How do individual termite behaviours create complex termite nests?

Termite nests are constructed through the collective, coordinated efforts of colony members, primarily workers, who utilize specific materials and behaviors to build complex structures.1

The construction process relies on the following individual behaviors and materials:

• Material Selection: Termites build their nests using a combination of soil, fine clay particles, or chewed wood. These materials are bound together using saliva or excreta, which act as a cement to hold particles in place.1
• Structural Engineering: Workers deposit fecal matter to secure building materials. In arboreal nests, they create "carton"—a mixture of wood fragments and excreta—which can range from papery and fragile to extremely hard and woody.1
• Architectural Complexity: Through these behaviors, termites create intricate internal environments featuring horizontal and longitudinal chambers and galleries. Some species construct specialized features, such as chimneys and pinnacles for ventilation, or orient their mounds (like the magnetic mounds of Amitermes meridionalis) to regulate internal temperature.1
• Division of Labor: Nest building is a function of the worker caste, which maintains the colony's infrastructure, including the creation of tunnels, runways, and specialized compartments for the queen and fungus gardens.12