When the original king and queen termites die, they are typically replaced by replacement reproductives, which are essentially workers that have been modified to become reproductives. This happens because the absence of pheromones produced by the original king and queen causes some workers to develop into new kings and queens.

In termites, nymphs are the immature stages, essentially baby termites, that emerge from eggs and develop through molting. They molt multiple times, typically three times, before maturing into an adult termite within a specific caste (worker, soldier, or reproductive) based on the colony's needs.