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Termites With Stingers

Many insects, including ants, bees and wasps, have the biological ability to sting; termites, however, do not. Despite this limitation, termites are effective defenders of their colonies and often use unique methods. Termite colonies are organized into four main castes: the king and queen, the reproductives, the soldiers and the workers. The role of defending the colony typically falls entirely on the soldier termite, unlike ants where all castes are capable of fighting. Termites are rarely aggressive unless attacked; their primary threat is ant predation, and to some species, anteaters.

Mandibles
- Termites often rely on biting to defend themselves, and most often use this defense against ants. The soldier termites of many species have evolved specially for this task, boasting large armored heads and strong protruding jaws. Biting is usually a simple process, but some species slightly alter their approach. For example, the Pericapritermes species is a type of subterranean termite that uses its mandibles to fling attacking ants a safe distance away to avoid attack.
Physical Barriers
- Constructing physical barriers is the most effective way that termites defend themselves against ant predation. Physical barriers are usually constructed using soil, masticated wood and salivary secretions. According to David Stecco of Colorado State University, worker termites can survive predatory ant attacks in a colony protected by physical barriers even in the absence of soldier termites.
Self Sacrifice
- Soldier termites of some species employ self damaging chemical or physical attacks as a means of defending the colony. One such example occurs in the subterranean Odontotermes and Coptotermes species, where a soldier termite will bite an attacker, then excrete a sticky white liquid, similar to active ingredients in many household fumigants. This is effective against most ant species, though the soldier termite is significantly drained of energy and often dies shortly after. The subterranean species Globitermes sulphureus also secretes a liquid upon biting predators, though this species does so violently, causing the soldiers to physically pop open and die.
Other Defenses
- Some termite species use defense mechanisms uncommon in the rest of the termite world. A South American subterranean species (Nasutitermes) lacks mandibles, and so excretes a slightly different chemical that not only immobilizes ants, but repels anteaters as well. The soldiers of the drywood termite species Cryptotermes defend their colony by plugging the entrances with their large, blunt heads. This practice is known as phragmosis and is somewhat unique to the Cryptotermes species.

Insects & Science