The total number of individuals in a colony of subterranean termites may be more than a million. Most people never see a queen, but may have seen swarmers or workers. Swarmers are the termites that have wings. They are also known as reproductives because their purpose is to swarm away from the colony and start a new colony in a new area. Often swarmers are a sign of infestation.
Workers are small, white insects which are blind and are very sensitive to heat, cold and dry air.
They build mud tubes because of their sensitivity. Often, finding these mud tubes are another sign of an termite infestation. Ants generally do not swarm at the same time as termites, but it can happen. The following is a picture to show the differences. Termites have a thick waist and ants have a narrow waist.