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In the state of Missouri we only deal with one species of termite, the subterranean termite. A social insect, the subterranean termite colony consists of reproductives(a king and queen, workers, and soldiers.
The reproductives are the main concern of the colony and produce 5,000 to 10,000 eggs per year.
A healthy and mature colony will have between 20,000 to 5 million workers. The workers are the backbone of the colony as they provide nutrients to the reproductives and soldiers. The workers are the insects you will primarily see as they forage the wood and build shelter tubes.
Soldiers are the defense of the colony and will fight any predators that attempt to attack the colony, primarily ants. While only a small portion of the colony are made up of soldiers a group of workers will always include a soldier in the foraging areas.
Termite swarmers will typically be seen in the springtime and are one of two ways a new colony begins.