termite worker

The termite worker caste is by far the largest group within the colony. These creamy white, soft-bodied insects are the ones that damage wood and other cellulose containing materials as this is their primary food. Workers are blind and wingless. They are responsible for nearly all the work within the colony. These activities include caring for the eggs and the young, constructing tunnels, excavating galleries, building and repairing the nest system when damaged, obtaining food and feeding the young, soldier termites and reproductive termites as well as one another. They are also responsible for grooming and assisting nest mates in molting and aiding soldiers in defending the colony.