104 replies to this topic

[dspdrew]

Update 11-25-2013

 

I just checked on the colony, and I see at least six little nanitic workers now. I also spotted both the king and queen, so everything's still going pretty well. I'm thinking about putting them in a larger container, I'll just have to figure out exactly how.

[Michaelofvancouver]

Good to hear!

[dspdrew]

Update 12-25-2013

 

The king and queen are still alive and the colony looks like it has around 12 workers now. I can also see a little cluster of eggs.

 

I decided to move them into a larger container, so I drilled a small hole in the bottom of their current container, and placed it into a new one, pushing it down into the wet dirt a bit. They seem to like to dig down to the very bottom of the containers, so hopefully they will leave the small container and all move to the bottom of the larger one.

 

 

 

 

I placed some shredded brown paper on one side, a strip of a toilet paper roll in the middle, and some pieces of rotted wood on the other side.

 

 

 

Here's another little video I took of them. It's kind of funny, whenever I disturb them, the more mature workers grab the little nymphs and carry them around.

 

[Myrmecologeek]

In case you didn't know, you can actually keep these guys in what you would use as a formicarium, just make sure it's always damp.

[dspdrew]

Update 6-13-2014
 
This colony has grown quite a bit now. They built some tunnels up the side of the small container and have all moved out and into the jar. I took the small container out and used the dirt that was in it to fill the hole. On the bottom of the jar you can see two chambers with a whole bunch of workers now. They have made trails all over under there too. I tried to get pictures, but they came out so bad you could hardly tell what they were. When I lifted up a small piece of rotted wood on top, there were even a few termites underneath that too. I added a bunch more pieces of rotted wood to the jar for them to feed on.
 

 
 
Also, back in January of 2014 I found a few alates at O'Neill Regional Park, and a few at Mill Creek right where it enters the San Bernardino National Forest during some small nuptial flights. I put all of them from each location together in two separate containers, and there is now a small colony going in each of them, so I obviously got at least one male and one female from each location that apparently mated.

[Myrmicinae]

Nice!  Have you thought about moving them into a more visible setup?

[dspdrew]

I actually did for a little while, but mainly just wanted to raise food for my ants. Now that you mention it, maybe it would be cool after all to make these my pets too. I'll just have to figure out exactly how to do this now that they're all moved into this much larger jar. Maybe I still have a chance with that smaller younger colony though.

[Gregory2455]

Any update?

[dspdrew]

Probably not for a while. The colonies are still alive and growing it looks like, but nothing else really to share right now. I guess that was kind of an update haha.

[Gregory2455]

There is some kind of termite in Simi Valley- pretty sure they are some kind of subterranean termite, but the fly all summer- they have orange heads and thoraxes, but gasters are black. I literally have seen about 10 in my pool each day, every day so far since may. As far as I know (and hope) they do not seem to like wood. Any idea what they are? I caught some today, and they are definitely termites, and when I put a bunch in a box they do make pairs. Some have already shed their wings. The pairs look like they are tandem running each other- something that I know ants do.                                                    Tandem Running Temothorax--->     https://www.youtube....h?v=Kam0jKiAk3c

Edited by Gregory2455, August 11 2014 - 3:04 PM.

[dspdrew]

I had some Temnothorax workers for a while and I used to see them tandem running. As for your termites, we would probably need to see a picture.

[Myrmicinae]

Why do you say "discontinued"?

[dspdrew]

Oops, I meant to put that on my Dampwood Termites journal. Fixed. These are still live and well.

[dspdrew]

Update 6-13-2014
 
All three colonies seem to be alive and well. The larger one I can clearly see has gotten even larger. It's still very hard to really see them much at all on camera, so I don't have any new pictures or videos of them.

 

When I checked on them yesterday, I saw they had created a mud tunnel up the side of the container and along the inside of the lid at some point.

 

 

 

 

I recently brought back a bunch of alates and dealates from the desert after the rains came through to try to raise inside test tubes, but most all of them have died. I do have one smaller pair of dealates I got from Menifee, California that still look okay. They even have one egg so far.

 

 

 

 

It'll be pretty cool if I really can get a colony of these things going in a test tube.

[Tpro4]

This journal is like the only journal with pictures I have ever seen for termites. Really cool. Do you know if fluon works for termites?

. Termites can't climb plastic or glass walls.

[Myrmicinae]

Dspdrew - Have you found any specific environmental/climatic conditions that predict termite flights?  I have yet to come across any flights, although I have found alates within nests.

Edited by Myrmicinae, October 3 2014 - 10:59 AM.

[dspdrew]

In the desert they fly in huge numbers right after the first rains come though.

[Gregory2455]

Myrmicinae, unlike ants, you can take termite alates from the nest, male and female live together for life constantly mating.

[dspdrew]

Update 11-21-2014
 
About three months ago, after putting all three containers in a very warm cabinet, i noticed the termites were no longer nesting on the bottoms. All the chambers and tunnels were empty. Even though they seem to like to nest on the very bottom of the containers, I did find one colony nesting in a chamber right in the middle of the dirt once, so that might be where all these have gone. In case the heat was not good for them, I moved them down under my sink.

 

Today I checked them, and didn't see any activity in two of the containers. The desert species on the other hand, were back in view and very active. They were nesting on the bottom of the container again, and there were a lot of them--probably well over 100 workers. I found a few of the rotted pieces of wood on top with quite a few termites in them, and tunnels leading down into their nest. I'm not sure, but it almost looked like the big chamber on the bottom was completely covered in eggs. Unfortunately if I tried to get pictures, it wouldn't look like anything really. I plan to move these into something that will allow good viewing so I can get some decent pictures.

 

As for the pair I had living in the test tube, they died.

[AntsAreUs]

Just realized I have termites, but do not know when they fly. I would like to know how I could catch a pair. Just adds to the list of things I bred.