Jump to content

  • Chat
  •  
  •  

Welcome to Formiculture.com!

This is a website for anyone interested in Myrmecology and all aspects of finding, keeping, and studying ants. The site and forum are free to use. Register now to gain access to all of our features. Once registered and logged in, you will be able to create topics, post replies to existing threads, give reputation points to your fellow members, get your own private messenger, post status updates, manage your profile and so much more. If you already have an account, login here - otherwise create an account for free today!

Photo

Anyone have a TERMITE colony? (feeding ants)


  • Please log in to reply
11 replies to this topic

#1 Offline Saltynuts - Posted June 14 2017 - 7:31 PM

Saltynuts

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 75 posts

I was wondering if anyone has a termite colony.  Specifically, I think it would be cool to raise them as food for ants, in addition to in their own right.  Natural predator/pray relationship with the ants.  Colony grows, pick out a few workers from time to time to feed to the ants.  I've read generally that their colonies grow a good bit faster than ant colonies.  Plus, I figure a $4 bag of wood chips from Home Depot or Lowes will last them years.  

 

But I've literally only seen one termite nest in my life.  When I was a kid and I found some stump and ants and termites were going at it.  I live in the suburbs of Houston, and my mom was a realtor - I remember her talking about homes infested with them all the time.  But they just seem so rare in the urban jungle, unlike ants.  

 

Any thoughts/ideas are appreciated!



#2 Offline Gabraime - Posted June 14 2017 - 9:21 PM

Gabraime

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 60 posts
  • LocationSan Diego, California
termites colony are for every where, just need to find a large old piece of wood and see if there are small chambers, well that's what I do. I found a termite queen and king around 01/20/17, I broked an old piece of wood that I found in the park and they where together in a small hole I placed them in a test tube, when I arrived to home I Made a small hole on top of the wood, they ran inside, I placed them in a small container with a cover , I Made six holes on top of the cover, then I placed on top of the wood a piece of wet bath tissue for moisture, I change it every time a see it dry with mold. A few weeks ago I saw like 5 eggs outside of the hole, the hole was blocked with wood, very weird. I guess they have a bunch of brood now.

#3 Offline Gabraime - Posted June 14 2017 - 9:24 PM

Gabraime

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 60 posts
  • LocationSan Diego, California
I will use them to feed my 2 solenopsis xilony colonies

#4 Offline Saltynuts - Posted June 15 2017 - 6:54 AM

Saltynuts

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 75 posts

Thanks gents.  I think I'll try and find some woods and look for rotted wood.  Don't they also swarm and mate like ants, and then land on the ground to make their new nest?  So maybe I can catch them running around on the pavement, and maybe attract some with a blacklight?  Although so far as I can tell I've never seen any.



#5 Offline 123LordOfAnts123 - Posted June 15 2017 - 8:00 AM

123LordOfAnts123

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 328 posts
  • LocationOrlando, Florida
There's a few reliable guides on culturing them online that can be brought up through a quick google search.

Subterranean termites are the preferred species, and collecting partial colonies (hundreds to thousands) is preferred to a termite pair as such could take years to produce offspring in numbers. The nymphs (or workers) of several species of termites can molt into secondary reproductives in the absence of a queen. This process takes a couple months to start but once it does feeder colonies are easily self sustaining.

#6 Offline Saltynuts - Posted June 15 2017 - 9:46 AM

Saltynuts

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 75 posts

Thanks Lord.  I'm definitely going to try and find a colony.  But its interesting you say that a termite pair could take years to produce offspring in numbers.  When I was googling it I found someone talking about how much quicker their termite quality grew as compared to their ant colonies.  Maybe these were not the subterranean termites but some other (invasive) species.  Are the subterranean preferred as they are not invasive and less likely to get in and chew up your house?  

 

Thanks!



#7 Offline 123LordOfAnts123 - Posted June 15 2017 - 10:10 AM

123LordOfAnts123

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 328 posts
  • LocationOrlando, Florida

Thanks Lord. I'm definitely going to try and find a colony. But its interesting you say that a termite pair could take years to produce offspring in numbers. When I was googling it I found someone talking about how much quicker their termite quality grew as compared to their ant colonies. Maybe these were not the subterranean termites but some other (invasive) species. Are the subterranean preferred as they are not invasive and less likely to get in and chew up your house?

