ABSTRACT
The termites build conspicuous, bare earth mounds above compact subterranean nests Mound populations in the field were monitored for up to seven years. Nest populations were sampled by fumigating with methyl bromide, then later removing the whole contents of the nest. Termites and fungus comb were separated from soil by flotation in water. Young, fast-growing nests have 60% or more of larvae in the population. The sterile population of a mature nest is fairly constant, maintained by steady throughput of juveniles. Although the rate of production of the two worker castes is almost the same, the number of minor workers in the nest population is almost twice that of the major workers. The mean throughput of eggs per day is 30% higher than for first instar larvae, suggesting high mortality at eclosion, or that a large number of eggs were infertile.
