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Home Termite facts Termite VS Ant Termite life cycle Termite feeding habits Termite myths English Deutsch Francais Espaniol Portuguesa	Termite Life Cycle The simplified model of a termite life cycle indicates the three castes, the reproductives, the soldiers and the workers. Due to the fact that termites are hemimetabolous insects, even the nymphs take part in the social life and have their specific tasks to fulfil. The so far poorly understood concept of caste determination does not seem to be definitive or too rigid. Once the caste of an individual is determined, development into other castes is still possible. Soldiers, also referred to as intercastes might turn into workers or even into reproductives, if there is a shortage of individuals of other castes. This process is controlled by pheromones. In the case of the queen, there is a specific ‘queen’ pheromone, preventing other individuals from turning into queens. Only if the queen is removed or dies, does the lack of the specific pheromone promote the development of a new queen.