Nestmate recognition can be impeded by antibiotic treatment in lower termites (Matsuura, 2001; Kirchner and Minkley, 2003).
Primary reproductives from R. flavipes and Zootermopsis angusticollis were found to have significant reductions in longevity, fecundity, and weight when treated with rifampin (Rosengaus et al., 2011).
Finally, in the higher termite Nasutitermes takasagoensis, antibiotic treatment clarified the role of bacteria in lignocellulose digestion in a system lacking protists (Tokuda and Watanabe, 2007).