The Lifespan of the King Termite

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What Are King Termites?

King termites spend the majority of their lives underground, first as a part of the colony it was born into, then as the king of his own colony. Termites colonies are ruled by their queens, but the king has his own important role to play in the health of the termite colony.

A termite colony is created by two winged reproductive termites (alates) get together during swarming season. After leaving their respective colonies and finding one another, this newly formed couple finds a suitable place to begin a new colony, rip off their wings, burrow underground and begin mating to form a new colony. The female of this pair then becomes the queen of the colony while the male alate becomes the king. This pair continues mating for up to a decade creating all the members of their colony including workers, soldiers and new alates.

What Is A King Termite’s Role?

Scientists don’t know much about king termites other than that they have the very important job of starting and maintaining their colonies. It is also known that king termites clean and care for termite larvae until worker termites take over that assignment. Other than mating with the queen, perhaps the other important task a king termite undertakes is to release pheromones (the queen does this too) that prevent the other termites in the colony from developing reproductive organs. 

How Long Does A Termite King Live?

Termite kings and queens spend their entire lives mating and propagating their colony. Termite kings can live a long time, up to 7 years mating and taking care of newly hatched larvae.

Get Rid of Termites

The only way to rid a home of termites is to remove the colony completely. For the safest, most effective termite removal, contact your local pest management professional for help with termite control. For the easiest, most streamlined way to find that local pest management professional, call Pest Control Experts for a recommendation for a great termite specialist near you.