How do some termite soldiers use their heads to block nest entrances?

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Learn how termites use salivary secretions to cement debris to decaying wood nests in their rainforest habitat — termite A termite nest in a tropical rainforest.

In some termite species, such as those in the genus Cryptotermes, soldiers utilize a specialized defensive behavior known as phragmosis to protect the colony. These soldiers possess heads that are short and truncated in the front, allowing them to physically plug the entrance holes of their nests. By positioning their hardened, flat-faced heads against the opening, they effectively seal off the colony from intruders, such as ants.1