Termite Castes
Subterranean termites have a highly-organized "caste" system in which different members of the termite colony perform different functions to sustain the colony. All of the members of the colony are regulated by the queen through a complex system of pheromones that she secretes.
The Queen
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Every termite colony has at least one female reproductive: The Queen.
The Queen's duties consist of laying eggs and regulating the activities of the other members of the colony. Seldom seen even by experienced pest control operators, the queen nonetheless manages every aspect of the colony's existence by interpreting and secreting pheromones.
Termite queens are theoretically capable of laying as many as 30 million eggs a year, making for very rapid growth potential. Well-established colonies may also have supplemental reproductives who lay eggs, but do not regulate the colony.
The King
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The king is the primary or sole male reproductive termite in the colony. He originally accompanied the queen as an alate, or swarmer, when they left their parent colony to establish their own.
While the colony was very young, his duties consisted of reproduction and assisting the queen in caring for the colony's original workers. Once those workers matured, they took over the care and feeding of newer workers; and the king settled back to a life consisting solely of his reproductive duties.
Worker Termites
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In an established termite colony, most of the members are workers. Worker termites are non-reproductive termites who carry out functions such as foraging for food, tending to the young, and removing waste from the colony.
Workers also are the the only members of the colony whose mouthparts are adapted to eating wood: The other castes must be fed by the workers in order to survive. Large termite colonies may have thousands of workers.
Alates or Swarmer Termites
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When a termite colony reaches maturity, it generates alates or swarmers. Swarmers are sexually mature, winged termites who leave the parent colony to attempt to establish their own. Most of them will die without every achieving that goal.
Dead swarmers and their shed wings found in basements, door and window frames, and other areas close to where they emerged from the colony are often the first visible evidence that a home has a termite problem.
Soldier Termites
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Established termite colonies usually produce soldier termites. As their name implies, soldiers are there to protect the colony from attack (mainly by other insects). When the colony is disturbed (for example, when a shelter tube is broken), soldiers rush to the scene to defend it.
Soldiers can be identified by their large, elongated, armored heads and their powerful mandibles. With mouthparts modified for fighting, soldiers are unable to chew wood or to feed themselves; they must be fed by the workers.