151 replies to this topic

[Nare]

Have you checked on the other colony in the toilet paper setup? Have they started digging?

[CoolColJ]

Have you checked on the other colony in the toilet paper setup? Have they started digging?

 

I don't see any extensive tunnel but they have reshaped the area a bit. Also lined the edges of the initial area with poop and other stuff/waste.

 

There is a big pile of non moving termites though towards the entrance, I guess these have passed away. I see some pink colour on them.

Could be mold

There are a few live alate nymphs here with dark developed wings in this setup, and 10 or so workers and a few soldiers.

 

The cotton setup is much the same, but the surviving alate nymphs here have less developed wings.

About 10+ workers alive, and a few soldiers, but much less reshaping of the cotton

 

A lot were going to die anyway before I moved them over to the test tubes.

Not enough workers to feed them all.

Let's see if any survive..

Edited by CoolColJ, September 27 2018 - 3:02 PM.

[CoolColJ]

I put in a folded piece of damp toilet paper into the newly captured termites in the capture vial.

Will leave them there for now, until I figure out what to do, and after todays expected queen ant flights

[Nare]

So before I forget, I stumbled across this site, thought it could be interesting. It'd be really interesting to see you keep more than one species of termite - this place could offer ideas of where to find other species. https://www.termite....ntermedius.html

[CoolColJ]

So before I forget, I stumbled across this site, thought it could be interesting. It'd be really interesting to see you keep more than one species of termite - this place could offer ideas of where to find other species. https://www.termite....ntermedius.html

 

 

Thanks I'll check it out later

 

but I did find a new species today!

And it will easier to keep, as they were nesting on their food source - outer edge and tree bark

 

 

I was randomly ripping off bark from a tree when I went ant queen hunting in the bush today, and boom I see termites

This species is much larger than the subterranean ones in this log.

Also faster and less fragile, as fast as an average ant, so capturing was a bit harder,

 

There were 3 main castes I could see.

Large workers, small soldiers I think, half the size of workers, and much larger major soldiers with big mandibles

 

It was hard to scoop them into my capture vial without crushing them.

But I tried to hold the vial next to the tree, and as I ripped bark off they would fall inside.

In future I will come back and with a larger container, and a soft brush and scoop them in that way

 

Also collected some bark off the tree to use as food/shelter

Edited by CoolColJ, September 28 2018 - 4:38 PM.

[CoolColJ]

I put in a folded piece of damp toilet paper into the newly captured termites in the capture vial.

Will leave them there for now, until I figure out what to do, and after todays expected queen ant flights

 

 

Workers do appear to be foraging to and from the damp toilet paper.

I also added some pieces of the bark I gathered today

[CoolColJ]

I removed all the dead bodies from the two test tube setups, and there was a lot!

 

The toilet paper setup faired much better.

Still a decent amount of alate nymphs with dark wings left, and workers, plus a few soldiers.

 

The cotton setup only has 1 healthy alate nymph, 1 sick, and a few workers and 2 soldiers

 

No tunneling has been done

[Nare]

Pictures pictures pictures! Sound sooo cool! I'd love to see some polymorphic soldiers! Also - will you create a new journal, or rename this one?

Edited by Nare, September 28 2018 - 2:54 PM.

[CoolColJ]

Pictures pictures pictures! Sound sooo cool! I'd love to see some polymorphic soldiers! Also - will you create a new journal, or rename this one?

 

I'll likely start a new journal, we shall see.

 

These ones seem less bothered by light, and don't do the alarm body jerk thing

Always moving around, very active, and quick

[LC3]

Schedorhinotermes, calling it right now.

[Nare]

Schedorhinotermes, calling it right now.

That's what I was thinking, but what a coincidence it would be if it is - I posted a link to Schedorhinotermes the post before CCJ announced the find.

[CoolColJ]

the 3 castes together, Schedorhinotermes intermedius?

[LC3]

I am unable to find anything related to identification (aside from two sets of images) of Australian Schedorhinotermes that are not books, but it's probably S. intermedius based on probability alone. Mind getting more pics and measurements?

[CoolColJ]

I am unable to find anything related to identification (aside from two sets of images) of Australian Schedorhinotermes that are not books, but it's probably S. intermedius based on probability alone. Mind getting more pics and measurements?

6mm for major soldier and 4mm for small soldier sounds about right.
worker is about 5-6mm

Video


click to enlarge

large soldier


worker


When they nested inside the capture vial

[CoolColJ]

Regarding the Nasutitermes I captured recently, that are still in the capture vial. You can no longer see them on the sides of the container, they have tunneled inwards
But you can see the workers active at the top when you look down from the opening.
And they have created some dirt structures against the damp folded toilet paper




The survivors of the the 2 test tube setups are doing OK so far.

Edited by CoolColJ, September 29 2018 - 12:57 AM.

[LC3]

Until otherwise it seems safe to say that these are S. intermedius.

[CoolColJ]

Spring 30th September 2018
 

 

1) The setup in the 55mm petri dish with the wood peice and dirt - all dead

Hairy mold under the cotton and on the recent dead bodies. The winged alate I saw on the surface was the last survivor

 

2) the two test tube setups not looking - while there are living workers and a few guards, there is only 1 alate left on both cotton and toilet paper setups...

 

3) The dirt setup in the capture tube looks promising. They have the toilet paper and bark for food, plus the dirt.

Active workers on the surface. Not too moist. As long as the soil is dark, there is no need for moisture

I think I will move them over into a slightly larger spice container vial for better visibility

Edited by CoolColJ, September 29 2018 - 9:31 PM.

[CoolColJ]

Spring 1st October 2018

 

Not looking good for the two test tube setups... there are no alate nymphs left alive, only 1-2 guards, and under 10 workers in both.

 

It appears the workers have sucked all the fluids out of the dead bodies, as they appear deflated, and the workers bloated.

Might take a pic of this later

[Nare]

Spring 1st October 2018

 

Not looking good for the two test tube setups... there are no alate nymphs left alive, only 1-2 guards, and under 10 workers in both.

 

It appears the workers have sucked all the fluids out of the dead bodies, as they appear deflated, and the workers bloated.

Might take a pic of this later

 

That's a shame. The test tube with toilet paper setup has worked great for my species of termite, but not for yours. If you have some spare Schedorhinotermes, would you try putting them into a tube? They're more closely related to my species - I'm wondering if maybe it's just that your Nasutitermes are having issues with the setup. Could it be too moist? Pictures of the deceased could help identify what killed them.

[CoolColJ]

Spring 1st October 2018
 
Not looking good for the two test tube setups... there are no alate nymphs left alive, only 1-2 guards, and under 10 workers in both.
 
It appears the workers have sucked all the fluids out of the dead bodies, as they appear deflated, and the workers bloated.
Might take a pic of this later

 
That's a shame. The test tube with toilet paper setup has worked great for my species of termite, but not for yours. If you have some spare Schedorhinotermes, would you try putting them into a tube? They're more closely related to my species - I'm wondering if maybe it's just that your Nasutitermes are having issues with the setup. Could it be too moist? Pictures of the deceased could help identify what killed them.

I think a lack of food
The dead bodies are all deflated as the workers have sucked the fluids out of them.
Maybe this species has fungus cultures as well, apart from wood


Schedorhinotermes seem to be doing well in the glass petri dish I temporarily put them in, as seen in the video earlier.
I kept the lid shut, but there should be micro gaps for air.
They like to hang out on the folded damp toilet paper sometimes.
It's like their base, but they do go and forage in the tree bark

The next time I go past the tree I'll grab some more of em to try the test tube method

Edited by CoolColJ, September 30 2018 - 7:53 PM.