Susan Bortzfield, age 13, of Millersville, Pennsylvania, for her question:   

 Do termites live like ants?

Termites are called white ants because both these insects live in similar communities. They do not look alike and they are not closely related. But both live in family colonies, strictly organized in castes, or classes, that perform specialized duties. Both ants and termites build complicated nests of earthy materials. The numerous ant species are famous for their special talents. Compared with them, the termites have several handicaps    and one great advantage.

Termites are the so called white ants that devour wood and ruin the timbers of buildings. It is said that the ants are their mortal enemies. But keeping a few ant nests on the premises is not guaranteed to protect the old homestead. Though both insects have similar life styles, they are very different insects. The ants have skinny waists and come in various darkish colors. They are related to the bees and wasps. The pasty white termites have no waists and they belong in a different insect order.

The termites are blind and though most of them live in the tropics, they are unable to cope with long periods of brilliant sunlight. They overcome these handicaps by building tunnels over the routes they travel outdoors. In the tropics, their nests may be enclosed in tall structures with thick walls made of hard, dry earth.

Inside the nest, the termite colony is organized like most ant species. All members belong either to royal, worker or soldier castes and perform the duties for which they were born. The ant royal family is a queen mother and a number of short¬lived drones. The soldiers and workers are unfertile females. Things are somewhat different in the termite society.

The termite royal family always includes a number of fertile princes and princesses. These dark colored, winged insects are not blind. The wingless workers and soldiers also are males and females. However, the termite society depends upon the reigning queen to lay the eggs. Her pasty white body may be swollen with 1,000 eggs and the queen of a tropical termite nest may look like a fat sausage, three inches long.

Both ant and termite workers tend the eggs and infants nurseries throughout the nest. They also tend and feed the larvae as they develop through gradual stages to become adults. The ants, of course, develop through four distinct stages    egg to larva, pupa to adult.

Termites can feed on wood, which makes them rather special in the world of insects and larger animals. But they cannot do this without help. We know that certain protozoa and decay bacteria can break down the tough cellulose fibers in woody plant tissue. Some of these protozoa live in termite tummies. The termites use their strong jaws to chomp wood and their personal protozoa help to digest it.