Imidacloprid, the active ingredient in Premise®, is a slow-acting, non-repellent termiticide used to control termites in residential and commercial applications. It is known that imidacloprid is transferred among termites throughout the colony resulting in the elimination of termites at considerable distances from the treated area. However, the mechanisms of transfer are not clear. Using digital video and [14C]imidacloprid studies, we show that imidacloprid, topically applied workers (donors) of Reticulitermes flavipes, is subsequently groomed and ingested by untreated nestmates (recipients). Thus, grooming is a major transfer mechanism of this AI among termites in the lab. Soldiers do not acquire toxic amounts of imidacloprid from donors, since the soldiers were not observed to groom them. Imidacloprid appears stable on the cuticle surface under the conditions of the experiment, but is metabolized internally to at least two, more polar compounds.