Termite, common name for numerous species of social insects that cause damage to wooden structures. Most of the about 2000 known species are distributed in tropical countries, although some inhabit North and South America and two species inhabit Europe. Termites display patterns of social behavior that are almost as elaborate as those of ants, social bees, and wasps.

Termite colonies, which may number from 100 to more than 1 million termites, have several different castes with different functions. Three principal castes exist: the reproductive, the workers, and the soldiers. The reproductive, or the king and queen, produce eggs. In some tropical species, the queen grows to an enormous size, sometimes as much as 20,000 times the size of the worker.

A queen can lay eggs at a rate of about 30,000 eggs a day in some species. Apart from the reproductive, all castes are sterile and wingless and have whitish bodies. The workers are the most numerous caste and are the smallest adult form. Workers build the nest, tend the eggs, and feed and groom all the other members of the community. All species have soldiers whose role is to defend the colony.