RELATION TO THE HOUSEHOLD 



!23 



about one-fourth of an inch long, flattened, with a large 

 head, small thorax and a rather large, ovate, bluntly 

 terminated abdomen or hind body. Outdoors they are 

 usually found in small numbers under fiat stones at the 

 edges of woods, in fallen trees, old stumps or in woody 

 material generally. When a colony is disturbed most of 

 them will dive out of sight into galleries underground 



Fio. 105.— Termes -fiavipes. — a. larva; f>, winged male; c, worker; d, soldier; 

 e. female; /, pupa. 



and seem to be concerned only in getting away as fast 

 as possible. They are very soft, helpless, without eyes, 

 and in the day-light are absolutely defenseless. A few 

 specimens a little larger in size will appear bolder than 

 the rest, not quite in such a hurry to get away, and when 

 we look at these more closely, we note that the head is 

 larger and that they have longer, pointed jaws or man- 

 dibles. They are indeed the soldiers of the colony, and 

 developed for its defense; but very helpless soldiers at 

 that when uncovered, because like the workers they are 

 wingless and blind. Both workers and soldiers are 



