# Culturing Termites



## bluetip (May 18, 2004)

Hi guys,

I new on this forum and have found extremely good source of information here. I would like to share with you this link:

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=14641&page=1&pp=15

This is a very good care sheet for culturing white termites. 

Hope you guys can make use of it! 

I am now trying my luck in culturing the subterranean variety.

thanks

bluetip


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## Ryan (Feb 18, 2004)

This is great! Now i gotta go gathering, and I have to find out how to ID subteranian, from others, because both are found in wood. not in the ground. (have fun diging around looking for the colony underground you will end up digging up an entire forest)


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## bluetip (May 18, 2004)

The subterreanean are a bit on the smaller side -- excluding the soldiers that have extremely big heads and incisors. I would say that the subterreaneans are more or less the size of an ant or a "real-size" pinhead cricket. Dampwood and drywood termites are a bit bigger. As big as the biggest ants or even a bit bigger.

bluetip


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## Ryan (Feb 18, 2004)

Simple but the exact type of identification tips i could use. Now i know which, i saw both types, but wasnt sure which to get. 
Thanks
Ryan


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## Guest (May 19, 2004)

let me ask, even though it may be a silly question.

My office (where the frogs are) and my living room are paneled in wood (real wood not the fake 70's stuff) 

How would i be able to culture termites in this area without constantly worrying that one escapee would eat me out of house and home LITERALLY!

I am looking at some options for suplimental food, and i would like some suggestions.


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## Christian (Mar 8, 2004)

Check the good side.....


If one or two escape.... you will have a really big source of food.... You will live in a big living house...


And you will have to buy more frog to control your house production... :lol:


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## Guest (May 19, 2004)

LMAO. okay, that is true frogger addicted logic there. If i tried to tell my girlfriend that, i would get "the evil look of death" 

The scary thing about it is that it makes perfect sense to me......


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## bluetip (May 18, 2004)

ditto to that drunknmunkey :lol: 

seriously though, I would reconsider that line of thinking. It's going to be extremely difficult to contain these creatures. The deadly part about them is that they don't need a queen to build a colony...so if you had a few hundred wayward soldiers travelling along your living room, they would easily consume all the wood. 

I have been trying to culture them actually and am honestly been having some bad luck with them. Although I'm keeping their enclosure quite moist, they continue to die out. I don't understand why though. I have to keep on trying till I get a better understanding on keeping them.

Any insights from other people would definitely be a big help. I've also been adding the fungus "beehive" structure into my culture. I don't know if it has anything to do with it. In the wild, this is where they lay their eggs.

bluetip


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## Ryan (Feb 18, 2004)

does anyone know the yields that those cultures produce?


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## benmz (Feb 18, 2004)

I believe, but am not 100% sure that the wood in your office/house is relatively safe. Termites need moisture to survive. That's why they are found underground and deep inside logs. They also prefer soft rotting wood. The real wood you have is dried to about 8% moisture content. Firewood dried ouside is at around 20% moisture content. The wood I find termites in is usually rotting and has lots of moisture in it, to the point that if I squeeze it, drops come out. Of course if your wood is in contact with water for prolonged periods of time it will begin to decay. Since all wood really is, is a complex sugar. There are only a few organisms that can break it down, especially in it's raw form. Fungus being the most successful, most (not all) insects that can break down wood also have some sort of fungus in their digestive system, including termites.

I think that some pesticide companies have a great business in scaring people into using thier services, even if there are no real problems with termites.

Just my $.02

-Ben


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## Ryan (Feb 18, 2004)

BlueTip
What are you doing to culture them? The method posted above? If so make sure you are useing the right type of termites, not sure if others would work in this setup, but it he made it clear this was for subteranean. Also i found that my termites died when they ate bleached papertowels, so i use cardboard.

Hope that helps
Ryan


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## Derek Benson (Feb 19, 2004)

That's why it said use the natural brown paper towels, not bleached.


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## Ryan (Feb 18, 2004)

He might of missed it though, like i did.


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## kyle1745 (Feb 15, 2004)

Hmm so is this only true with one type? I thought you needed a queen.


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## Ryan (Feb 18, 2004)

Termites have a breeder caste that breeds.


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## Arklier (Mar 1, 2004)

That's true, but remember that the breeding caste is for establishing other colonies. AFAIK, all termite colonies have a single queen.


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## Ryan (Feb 18, 2004)

I think they will create a breeding caste when removed from the original colony. Cant remember where i read it and not sure if its true.


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## bluetip (May 18, 2004)

Hey Ryan,

thanks for that note. I did notice the bleach issue.  

bluetip


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## scooter (Jul 13, 2004)

*culturing termites*

i've been culturing termites forawhile now, and although, i won't claim to be an expert. i can share what info i can. i have kept them in big rubbermaid containers with no air holes at all. i mist them down twice a week. and i keep them on a very fine layer of coco bedding and fill the box with tubes made of rolled-up cardboard. whenever i need some termites to either sell or feed my own frogs, i just unroll one of the cardboard rolls and shake out what i need. after about a month, i have to replace the cardboard as they quickly eat it down. i have found some eggs in the containers. they will breed without a queen. when some of them are seperated from the main colony, they start to start their own little colony. if anyone has any questions or wants some to start with, feel free to email me.


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## Ryan (Feb 18, 2004)

Didnt i just send you how to culture them a week ago?


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## scooter (Jul 13, 2004)

*culturing termites*

that u did, but up til then i had just been collecting them. but it turns ot they were culturing themselves in the containers without me knowing it.


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## Ryan (Feb 18, 2004)

Prolly dampwood termites, they are supposed to be very easy to culture. Go to tincs.com and you will get more and more info.


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## scooter (Jul 13, 2004)

*culturing termites*

i read both of the articles on tincs.com. i'm pretty sure that what i have is the subterrianian kind, according to the articles the damp wood termites don't live in my area.


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## scooter (Jul 13, 2004)

*culturing termites*

i read both of the articles on tincs.com. i'm pretty sure that what i have is the subterrianian kind, according to the articles the damp wood termites don't live in my area.


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## bluetip (May 18, 2004)

Hi scooter,

do you keep the entire rubbermaid wet or are there dry parts in your culture? I've tried culturing them but mine crashes.

Would you mind putting up some images?

thanks

bluetip


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