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. Termites live most abundantly in warm regions, notably in Africa, Australia, and the Amazon regions.
Some termites build huge mounds of bits of soil mixed with saliva.
The inside of the mound is divided into numerous chambers and galleries. In the center is a closed cell, where the king and queen are kept. In the cell, the female undergoes an extraordinary change. Her body swells until it is large enough to hold many thousands of eggs. The queen lays the eggs at the rate of several thousand a day.