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May. 6, 2009 01:49 PM

The subterranean termite colony is thought by some to function as a "super-organism," which means individual worker and soldier termites or groups of these types work together to ensure the colony's survival. For example, some termites have the responsibility to do general housework and repair. They spend their time removing mold and mildew from tubes or tunnels in the wood, repairing holes in tubes, and shoring up the walls of tunnels in the wood with soil.

Most individuals engage in grooming each other (there are no mirrors underground). This grooming is important for the survival of the entire colony because grooming removes potentially damaging bacteria or parasites from the bodies of other termites.

Soldiers do not feed themselves (those big mandibles get in the way), so they are fed by worker termites - whose safety, in turn, depends on the soldiers. Some individuals remove and bury dead termites - somebody has to do it or these bodies would contaminate the colony.

 

 

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