The king and queen stop eating and the workers feed them for as long as they live along with everybody else in the colony. Workers are also responsible for making the colony function. They find the food, feed all other colony members and groom the soldiers. They excavate wood for chambers and build the tunnels. Full grown workers are soft-bodied, wingless, blind and a creamy white color.
Soldiers also have creamy, white bodies and look very much like workers.
But soldiers have huge, elongated heads that are almost as long as their bodies with strong jaws. Because of their anatomy, they're unable to feed themselves and are totally dependent on the workers for this service. Soldiers mature within a year and live an average of five years. Plainly, when termites come calling they're not just weekend visitors. Flying ants can be distinguished from flying termites by several physical characteristics.