6 replies to this topic

[Skwiggledork]

How long does it take for a new king and queen to start laying eggs and getting workers? I can't find the date I caught these two, but I posted on a Facebook group and had them ID'd as Reticulitermes flavipes. I was peeling bark off logs looking for bugs to photograph and these were tandem running away, so I nabbed them. Either way it's been a few months. I want to say I caught them in May. I had them in a test tube with some of the wood I caught them on and switched them to a jar with dirt and wood and cardboard. They had tunneled into the dirt for a little, but for about a week, they have been out in the open on one of the pieces of wood. 

 

 

 

[Major]

You found termites in NY! Lucky

[Nare]

As far as I know, termites grow alot slower than ants, at least at first. Expect Camponotus timetables even for these tiny ones.

[Nare]

You found termites in NY! Lucky

 

They should be pretty common. iNaturalist reported R. flavipes right in central park.

[Major]

Nare, I've ripped through a countless amount of logs, lifted hundreds of stones in forests, looked during optimal nuptial flight conditions. And haven't found a worker once. I may have found a male/ queen once while tipping a nut looking for Temnothorax. It fell on my hand and I threw it so fast that I have no clue if it was a termite or an earwig.

[Skwiggledork]

Nare, I've ripped through a countless amount of logs, lifted hundreds of stones in forests, looked during optimal nuptial flight conditions. And haven't found a worker once. I may have found a male/ queen once while tipping a nut looking for Temnothorax. It fell on my hand and I threw it so fast that I have no clue if it was a termite or an earwig.

I get throwing it. lol. I'm not afraid of many bugs/spiders/ect, but if one drops on me unexpectedly or I walk through a spider web, my inner little b**** takes over.

[Nare]

Nare, I've ripped through a countless amount of logs, lifted hundreds of stones in forests, looked during optimal nuptial flight conditions. And haven't found a worker once. I may have found a male/ queen once while tipping a nut looking for Temnothorax. It fell on my hand and I threw it so fast that I have no clue if it was a termite or an earwig.

I've found that they're super choosy about where they nest. I explain more in depth in my journal, second post I think, but they prefer wood that's not super rotted. Hardwood, I find, that you may be able to peel the bark off of, but that you cannot easily pull apart. When you flip it over, the ground underneath should be moist. I've  found that logs like this often have one side that is depressed, sunken in, where the termites have dug through it. Sometimes, that part has been scooped out, and the log may be "U" shaped instead of "o" shaped. You should be able to scrape the soft wood out with a screwdriver, and dab up the termites with a wet paintbrush.

Termites are very good at hiding. As soon as you break open a log, they will be running for shelter. They can hide right in the middle of even a piece of wood half the size of your palm, and you'd never know. But you'll know that there are termites, as you'll see a couple when you flip the log.

EDIT: I don't know if you still live near the big city, but this may be of assistance. It's not set in stone - there are no reports on this site of termites in Toronto, and yet I've found them and am keeping them. https://www.inatural...taxon_id=119931

Edited by Nare, August 26 2018 - 5:22 PM.