151 replies to this topic

[CoolColJ]

Can you attempt to sex them? Put them in a clear petri dish, take a pic of them from underneath, see if they have a large plate at the tip of the abdomen (female) or a bunch of smaller ones (male).

 

 

I can use a jeweller's loupe to do that, I know there is at least one female

[CoolColJ]

I think I will do one cotton and one toilet paper test tube setup.
I thought about putting one pair in the glass petri dish the other Schedorhinotermes termites was using, but those did die in it....

 

I of the remaining 5 free ones died, I think a male

Need to start a new journal me thinks

Edited by CoolColJ, October 20 2018 - 6:53 PM.

[CoolColJ]

Spring 26th October 2018
 
Capture vial setup - dirt, damp folded toilet paper, pieces of outer edge of tree/bark

20 days since my last update and they are doing well.
I have not added any water to their setup, yet the soil remains dark and damp and there is visible condensation drops on one side of the vial.

They have virtually covered the damp toilet paper and all the bits of timber with new dirt structures.
Extensive new tunnel networks cover all of the visible area.
I can see 4-5 alate nymphs at the bottom of the container, in the chambers facing downwards.

I wish I had moved them into a glass jar now, for better visibility and more space
I think a Dirt Box type setup could work very well for these.

[CoolColJ]

Glass jar setup
 
I scooped a bunch termites into a capture vial a few days ago , intending to use as feeder for my ants.
Which I did, but I had a ton left over, of alate nymphs, soldiers and workers.
 
I forgot about them for a few days, and they had tunneled a bit.
So today I dumped them into a glass jar
 
There is not quite enough dirt to fully cover the bottom.
I added a large, thick folded piece of damp toilet paper, and some bits of wood from the expired petri dish colony.
A large amount are gathering under the toilet paper.
 
Thinking about merging the setup up above with this one. that would add a lot more dirt,,,,

Edited by CoolColJ, October 26 2018 - 6:22 PM.

[CoolColJ]

I also added a piece of tree/bark that has a hollow chamber underneath, used to be home for a Polyrhachis femorata colony a friend sent me.
The hollow part facing down on the part of the glass jar the dirt did not cover.
Well some of the termites have taken up residence in this hollow area.

The hollow area is the only part of the jar at the bottom that does not have dirt, the termites may have covered the other parts with dirt.
So I can look straight into it

Other termites are under the toilet paper, some in the dirt and elsewhere.
So it's a bit scattered

Edited by CoolColJ, October 26 2018 - 6:27 PM.

[CoolColJ]

Spring 30th October

Glass jar setup
 
I opened the stone slab which had termites from the start of this journal
and they were back, and in large numbers.
Lots of alate nymphs, but also what looked like egg and nymph clusters.
 
I scooped up a bunch including the dirt I needed.
Dumped the dirt into the glass jar setup.
 
Meanwhile the termites have been shifting dirt around, at least they have moved dirt into the hollow under the piece of wood
So it's not as easy to look into their nest there.
There seems to be two separate nest locations in this jar - one under the dirt and the one in the wood hollow.
 
I think this setup could house some springtails.
Infact I will try and put some springtails in both my current setup, but the larger glass jar setup looks more suitable
 
.

Edited by CoolColJ, October 30 2018 - 4:51 PM.

[CoolColJ]

Spring 31st October 2018
 
Capture vial setup - dirt, damp folded toilet paper, pieces of outer edge of tree/bark

Damn I see something big and white at the bottom of the jar, way larger than the alate nymphs...

 

And now it's moved...

[CoolColJ]

Turned over a rock today which had alate nymphs with black wings so more mature than I've seen, but with white bodies.

So they are due for flights much later on.

 

They grow large white wings that then turn black.

So the large white thing i saw at the bottom of the vial was most likely the wings of an alate nymph

 

Unfortunately the termites have covered the bottom of the vial so I can't look in now

Edited by CoolColJ, October 31 2018 - 9:49 PM.

[CoolColJ]

This is what their mature alates should look like

[CoolColJ]

Came a cross a two medium sized species of Melophorus colonies - first time I've seen them here.
One was next to a rock, workers and majors going nuts.
Pulled up rock to reveal a bunch of black wing termite alates, Nasutitermes species.
Dropped a few onto the Melophorus and in an instant they were carted down below - and one major went and dragged one by the wings from further away
 
 
--
 
So they are looking to be getting ready to fly soon.
 
That means my alate nymphs in my two jars must getting close to fully mature and should soon become queen and king

Edited by CoolColJ, November 27 2018 - 1:53 PM.

[CoolColJ]

Summer 4th December 2018

Glass jar setup
 
Had a look inside, broke the timber, churned the dirt up - zip no termites
All dead..

Although the white small centipede looking thing I put it with spring tails appears very much alive.


Capture vial setup - dirt, damp folded toilet paper, pieces of outer edge of tree/bark

 

Some mold bulbs growing on the timber.

It started after I last added some water into the setup...

 

I see no termite activity... they could be still alive just hiding

So I will keep things as is, but will dig into the dirt and check soon

 

 

edit - saw a termite moving
 

Edited by CoolColJ, December 16 2018 - 12:16 AM.

[CoolColJ]

RIP

 

All termites dead in the capture vial setup.

I dug up the dirt and saw no termites at all, all turned to dust...

 

They had some structures in the dirt though