying eggs while workers build the new nest. For the rest of her long life, the queen stays fixed in one spot, continuing to populate the colony. Her one exception is the nuptial swarming flight essential for propagating the species.