<p>Termite workers serve as an auxiliary defensive force in the colony against natural predators; however, it remains unclear whether the presence of the queen affects their aggressive behaviors. Here, we experimentally assessed the aggressive responses of termite workers toward ant intruders. Our results showed that in <i>Reticulitermes chinensis</i>, the relatively high levels of worker aggressive behavior toward enemy ants depended strictly on the presence of the queen, rather than the presence of soldiers. Workers exhibited a significantly higher attack frequency in queen-present groups when exposed to an intruding <i>Camponotus herculeanus</i> ant. In contrast, the presence or absence of soldiers had no effect on worker aggression. Furthermore, specific workers that subsequently differentiated into ergatoid neotenics exhibited significantly lower pre-differentiation attack levels and higher escape levels compared to other workers. Our results demonstrate that worker defensive behavior is highly plastic: the queen promotes attack, but in her absence, workers shift to an escape-prone strategy that may be adaptive under different social conditions. This study provides new insights into the highly adaptive behavioral plasticity of workers in eusocial species with a specialized soldier caste.</p>