Termite
Termites are a group of eusocial insects that, until recently, were classified at the taxonomic rank of order
Isoptera, but are now accepted as the infraorder
Isoptera, of the cockroach order Blattodea. While termites are commonly known, especially in Australia, as "
white ants", they are for practical purposes unrelated to the ants. Like ants, and some bees and wasps—which are all placed in the separate order Hymenoptera—termites divide labor among castes, produce overlapping generations and take care of young collectively. Termites mostly feed on dead plant material, generally in the form of wood, leaf litter, soil, or animal dung, and about 10% of the estimated 4,000 species are economically significant as pests that can cause serious structural damage to buildings, crops or plantation forests. Termites are major detritivores, particularly in the subtropical and tropical regions, and their recycling of wood and other plant matter is of considerable ecological importance. As eusocial insects, termites live in colonies that, at maturity, number from several hundred to several million individuals.