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Termites are a group of insects usually classified as Isoptera.

Along with ants and some bees and wasps, termites divide labor among gender lines, produce overlapping generations and take care of their young collectively.

Termites feed mostly on dead plant material, such as wood, leaves, or animal dung.

Termites are are economically significant as pests because they can cause serious structural damage to buildings, crops or plantation forests.

On the other hand, termites' recycling of wood and other plant matter is of considerable ecological importance.

Termites live in colonies that, at maturity, can number from several hundred to several million individuals.

The termite colonies use a decentralised, self-organised systems of activity guided by swarm intelligence to exploit their food sources and environments that could not be available to any single insect acting alone.

A typical termite colony contains nymphs (semi-mature young), soldiers, workers, and reproductive individuals of both genders, sometimes containing multiple egg laying queens.

Termites are sometimes called "white ants", though they are not closely related to true ants.