3 replies to this topic

[Connectimyrmex]

Hi!

I recently ordered a termitat, and it arrived in great shape. The only problem is the presence of dried alates (and a few soldiers) at the bottom of the setup (from an attempted nuptial flight). More alate nymphs are appearing, and I'm worrying that the dead alate buildup may grow. If more alates fly and die, I'm thinking about opening the termitat to remove the dead alates (my family has the right screwdriver).

 

Would it disturb the termites too much? My Reticulitermes colony is okay with me opening their setup to add food occasionally, but my old colonies (Coptotermes gestroi and Cryptotermes, left behind in Hawaii) always would freak out when I opened their setups, so I have no idea how the Zootermopsis angusticollis would react.

[Vendayn]

I don't see why not. The creator of the termitat says on the site he takes it apart and puts new wood in when needed. But, with that said...I dunno if he keeps the same exact termites or just puts new termites in. And I dunno how that works anyway since shipping live termites sounds risky, but that is slightly different subject.

 

In the wild, things can happen that open up a termite nest (mostly people cause it, but I imagine animals try to get in too or the weather can open up a nest or all kinds of things). Seems pretty natural to me in any case.

[LC3]

I think you would have some trouble putting them back but I don't think it would cause them enough stress to die. Egg production might stall for a week or two but they most definitely shouldn't buckle over and die.

[Connectimyrmex]

Thanks, guys. Since there are no alates ready to fly in there as of now, I probably won't be opening it anytime soon. If I do, I'm thinking about holding one of the glass panels to the central wood piece to provide the termites with a place to hide until the cleaning is over.