3 replies to this topic

[CoolColJ]

While I was flipping rocks this afternoon, this large slab revealed a complete termite nest. There were shallow dirt chambers underneath, fairly dry ones, and it was covered in termites.
Which started to slowly disperse into the tunnels.
After a bit of thinking, I decided to grab some, and maybe start a feeder colony. I do have two Pheidole antipodum queens which the wiki says prey on termites, so why not?
 
So did I grab enough of the right types to start a colony of them?
I think these are a drywood type as the soil underneath was not that damp nor was their nest in damp wood etc
 
Also after I was done, some large spidery looking Aphaenogaster longiceps came along and started to raid the termites and carry some off
These were much larger than the ones I've seen before!
 
click to enlarge

 

 

Edited by CoolColJ, July 4 2018 - 9:13 PM.

[CoolColJ]

might be a Nasutitermes exitiosus sub colony I found

[Nare]

I think for feeders, subterranean termites are best, because, in my research, they tend to grow much faster than other types, and would thus provide more food for a large colony of ants.

With subterranean termites, at least with the ones I have, workers can molt and eventually become reproductives if they need to be, for example, if pheremones released by the main reproductives are absent.

I'm not sure if this is the case with those that you have - you're also on the opposite side of the world to me, so I have even less of an idea about which termites you have.

However - some of the termites you have, the ones with wing buds, look like reproductive nymphs - without the primary reproductives, they may molt into secondary reproductives - in short, you'll probably have eggs, and maybe workers.

Hope that helped maybe.

[CoolColJ]

Short video of them gathering on the wet cotton in the petri dish, they seem attracted to it