Termites are social insects. They live in colonies, with individual termites performing specific roles to benefit the community. Nearly all termites are blind and deaf, so to communicate they use pheromones.

Pheromones are chemical signals that relay information. Termites secrete these communication compounds from special glands on their bodies and detect pheromones using chemoreceptors on their antennae. Termites produce different pheromones for different purposes: to find mates, to warn other colony members of danger, to determine which termites belong to the colony and which don't, to direct foraging activities, and to locate food sources.

Termites will occasionally follow trails that weren't produced by other termites at all if the substance contains compounds that mimic the trail pheromones. Certain fatty acids and alcohols seem to confuse traveling termites, for example.

Using gas chromatography, scientists have isolated a volatile compound known as 2-phenoxyethanol in certain ballpoint pen inks and identified it as the likely termite attractant. But 2-phenoxyethanol isn't present in all ink. Felt-tip pens don't seem to attract termites. The 2-phenoxyethanol occurs in blue ink only, it seems, because termites aren't inclined to follow trails of black or red ink.

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