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ANTdrew's Subterranean Termites Journal - Covfefe

Started By ANTdrew , May 31 2020 10:01 AM

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39 replies to this topic

#21 Offline VenomousBeast - Posted July 9 2020 - 2:08 PM

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Alright so far, I do see anything about legality but I’m going to keep looking. I came back to report that their fungus Termitomyces actually grow mushrooms and these mushrooms can be sold at HIGH prices😂 It apparently has a spicy taste. They also don’t take it from nest to nest in nuptial flights but the queens and kings need to collect a spore after founding in order to grow their garden!! Thought you guys would find that interesting!
  • ANTdrew likes this

Keeps:

1:Pogonomymex occidentalis

4: Tetramorium immigrans

2 Reticulitermes flavipes

#22 Offline ANTdrew - Posted July 9 2020 - 2:38 PM

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That’s amazing!
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"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#23 Offline VenomousBeast - Posted July 9 2020 - 3:06 PM

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I still can’t find anything on the legality of obtaining termites but I found a place to buy them😂 antsfromasia.com has 2 Macrotermes species available for rather cheap I’d say! (Of course whipping could be a nightmare😂) So if I find that it’s fine to keep them, I know where I’m heading when I get back from Mexico!!
  • TennesseeAnts and RushmoreAnts like this

Keeps:

1:Pogonomymex occidentalis

4: Tetramorium immigrans

2 Reticulitermes flavipes

#24 Offline Antkid12 - Posted July 10 2020 - 4:08 AM

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Cool!


Ants I have: Tapinoma sessile(2 queen colony). RED MORPH Camponotus neacticus(now has pupae!), Tetramorium immigrans (x3), Aphaenogaster sp, Temnothorax sp, Brachymyrmex sp.   possibly infertile   :(,  Ponera pennsylvanica, and Pheidole morrisi!  :yahoo: 

 

Other insects: Polistes sp. Queen

                    

Ants I need: Pheidole sp., Trachymyrmex sp., Crematogaster cerasi , Dorymyrmex sp. Most wanted: Pheidole morrisii

 

                    

                   

 

 

#25 Offline RushmoreAnts - Posted July 10 2020 - 6:20 AM

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I do dream of getting the termites from Africa that grow fungus like leaf cutter ants!! It’d be so cool!! They collect grasses instead of leaves.

I wonder if those would be legal to import?

Maybe!! I’ll look into it and report back!
I would be interested in this as well, if it didn’t cost too much.
  • VenomousBeast likes this

"God made..... all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds (including ants). And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:25 NIV version

 

Keeping:

Tetramorium immigrans

Formica cf. pallidefulva, cf. incerta, cf. argentea

Formica cf. aserva, cf. subintegra

Pogonomyrmex occidentalis

Pheidole bicarinata

Myrmica sp.

Lasius neoniger, brevicornis

#26 Offline VenomousBeast - Posted July 10 2020 - 6:53 AM

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I do dream of getting the termites from Africa that grow fungus like leaf cutter ants!! It’d be so cool!! They collect grasses instead of leaves.

I wonder if those would be legal to import?
Maybe!! I’ll look into it and report back!
I would be interested in this as well, if it didn’t cost too much.

Well the cheapest seems to be 25 euros, so about $28 plus shipping, so not too bad!
  • TennesseeAnts and RushmoreAnts like this

Keeps:

1:Pogonomymex occidentalis

4: Tetramorium immigrans

2 Reticulitermes flavipes

#27 Offline RushmoreAnts - Posted July 10 2020 - 9:52 AM

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I do dream of getting the termites from Africa that grow fungus like leaf cutter ants!! It’d be so cool!! They collect grasses instead of leaves.

I wonder if those would be legal to import?
Maybe!! I’ll look into it and report back!
I would be interested in this as well, if it didn’t cost too much.

Well the cheapest seems to be 25 euros, so about $28 plus shipping, so not too bad!
I looked and there was one for 20 euros.
  • VenomousBeast likes this

"God made..... all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds (including ants). And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:25 NIV version

 

Keeping:

Tetramorium immigrans

Formica cf. pallidefulva, cf. incerta, cf. argentea

Formica cf. aserva, cf. subintegra

Pogonomyrmex occidentalis

Pheidole bicarinata

Myrmica sp.

Lasius neoniger, brevicornis

#28 Offline VenomousBeast - Posted July 10 2020 - 10:59 AM

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I do dream of getting the termites from Africa that grow fungus like leaf cutter ants!! It’d be so cool!! They collect grasses instead of leaves.

I wonder if those would be legal to import?

Maybe!! I’ll look into it and report back!

I would be interested in this as well, if it didn’t cost too much.


Well the cheapest seems to be 25 euros, so about $28 plus shipping, so not too bad!

I looked and there was one for 20 euros.



