3 replies to this topic

[kate123]

Hello, looking for some answers/potential sources for termites for an art project.

 

I have an art project in mind in which we'd watch termites consume a piece of wood around 4sq ft over the course of about a month and a half--the wood wouldn't have to be fully consumed but we'd love to see a good amount of process by the time the exhibition is over. 

 

The inspiration is the Termitat but at a much more rapid rate -- https://termitat.com/

 

To start, I'd love suggestions on:

- Species of termite

- Type of wood -- also open to particle board, woodchips, etc. 

 

and then eventually any assistance in purchasing/sourcing a colony.

 

Thank you!

[LowQualityAnts]

Carolina biological sells termite workers that can live without brood or a queen/king for about 4 months.

[ANTdrew]

Termites are extremely secretive and kind of slow to do everything. I think you’ll need a longer time frame to see results on your project. Keeping termites is also a lot more complicated than it seems.

[kate123]

Hmm... Any suggestions to make our project more viable? The idea is to have termites eat most of a piece of wood inside an enclosure for people to watch. We can always hollow out the wood or set the termites up before the exhibition so there's less to eat while they're on display. 

 

Termites are extremely secretive and kind of slow to do everything. I think you’ll need a longer time frame to see results on your project. Keeping termites is also a lot more complicated than it seems.