The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word TERMITES
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
T
E
R
M
I
T
E
S
More clues leading to the result TERMITES
- Insects having second half of season next to arachnids
- Colonists‘ site developed after limited period
- Social workers‘ brief ultimately failed to protect child
- Insects with unusual emitters
- Call one group up, finding bugs
- Insects in season win out against arachnids
- Maybe set timer for unwanted houseguests?
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Insects" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case insects = termites.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does TERMITES mean?
TERMITES noun- A white-bodied, wood-consuming insect of the infraorder Isoptera, in the order Blattodea.
- A termite.