Termites are soft-bodied insects commonly known as white ants. They are small in size (4-11 mm) and have three distinct body parts namely, the head, thorax and abdomen. Termite colonies have a number of different looking individuals known as castes. Each caste has its own duties within a colony. The largest member in a termite colony is the termite queen. Incidentally, it is also the longest living insect in the world.
Termites are insects from the order Isoptera. The name being derived from their having equally sized wings, iso=equal and pteron=wing. The wings, when present, are long, slender, in two pairs and of similar size and shape. These are usually shed following a short nuptial flight after which males and females pair up to start a new colony.