Even better!!
  • RushmoreAnts likes this

Keeps:

1:Pogonomymex occidentalis

4: Tetramorium immigrans

2 Reticulitermes flavipes

#29 Offline ANTdrew - Posted July 10 2020 - 11:18 AM

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That’s cheaper than a Tapinoma colony some kid dug up under a rock and put up for sale on GAN.
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"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#30 Offline VenomousBeast - Posted July 10 2020 - 11:27 AM

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That’s cheaper than a Tapinoma colony some kid dug up under a rock and put up for sale on GAN.


Heck if leaf cutter ants were this cheap (and legal to transport) I would buy so many of them!!
  • RushmoreAnts likes this

Keeps:

1:Pogonomymex occidentalis

4: Tetramorium immigrans

2 Reticulitermes flavipes

#31 Offline ANTdrew - Posted August 31 2020 - 6:52 AM

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Update 8-31-2020

 

 Sadly, my Recticulitermes colony failed a while back. I'm still not really sure why, but termite keeping sure isn't as easy as it sounds. RIP

Luckily, though, I found a few more reproductives. Yesterday, while dumping out old water in my bird bath, I noticed a bunch of shed wings floating on the water. Inspecting closer, I also found three tan colored, dealate termite reproductives also floating on the water.

I quickly set them up in a test tube with some damp saw dust from a black locust tree we recently had cut down packed into it. I messaged VenemousBeast, and he helped me ID these as the invasive Coptotermes formosanus. These are the "fire ants" of the termite world in his words, super hardy and fast growing. As I learned more about them, I was equal parts intrigued and freaked out. VB assured me that they are really easy to keep, so I decided to give them a shot. If they ever get out of hand, it will be straight to the freezer for them and on to my ants menu. Stay tuned...

 


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"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#32 Offline TennesseeAnts - Posted August 31 2020 - 8:15 AM

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I can only find R. flavipes around me...


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My Main Journal | My Neivamyrmex Journal | My Ant Adoption | My YouTube

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#33 Offline Antkid12 - Posted August 31 2020 - 8:17 AM

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:*( R.I.P


Ants I have: Tapinoma sessile(2 queen colony). RED MORPH Camponotus neacticus(now has pupae!), Tetramorium immigrans (x3), Aphaenogaster sp, Temnothorax sp, Brachymyrmex sp.   possibly infertile   :(,  Ponera pennsylvanica, and Pheidole morrisi!  :yahoo: 

 

Other insects: Polistes sp. Queen

                    

Ants I need: Pheidole sp., Trachymyrmex sp., Crematogaster cerasi , Dorymyrmex sp. Most wanted: Pheidole morrisii

 

                    

                   

 

 

#34 Offline TechAnt - Posted August 31 2020 - 8:29 AM

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I can only find no termites (Argentines ruin things again) around here


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My Ants:
(x1) Campontous semitstaceus ~20 workers, 1 Queen
(x1) Camponotus vicinus ~10 workers, 1 Queen (all black variety)
(x1) Tetramorium immigrans ~100 workers, 1 Queen
(x1) Myrmercocystus mexicanus -1 Queen
(x2) Mymercocystus mimcus -1 Queen
(x1) Mymercocystus testaceus ~45 workers, 1 Queen

#35 Offline Antkid12 - Posted August 31 2020 - 10:15 AM

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I can only find R. flavipes around me...

saaaame.


  • TennesseeAnts likes this

Ants I have: Tapinoma sessile(2 queen colony). RED MORPH Camponotus neacticus(now has pupae!), Tetramorium immigrans (x3), Aphaenogaster sp, Temnothorax sp, Brachymyrmex sp.   possibly infertile   :(,  Ponera pennsylvanica, and Pheidole morrisi!  :yahoo: 

 

Other insects: Polistes sp. Queen

                    

Ants I need: Pheidole sp., Trachymyrmex sp., Crematogaster cerasi , Dorymyrmex sp. Most wanted: Pheidole morrisii

 

                    

                   

 

 

#36 Offline ANTdrew - Posted October 18 2020 - 4:46 AM

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No change yet with these reproductives. They’re still alive, but I can’t see any brood or workers.
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#37 Offline TennesseeAnts - Posted October 18 2020 - 7:14 AM

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No change yet with these reproductives. They’re still alive, but I can’t see any brood or workers.

I would go out and break open some rotten logs that are touching the ground. I collected an R. flavipes colony with about 8-9 reproductives and a handful of workers and a few soldiers. 


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#38 Offline ponerinecat - Posted October 18 2020 - 7:46 AM

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I've never had any success using secondary reproductives or workers alone.


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#39 Offline TennesseeAnts - Posted October 18 2020 - 8:01 AM

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I've never had any success using secondary reproductives or workers alone.

Same.  I have only ever got colonies going using reproductives from flights.


My Main Journal | My Neivamyrmex Journal | My Ant Adoption | My YouTube

Join the TennesseeAnts Discord Server! https://discord.gg/JbKwPgs

#40 Offline ANTdrew - Posted January 3 2021 - 4:00 AM

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Still no progress with my Coptotermes formosanus grouping. I hydrated the sawdust in their tube yesterday and saw that they’re still alive, but they have not reproduced. I think I must have found a bunch of dudes or something.
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"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.
Back to Termite Keeping Journals


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