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Termites, sometimes called "white ants", are insects that are related to cockroaches, but are social in much the same way as ants and some bees and wasps are. Their colonies can be large, containing several hundred to several million individuals. A typical colony contains nymphs (semi-mature young), workers, soldiers, and may contain several egg-laying queens. In many cultures, termites are used for food.

2.   Termites mostly feed on dead plant material, generally in the form of wood, leaf litter, soil, or animal dung, and can cause serious structural damage to buildings, crops or plantation forests. They are major detrivores, particularly in the subtropical and tropical regions, and their recycling of wood and other plant matter is of considerable ecological importance. All termites eat plant fibre, relying on microbes in their gut to digest the cellulose. Some species of termite 'farm' fungi for food.

3.   Social organisation: A female that has flown, mated, and is producing eggs, is called a Queen. Similarly, a male that has flown, mated, and remains in proximity to a queen, is termed a King. A single colony may more than one reproductive pair. At maturity, a primary queen may produce more than 2,000 eggs a day. Workers forage for food, look after the young, and build the nest using a combination of soil, chewed wood/cellulose, saliva, and faeces. They digest cellulose in food and are the most likely to be found in infested wood. Workers feed the other members of the colony with digested plant material, either from the mouth or anus. Soldiers have enlarged, armoured heads, more powerful jaws and may be able to exude a noxious liquid through either a horn-like nozzle (nasus) or simple hole in the head (fontanelle).

4.   Termites build nests to house their colonies. Nests are commonly located in larger timber or in the soil and in above-ground mounds which they construct. Mounds may be very large, up to 9 metres (30 ft) high. Different species in an area can usually be identified by simply looking at the shape of the mounds. Termites tend to remain hidden in tunnels in earth and wood. When they have to cross material that cannot be tunnelled through, they cover their tracks with tubing made of faeces, plant matter, and soil. These tubes are often the first sign of termites in a building.  more... at Wikipedia