Termites

Termites are tiny eusocial insects found all around the world, known for their love for chewing wood and their termite mounds--which are, incidentally, made from their own feces. Termites are related (quite distantly) to ants, and often called white ants. They are, like ants, divided into castes, including a queen and lots and LOTS of workers. Oh, and did we mention the soldiers? Yeah, there are a lot of them, too.

Not to be confused with Thermite, although handling either of them without care can lead to painful consequences.


 * Badass Army: Termite soldiers have extra-large heads for the sole purpose of blocking off passageways. They will fight off tons of ant attackers before falling, at which point another soldier will take their place.
 * Evil Tower of Ominousness: Termite mounds can grow up to thirty feet tall.
 * First Installment Wins: People never seem to notice termites, always seeming to focus on ants.
 * Although wasps actually came before the latter.
 * Heroic Sacrifice: If a breach is created in the termite mound, a phalanx of soldiers will rush out to hold off the attackers, while the workers repair the mound--locking the soldiers out and sealing their fate.
 * Hey It's That Guy: There's a reason some call them 'white ants'.
 * Hive Mind: Averted. Termites *do* serve a hive, but do not share a single mind.
 * Hive Queen: Played with. Yes, there is a queen. No, she isn't a leader.
 * Hive Caste System: Practically invented the trope. There are workers, soldiers, and the Hive Queen.
 * I Am Legion: There are a ton of termites, and they all serve a single goal: preserving the hive.
 * Meaningful Name: See Rule of Cool below.
 * Termites are also known as white ants. The reason for this is...
 * Mooks: Termite workers are really pretty helpless.
 * The Siege: Termites are masters of this trope. Ants would likely defeat them in open warfare, but they have to get inside first.
 * Rule of Cool: Tar-baby termites will.
 * Termite Trouble: Trope namer.
 * Toilet Humor: Guess what those cool mounds are made out of?
 * You Shall Not Pass: The jaws of termite soldiers are enlargened specifically to make use of this trope: Nothing can FIT through the narrow tunnels with a soldier in the way.