They have enormous hard heads, powerful jaws, and strong legs. Their bodies are soft and weak. The sole duty of the soldiers is to defend the termite colony against attack, principally against ants. The soldiers are strangely unable to care for themselves. They must be fed and groomed by the workers.
All termite castes contain both sexes, and the kings live as long as the queens.
Termite eggs and newly hatched young appear to be alike in all the castes. Why some young develop into workers and others into soldiers or reproductives has not been entirely settled. With certain termites it seems development is governed by substances that are contained in skin secretions produced by the reproductives and soldiers. The workers lick off the secretions as they groom the reproductives and soldiers. These skin secretions are also given with food to the entire colony.