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Oct. 5, 2009 09:50 AM

A soldier's role in a subterranean termite colony is more than the name implies. Considering soldiers' large heads and mandibles, they are well equipped to battle insects (typically ants) that invade the colony. An alarm pheromone can signal such an invasion and bring soldiers to the site of the attack. However, native subterreanean termite soldiers make up only about two percent of the colony's members, so they can be easily overwhelmed if the ants come in large numbers.

Another responsibility for soldiers is to use their oversized and hardened heads to plug holes in the mud tubes that extend from the soil to a food source above ground. These breaches in the tube walls will quickly be patched by workers.

There also are some more subtle roles for soldiers - as organizers. A group of workers isolated in the top of a test tube, and separated from food (wood) by an inch or two of soil, do not tunnel to the wood unless there is at least one solder in the group.