Alate A winged, reproductive termite, destined to become a king or a queen. Alates leave the nest in swarms at least once a year. When they land, they shed their wings, mate and start a new colony.

Amazon ant A small, red ant with dagger-like jaws. Amazon ants invade the nests of other ants and kidnap their young. These are then raised as slaves to look after the Amazon colony. Amazon ants are so dependent on slaves that they cannot feed themselves or care for their young.

Ant hill A pile of soil or leaves at the entrance to an ant nest. It soaks up warmth from the sun to heat the nest.

Argentine ant A small, dark ant without a soldier caste. Argentine ants feed on honeydew, plant sap and other insects.

Arboreal termite A termite that lives in treetop nests built from wood and faeces. Tunnels lead from the nest down to the forest floor, enabling termites to safely leave the nest in search of food.

Army ant A tropical ant that marches in vast numbers from place to place, eating any insect that cannot get out of its way. When the colony needs to rest or lay eggs, the army ants group inside a hollow log. They then carry their larvae with them.

Bulldog ant A large, Australian ant with long, sharp jaws and a strong sting like that of a bee. Adults feed on fruit, nectar or honeydew but also catch other insects to feed to their larvae.

Bullet ant A large black ant from the tropical forests of America. It has the most painful sting of any insect, said to hurt as much as a bullet wound.

Carpenter ant A large ant that nests in damp wood and feeds on plants or insects. Some species explode if threatened, showering toxic fluid over their attacker.

Dairy ant An ant known for “farming” aphids for the honeydew they make. The ants protect the aphids and stroke them in encouragement. In return, the aphids let the dairy ants take their honeydew.

Dampwood termite A large termite that nests in, and feeds on, damp or rotten wood. Dampwood termites have no workers. Instead, the king, queen and soldiers are fed by their young.

Darwin termite A large termite from Northern Australia. Darwin termites live underground or in tree stumps. They eat anything, from wood to leather, plastic and rubber.

Driver ant An army ant that nests for part of the year. Driver ants have strong, shearing jaws. When they march, they eat anything they come across, including mammals, birds and even people who cannot escape.

Drone A winged male ant. A drone’s only task is to mate with the queen ant.

Drywood termite A termite that lives inside dry wood, conserving water in its body so it does not depend on soil or rotten wood for moisture. Drywood termites may live in furniture or the timbers of houses, making them a pest to humans.

Field ant An ant that lives in forests or meadows, feeding on honeydew or insects. Some species, such as wood ants, pile pine needles above their nest to keep it warm.

Fire ant A red-black ant with a powerful sting on its abdomen. Fire ants live inside large earth mounds.

Formosan termite A subterranean termite from China and Japan. Formosan colonies are very large and can seriously damage wooden buildings.

Fungus-growing termite A termite that grows fungus inside its nest, on “combs” made from termite faeces. The fungi break down the faeces into substances that the termites can digest.

Ghost ant A tiny tropical ant with a dark head and transparent body. Ghost ants eat sweet or greasy foods.

Gliding ant An ant that lives in treetops. If it falls, or jumps to escape danger, it uses its flat head and legs to control its direction and land further down on the same tree.

Harvester ant An ant that feeds on seeds and grass, which it hoards and stores underground. It has a strong sting.

Harvester termite A large termite from grassland areas of Africa and Asia. It feeds on grass and twigs, which it collects and hoards in its underground nests.

Honeydew A sweet liquid, made by aphids and other insects when they eat plant sap. It is a favoured food of many ants.

Honeypot ant A small ant from dry regions. During the rainy season, workers store nectar and water in their abdomens. In the dry season, other ants can feed from it.

King termite A large male termite that has mated with the queen. He lives by her side and continues to mate with her for life.

Leafcutter ant An ant that carries bits of leaf to its nest, where it chews them into a pulp on which fungus grows. The leafcutter ants then feed on the fungus.

Magnetic termite An Australian termite that builds wedge-shaped mounds pointing north to south. In the morning and evening, the sun warms the large east and west facing surfaces. The hot midday sun only hits the narrow ridge of the wedge, so the mound does not overheat.

Queen ant A large female ant, whose main task is to lay eggs. A young queen takes flight, mates with a male and lands to lay her eggs. Once she has mated, her wings break off and she gives birth to workers.

Queen termite A huge female termite that spends her life laying eggs. She has a huge abdomen, up to 15 centimetres (6 inches) long, full of eggs.

Sawtooth termite A Brazilian termite that nests in the walls of other termites' mounds. It has strong jaws and can bite off whole chunks of wood at a time.

Slave-maker ant An ant that is cared for by workers of another colony. Some species, such as the Amazon ant, kidnap larvae to raise them as slaves. Others lay their eggs in other ants’ nests so the young are brought up by the slaves.

Snouted termite A subterranean termite with a large, prominent snout.

Soil-feeding termite A termite that feeds on soil. Most species live in rainforests.

Soldier ant A large, wingless, female ant that protect its colony from invasion. Soldier ants have large heads and jaws and cannot mate.

Soldier termite A termite that protects the colony from attack. Most soldiers have heads and jaws so large that they cannot feed themselves. Some can paint poison on their enemies, squirt toxic glue at them or explode their toxic innards over them.

Subterranean termite A termite that lives underground and relies on the surrounding soil to keep it damp. Subterranean termites build tunnels from their nests up to the wood on which they feed.

Termite nest A shelter in which termites raise their young and store food. Nests may be built underground, above ground, in dead trees or in living tree branches. They can be made of mud, wood or faeces mixed with saliva.

Termite mound A nest that reaches up above ground, made from soil cemented with saliva. In hot, dry climates, termites build mounds over the nest so that cool air can circulate inside the nest.

Thief ant A small yellow or brown ant that invades other ant colonies to feed on their food or eggs.

Weaver ant A tropical, tree-dwelling ant that builds its nest out of leaves, stitched together with silk produced by its larvae. Weaver ants have a painful bite, as they squirt acid into the bite wound.

Worker ant A wingless female ant that cannot reproduce. Workers build and repair the nest, provide food, rear the young and look after the queen.

Worker termite A blind termite whose job is to find food, rear the young and build or repair the nest. There are more workers than any other group of termites.

Consultant: Chris Jarvis