The Tea insects of India. 



47 



"White ants live together in communities, which consist of the follow- 

 ing four sets of individuals ; — 



(1) A female or queen (shown above, natural size), with enormously 

 distended abdomen ; she is incapable of locomotion, and lays 

 all the eg-gs of the community. 



(•2) Small ant-like neuters, which may be compared to the worker 

 bees. They are of two kinds, viz., individuals with large 

 beads and sharp mandibles to defend the nest, and indivi- 

 duals with small heads to build the jiassages and nest, col- 

 lect food, and do all the work of the commuuity. The figure 

 above shows the two forms of neuter, both somewhat en- 

 larged, the natural size, in each case, indicated by a hair 

 line. 



(3) Wingless larvse which develop into winged males and females. 

 This form is shown below, to the left, enlarged, the natu- 

 ral size being indicated by a hair line. 



