# What Do Termites Eat?

> What termites eat: Herbivore/detritivore (wood, leaf litter, plant matter), foraging style, and seasonal shifts in Soil and wood in tropical and warm-temperate regions.

- **Species:** Termite (*Isoptera*)
- **Conservation status:** Least Concern
- **Diet:** Herbivore/detritivore (wood, leaf litter, plant matter)
- **Habitat:** Soil and wood in tropical and warm-temperate regions
- **Lifespan:** Workers months; queens many years
- **Canonical HTML:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/termite/what-do-termite-eat/
- **Parent profile:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/termite/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Quick answer

Termites are small social insects of the infraorder Isoptera that live in large colonies and feed on wood, leaf litter, and other plant matter. Ranging from 4 to 15 mm long, they build organised societies of workers, soldiers, and reproductive kings and queens, with colonies numbering from thousands to several million. Worker termites live only months, while a queen can survive for many years. They are vital recyclers of dead plant material in tropical and warm regions.

## Who should skip this page

Skip this if you need a captive feeding plan from a veterinarian. This page is wild diet, not a pet-care sheet.

## Life in a caste society

Termites are among the most social of all insects, organised into distinct castes that each do a specific job. Workers, which are blind and pale, gather food, tend the young, and build the nest, while soldiers with enlarged heads and jaws defend the colony against attackers such as ants. At the centre are the reproductives: a king and a long-lived queen who together produce all the colony's offspring. This division of labour lets a colony function almost like a single organism.

## Help protect the Termite

Even familiar animals lose ground as wild habitat keeps shrinking worldwide.

[Donate to wildlife protection](https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/donate/)

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Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/termite/what-do-termite-eat/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.