11 replies to this topic

[William. T]

Today, I had flipped over a log and underneath were some termites. There looked like 50 or so in that log. Since I live in Maryland, I think these are Subterranean Termites. How do you care for these? I want these as pets.

Edited by William. T, March 29 2015 - 5:30 AM.

[dspdrew]

Put them in a container with soil and place a rotted log on top.

[Crystals]

There is a section in this thread on how some care for termites: http://www.formicult...ts-and-feeders/

[LAnt]

Your parents are going to love them!

Edited by LAnt, March 29 2015 - 7:26 AM.

[Alza]

No, really, they are.

[William. T]

I want something more visible, like a few Uncle Milton Gel Farms. A friend gave one to me, with some harvester ants. I kept the harvester ants in a jar and fed them honey and fruit until they died. I had scooped up the gel, and is it possible to keep termites in a gel farm with no gel?

[dean_k]

There are four things termites must have as far as I know.

 

1. Total darkness

2. Near 100% humidity

3. Wet wood to nest in and eat.

4. Minimal disturbance.

 

Gel isn't going to work for them.

Edited by dean_k, March 29 2015 - 11:43 AM.

[dspdrew]

Just to be clear, dean_k is referring to subterranean termites.

[Gregory2455]

What I did for my couple of subterranean termites is soaked and blended cardboard into a pulp, mixed it with sand, drained the water, but left it moist, and put it in a container and let them dig. They dug away from the glass but I was pretty sure I saw a nymph a few days ago, so it seems to be working.

[Vendayn]

Keep in mind, cardboard does not actually have 100% the nutrition they need. Then again, it probably varies. I know toilet paper rolls are really bad for that. They'll eat it, but it doesn't have as much nutrition for termites as a piece of rotten wood does and is likely to just kill the colony. I'd personally offer them alternatives as well.

 

But, other than that...termites are really easy to keep. I kept a desert variety found in California and I literally forgot them for an entire year because they got buried in moving boxes. So, they had no water for one whole year and were in a VERY hot and dry garage. I look in and see tons of nymphs all over. I thought they'd all be dead with not a hint of water. I wouldn't do that with yours, though.

Your termites are probably going to be Eastern subterranean termites, which are most common over where you are. I think it might be the only subterranean termite species where you are located, but I'm not sure. I know California has a whole bunch of species of termites. But, just put them in a glass tank or whatever with a bunch of soil and wood, and make sure its kept moist. Most termites dry out really quick and die without moisture. Be patient and then wait for some amount of months for nymphs to show up. It usually takes a lot longer to get nymphs than it does waiting for ants to eclose.

 

Oh, and make sure there isn't any ink or dye or anything like that on any pieces of wood you put in there. And no treated wood. If, say its cardboard that has ink on it (like toilet paper rolls tend to have some ink writing on it) that can and likely will kill the termites. You can know if the wood is treated if it has a green (sometimes blue) tinge on the ends of it.

Edited by Vendayn, March 30 2015 - 11:23 AM.

[William. T]

I see. How about old wood chips mixed with soil? I am planning to get a source of nutritious feeders.

[Vendayn]

I never tried it, but if it isn't treated I imagine it would be good. I've seen termites here eat through wood chips on the ground that the gardeners put everywhere, so I assume its fine as a food source.