Termites are highly social insects that live in large colonies. The workers and soldiers all work together to feed and protect the most important member of the colony, and who may that be you ask? The queen! The queen of a termite colony is the member of the colony that everyone works together for, she is in charge of the colony, and she alone can determine the size of the colony. A termite queen is the oldest member of the colony; she is fiercely protected living in a special chamber at the center of the nest. And if conditions are right, she can live from 10-50 years!

The queen uses pheromones to either allow only herself to produce more offspring or to allow secondary reproductive members of the colony to lay eggs as well. If the secondary members are allowed to lay eggs, they will create satellite nests near the main colony. Once eggs are laid and the satellite colonies are established, the termite population will grow very, very quickly. So while the workers may do the dirty work in your home chewing through wood structures, it is really the queen that is in control of the colony and who needs to be stopped.

Above is a great video about the Sentricon® Termite Colony Elimination System, used by our professionals at Schendel Pest Services to get rid of termite colonies, including the queen! Want to learn more? Give us a shout!