True social colonies of considerable com- 

 plexity have been developed by all termites 

 and ants, and many bees and wasps. In a 

 termite colony (Fig. 32-32) one large female, 

 the queen, may live for several years, produc- 

 ing more than 5000 eggs each day. Meanwhile 

 she is housed in a protected nest, under 

 controlled conditions of temperature and 

 humidity; fed by specialized, nonfertile 

 workers; guarded by soldiers; and kept fertile 

 by the king, a nonworking perfect male. 

 Moreover, problems of food supply are han- 

 dled on a cooperative community basis. The 

 workers continually collect pollen, and other 

 food and bring it to the nest. 



The pastoral ants keep domesticated aphids 

 ("ant-cows") from which they derive "milk" 



The Animal Kingdom - 659 



in the form of the honeydew secretions of 

 the aphids; and "farmer ants" (Attn) culti- 

 vate crops of a selected species of fungus. 

 When another colony is to be established, 

 the new queen transports fungal spores for 

 the planting of a new crop in a special pouch- 

 like outgrowth of her mouth. 



A domestic honeybee colony houses only 

 one queen (diploid fertile female), a hun- 

 dred or so drones (haploid fertile males) and 

 thousands of workers (diploid sterile fe- 

 males). After mating, a queen may lay eggs 

 that are either fertilized or unfertilized. Hap- 

 loid male drones arise from the unfertilized 

 eggs; but diploid females of various kinds 

 can come from the fertilized eggs. A young 

 female larva, fed for about six days on a 



^^mct 



m^fks^&R 



Fig. 32-32. Royal cell of a termite colony. The queen, surrounded by workers, occupies the large central cham- 

 ber. Note the king beside the left end of queen. Also note a soldier with "squirt gun" head (right, middle). 

 The chambers and galleries of the nest are constructed of wood particles, cemented together. The winged indi- 

 vidual (lower right) is ready to swarm, at which time males and females look alike. The large white individual 

 (upper left) belongs to a supplementary reproductive caste. This termite (Constrictotermes cav/'rVons) is common in 

 British Guiana. (Photo of a model, exhibited in the Schoelkopf Hall of Evolution, Buffalo Museum of Science.) 