Thanks!

Establishing termite pairs produce small broods in well defined cycles, and the maturity rate for workers is as slow as some Camponotus. (2-3 months) Once a couple years pass, the queen's ovaries kick into overdrive and can easily outpace most ants. This life cycle holds true for most species living in large colonies occurring in the US.

Subterranean termites are composed of several species, some native and some invasive exotics. Almost all of them are known as structural pests. It is these attributes that make them the most common termites to culture: they're everywhere and can reproduce without a queen.

Edited by 123LordOfAnts123, June 15 2017 - 10:13 AM.


#8 Offline Saltynuts - Posted June 15 2017 - 11:29 AM

Saltynuts

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 75 posts

Got it Lord!  Question.  

 

I read somewhere that one way to try and catch termites is to take a let's say metal pipe.  Put some wood/cardboard (wet) inside.  Bury it say halfway in the ground.  Come back in a couple weeks and if there are termites in the area there should be some in there.  Might you have any thoughts on this method?  I doubt I'd catch a queen this way, but might I get some reproductive females this way?  

 

But I'm certainly going to try and find some wooded area and look for old/rotting wood to try and get a whole fully established colony where the queen's ovaries are in overdrive haha.  

 

Thanks!



#9 Offline 123LordOfAnts123 - Posted June 15 2017 - 12:26 PM

123LordOfAnts123

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 328 posts
  • LocationOrlando, Florida
You don't need anything but workers. You can use a trap, but it's easy to guess where termites might be. I simply break into a downed log and using a pooter, aspirate a few hundred termites.

The termite life cycle is a bit complicated compared to ants. Eggs hatch directly into nymphs which mature into workers. From there on, workers can become either soldiers, winged kings and queens, second-form reproductives and even third-form reproductives. They're even capable of molting back into workers during the transition into alates. Transformation to the later castes takes some time, so when workers are collected it will takes a few months for them to molt into reproductives.

For the purpose of a feeder subterranean termite colony, you don't want a queen. Queens are the ones capable of forming massive house-eating colonies. The amount of food a colony backed by a queen may grow through is hardly feasible is you want things kept simple. A few dozen secondary reproductives with a retinue of a thousand workers are all you need, and even then they'll produce more termites than you can use.

Edited by 123LordOfAnts123, June 15 2017 - 12:35 PM.


#10 Offline Saltynuts - Posted June 15 2017 - 12:36 PM

Saltynuts

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 75 posts

Thanks Lord!  When you say all I need is workers, do you mean that if I take a good number of workers one or more will turn into reproductives in the absence of their queen?  Or do you just mean its better to leave the nest there and revisit it with a pooter from time to time when I need more termites to feed my ants?  Thanks!  P.S., never heard of a pooter before, but I googled it so I see what it is.  Do you ever worry about sucking nasty bits into your mouth on accident if anything gets through the filter?  

 

Thanks!



#11 Offline 123LordOfAnts123 - Posted June 15 2017 - 1:22 PM

123LordOfAnts123

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 328 posts
  • LocationOrlando, Florida

Thanks Lord!  When you say all I need is workers, do you mean that if I take a good number of workers one or more will turn into reproductives in the absence of their queen?  Or do you just mean its better to leave the nest there and revisit it with a pooter from time to time when I need more termites to feed my ants?  Thanks!  P.S., never heard of a pooter before, but I googled it so I see what it is.  Do you ever worry about sucking nasty bits into your mouth on accident if anything gets through the filter?  
 
Thanks!


Yes, a small portion of workers will turn into reproductives.

A quality filter is designed to prevent inhalation of any solid objects. It will not however prevent certain substances from being carried through as a vapor. Inhalation of formic acid is not fun but will leave you no worse for ware. Just be aware of any chemical defenses an insect may have.

#12 Offline Saltynuts - Posted June 15 2017 - 1:40 PM

Saltynuts

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 75 posts

Got it.  Thanks again Lord!






0 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users