These termites protect the colony. They have enlarged jaws called mandibles, which they use to defend the colony. They look like workers, but their heads are enlarged and darker colored than the workers. They comprise only 1 to 3 percent of the foraging termite population. Workers These are the termites that cause most of the damage by eating wood, but they also maintain the colony, build and repair the nest, forage for food, and help care for the young.
Workers are the most numerous of the three castes.
Reproductives Reproductives can be primary or secondary. The secondary are found in mature colonies and serve as replacements if something happens to the primary reproductives. Subterranean termite feeding follows the grain of the wood . This debris, along with sand and soil particles, is used as a form of plaster. These independent nests may survive independent of the ground if there is a moisture source available.