12 replies to this topic

[Vendayn]

If you live in an area where Drywood termites are, at least in Southern California, they will be flying next week. Last year they flew on the 27th of August, and their flights are really predictible. They also tend to fly to the same area every year.

 

They will fly heavily for a week, then slowly the flights will become less and less over a period of another week and then stop (or mostly stop).

 

I'm going to get a bunch, put them in the same test tube and see how they do. I won't be seperating them as I did last year, and a test tube seems like a much better approach.

 

They are easy to find if you know the area they fly to, since birds and dragonflies love to eat them. They don't fly far from their nests. They are black/red and are about medium size. Their wings are reddish colored if I recall.

Edited by Vendayn, July 14 2018 - 8:14 PM.

[klawfran3]

Can you actually raise these guys like ants? I always thought you needed to keep them in wood, which they would chew their way through.

[Vendayn]

Last year, I put them in wood. It didn't work out at all.

 

But, people have raised subterranean termites in test tubes from alates. I think that approach works a lot better.

 

Take a look at Drew's colony

 

http://www.formicult...-11-2015/page-3

 

I imagine Drywood termites would work just as good. And despite their name, they CAN live and very much thrive in humid/wet conditions (they have been successfully imported to Florida).

 

Just fill the test tube with water and plug it with cotton like you would with ants, but also put wood bits in there for them to eat.

 

With that said, Drywood termites grow very slow. But, they are a really big termite. The second biggest in North America. And, unique in that they are more red in color unlike a lot of other termites.

[Vendayn]

No sign of them flying yet. I hope the colony didn't die or get killed by Argentine ants. I might just need to be patient for another 1-3 days.

 

Thursday its supposed to be really hot, so maybe they'll fly then...over a 100 degrees. And the 27th (which happens to be Thursday) is when they flew last time.

[Vendayn]

Right on target, same day, every year. While last year I got them on the 27th, it looks like they most likely start on the 26th of August in Southern California. I just am not usually home on the 26th as I'm usually out celeberating my birthday.

 

I got 8 alates, and tomorrow I'll get the rest of my goal. I want to get 10-16 (an even number) before I feel like that is plenty to start a colony. I'll probably end up with a total of 12 or 14.

[Vendayn]

In the next week or two I'll take pictures. I don't want to disturb them too much. Their setup is just a glass tube with wood in it. I ended up filling it half with water and the rest with wood. It still didn't seem like a lot of wood either, but it will do.

 

My main worry is actually the wood molding, so I'll keep a very close eye on that. It doesn't seem to be a problem with Drew's setup, but my wood is actually touching the cotton and his doesn't look to be. I might just re-do it, but termites get stressed so easily. So, unless mold starts to grow, I won't worry about it for now.

 

With that...really hope to get a good colony from them. I did find their colony. Its the entire balcony of someones apartment unit (you can see the bottom of their balcony has a lot of holes and cracks in it from the termites) and they have also gone into the roof of the actual building. Might tell someone about it, but my parents would rather not get involved or noticed by the apartments and don't want me to...so I probably won't. They just said its not our business.

 

In any case...for those looking for them. They are really hit/miss where they fly. They only fly 10-100 feet, so not far at all. You pretty much need to be right in the area that a colony resides. They also start flying at 2 pm, peak at 3 pm and then quickly disappear in numbers after that.

 

(edit:

I re-did their test tube. Now there is a large empty space between the cotton and the wood. Mold won't be an issue anymore. I didn't want to risk them all dying due to mold.

 

Also as I told drew in a private message. Contrary to belief, Drywood termites NEED a source of water of some kind. I don't know how they survive in such dry wood. But, I've kept them in a large piece of wood...they dried out and died. I've kept them in an open container with wood bits and toilet paper so I can always see them and they dried out and died.

 

They dry out just as fast as subterranean termites do. So, honestly, there must be something in the wood or the environment outside that gives them some source of hydration. What that is? No idea. Giving them a source of water like starting a new ant colony in a test tube, seems like the perfect solution to me.

 

Also, they are very successful last I heard in Florida. I imagine the wood there isn't very dry.

Edited by Vendayn, August 26 2015 - 3:36 PM.

[Vendayn]

The Drywood termites are flying a lot earlier this year. I already see them having their small flights today. Nothing major yet, but I've seen alates today far sooner than last year or the before. Sadly, either in my local location its too breezy or/and a bit too early in the day. But any time from this week or next week (about when they usually start) they should have their full on flights. They tend to like mostly calm days (that are very hot) without much/any wind. They also have the biggest amount of alates out, between 2 PM and then it greatly tapers off by 3 PM. And really the major part of their flight only lasts to 2:30 pm, so a pretty limited window to get them. But once their actual flight starts, they should last a good week to two weeks so plenty of time to get alates.

 

Be sure to get a lot of alates and put them together (they'll co-exist), they do a lot better with a much better success rate that way. Any dead ones can be fed to pets (like toads, frogs, lizards or your ant colonies). I noticed last year that a lot of alates die pretty quick for some reason, especially if they've been on a hot sidewalk/road for too long. They are called Drywood termites and love hot weather, but still dehydrate VERY fast (faster than regular subterranean termite alates). Which is kinda weird.

Edited by Vendayn, August 15 2016 - 1:27 PM.

[Vendayn]

Today are the first actual flights for Drywood termites. When I posted on the 15th, it was just a really small thing. They are actually both a bit early this year (the tiny flight they had) and a few days later this year than their normal date/time. Last year they had already been flying by now, but this year they flew on the 15th (which is REALLY early, even for a small flight) and then nothing till today. 

 

I got over 20 termite alates, though a few went to my toads. All the others I put together in a test tube. Dunno if I have an even amount of males/females, but it should work out fine. Their success rate goes way up when they are put together instead of single pairs. Plus the colony gets off to a bigger start.

[Vendayn]

Still massive flights of Drywood termites today. I have never seen them fly for so many days. I've always seen them pretty much stop after two weeks.

[SamKeepsAnts]

in SoCall we had 2 small flights of dry wood termites today and a week ago

Edited by SamKeepsAnts, November 30 2016 - 7:01 AM.

[Vendayn]

A bit late. But, I'm surprised they are even flying that late at all. Are you further inland? That might be why. I know Subterranean termites are flying (they are very small and completely black), which is what they normally do in the Winter.

 

Sadly none of my Drywood termite alates survived. I don't seem to have good luck raising them for some reason. They are in fact harder to raise than subterranean termites (at least for me). They dry up and die a lot more, and just seem a lot harder to keep alive than Subterranean termite alates. Which is the complete opposite of what I'd expect. 

[SamKeepsAnts]

Maybe it was just one colony sadly i didn't have anything to catch them with

[Vendayn]

As a heads up, its getting close to the time Drywood termites have their mating flights for those that have them in your area. They fly same place every year, and pretty much same time. Though back in 2016 they flew a bit earlier than usual, and flew a LOT longer than usual. In any case, they are pretty predictable as far as their flights go, for most part. I forgot how they were last year, I think it was about same times as 2016.