25 replies to this topic

[rdurham02]

After being marginally successful during the past year raising ants, I have decided to try my hand at termite husbandry. Perusing the limited info. on the internet on keeping termites as pets (this site has been the most informative btw), I made a design that I thought would be aesthetically appealing as well as of course meet the various needs of it's inhabitants (going with Zootermopsis sp.. probably.. https://www.wardsci....g_number=876160). 

 

Going with a cylinder within a larger cylinder design..credit to dspdrew for inspiration. 

 

Lid I crafted from an embroidery loop and some mesh..seems superfluous given termites limited climbing abilities but it will put "the boss's" mind at ease about having termites in the house

 

Here I formed a piece of cork around the inside container to serve as cellulose food source..this was just a test to see how it would look

 

Poured hydrostone layer at bottom of glass vase container and submerged bottom portion of inner container in the hydrostone. Inner container I also partially filled with some sphagnum for increased humidity. 

 

I plan on pouring a substrate mixture layer tomorrow once the hydrostone dries/cures at the bottom of where the cork panel will go. 

 

 

[rdurham02]

 

Finished product today..from bottom to top layers are: hydrostone, thin layer of coco fiber, thicker layer of zoomed burrowing substrate, and then the piece of cork on top. Now just awaiting it's inhabitants!   

[Connectimyrmex]

Very nice! Good luck!

[rdurham02]

Very nice! Good luck!

Thank ya!

[Ant Broski]

That looks amazing. Hope the termites enjoy it!

[rdurham02]

That looks amazing. Hope the termites enjoy it!

My hopes as well 

[rdurham02]

Termites are in! I ended up going with some eastern subterranean termites from a source I found on dendroboard. I really wanted to collect my termites by myself as I have done with ants but from what I can gather termites are rather rare throughout Maine as they do not fare well in the harsh winters. I am not an expert (yet!) on termite behavior but they appear to be doing well during their first few days in "the Hut". 

 

[rdurham02]

After a month of seemingly doing well this colony has collapsed and died off. Not sure of the cause and given my limited experience with termites I may never know. I think I will revise my design somewhat and try again with my original plan on keeping a Zootermopsis sp..   

[Connectimyrmex]

EST needs lots of humidity and rotting wood, and often needs some sort of springtail in their nest to clean up dead bodies.

[LC3]

I'm not sure if both Zootermopsis or R. flavipes can feed on cork. For one it comprises the outer bark of the cork oak tree, both of these species prefer the inside heart wood and surrounding tissue and normally will leave bark alone. Cork is also apparently waxy and water resistant according to Google. Plus cork is pretty processed and although I don't know how it is processed, termites are very sensitive to environmental changes. 

 

Under normal circumstances R. flavipes (And most other termites) are capable of altering its environment, either in too much moisture or too little moisture. The fecal excrements of termites have antifungal properties. Dead termites will either be sealed off or eaten by nestmates. 

Edited by LC3, October 30 2017 - 3:31 PM.

[Connectimyrmex]

Yeah, but in an enclosed environment, the corpses remain and rarely decompose on their own, thus introducing harmful bacteria (this happened with my colony).

[rdurham02]

Thanks for the info. guys! It will be helpful in my future with termites (Termite Hut II-TBA). 

[T.C.]

They were actually doing quite well there. Gonna have to try again.

[rdurham02]

They were actually doing quite well there. Gonna have to try again.

Yeah I am making plans to make another attempt soon. Thanks T.C.! 

[Chicken_eater100]

Has anyone had a successful colony for more than a few years?

[rdurham02]

Has anyone had a successful colony for more than a few years?

I have seen accounts/journals of successful colonies littered throughout the internet, so I know it is possible. I made a newbie mistake on my part and probably starved out my colony inadvertently since I didn't take into account the colony could not or would not ingest cork material

[LC3]

I would suggest using douglas fir if possible, since Zootermopsis naturally feeds on the stuff and R. flavipes has a pretty versatile diet. Zootermopsis also feeds on pine. Pine is full of oils and resin so it may not work for R. flavipes (not sure if it actually affects them though). Try to avoid hardwoods since they have a harder time eating it and it would be harder to work with anyways.

[Hunter]

how did you find termite in Maine, or did you buy just workers

Edited by Hunter, December 6 2017 - 5:21 AM.

[Connectimyrmex]

They're everywhere if you devote time to finding them. Flip a ton of logs and you're bound to find a few.

You can also buy a "termitat", which includes the US's largest termite (Zootermopsis angusticollis). Apparently the setup is completely sealed to minimize chances of escapees.

[sgheaton]

The cylinder set ups are some of my favorite -- though I don't think anyone has a successful one currently alive.