Class Insecta 



533 



has such a greatly enlarged abdomen, she is unable to care for either 

 herself or the eggs. This is all done by the workers. 



The royal pair are constantly groomed by the workers and secre- 

 tions from them are eaten. It has been suggested that these secretions 

 may have some influence over the production of various castes. During 

 molts, the important symbiotic flagellates of the intestinal tract are 

 lost. Without these, the nutrition of the colony would suff'er ; however, 

 provision is made for their replacement in the individual's intestine by 

 the fact that the termites consume each other's intestinal secretions. 



Elates (Mate and female 



winged rcproduztives) 



worker 



Qiue.(ir) 



.,/.^S 



^/Vymph 



Fig. 176. — Castes and life iiistory of termites of the order Isoptera. 

 (From Beaver: The Science of Biology.) 



The social organization of the ant colony is similar to that of 

 the termite colony with a few exceptions. One mating suffices for the 

 lifetime of the queen, and the male dies. Another difference arises 

 from the fact that the ant has a longer period .of development than 

 the termite. Thus the queen must give care to the young for a more 

 prolonged time. During this, the degenerating wing muscles of the 

 queen are used as a source of food for the developing young. This 

 first brood is all workers, and it soon takes over the care of the queen 

 and the new young. The final ant colony consists of workers, soldiers, 

 larvae, and the queen. The workers and soldiers are sterile. Exchange 

 of food occurs among the various castes, and body exudates are con- 

 sumed. It has been suggested that these exudates contain hormones 

 which influence the development of the individuals. 



