# termites



## VTHokie (Jun 28, 2005)

Would it be ok to feed only termites (I dont seem to have trouble finding them) or do i need to keep friut flies as the main feeder?


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## Guest (Jun 29, 2005)

*Termites*

Give them both but if your in a pinch termites work great.I have fed just termites to a number of frogs and have had no side effects.But if you can mix it up a little.
later


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## fishy332003 (Feb 15, 2004)

any source for termite?i willing to buy some.thanks


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## VTHokie (Jun 28, 2005)

Well i just usually take off into the wood and turn over a few logs and find them there. Dont really have any to sell ... i'v looked but cant find anywhere that sells a coloney.


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## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

termites are pretty slow producing. I bought a colony from Randy Strann, and know that they are building their colony, but slowly. :? Plus, you have to break open cardboard, wood, etc. to do, so its a pain.

If you ever get crickets to breed for you, you'll have a feast and then some for your frogs.


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## Guest (Jun 30, 2005)

*Termites*

If your having trouble with your terms crank up the heat use heat tape or something similar optimal conds for terms are about 85 degrees.Mine breed like crazy but I havent found a reliable way to ship otherwise I would I dont want people getting mad over dead t-mites.They really do wonders for some frogs I have some retics that wont even look at them and I have some others that wont look at anything else.
later


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## devin mac (Oct 4, 2004)

do thumbs like vents take termites?


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## VTHokie (Jun 28, 2005)

How do u find a queen so that they can repruduce?


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## Guest (Jun 30, 2005)

*Termites*

You dont need a queen that is a myth.I have never gotten a queen and have a butload of babies.


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## VTHokie (Jun 28, 2005)

Well i go curious and looked it up here is a website 

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2092.html

it says that in the absence of a queen another termite will become the queen.


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## Guest (Jul 8, 2005)

*termitee*

Does anyone know where i can get some termites ? thanks XXAMIAM


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## SLEDDER23 (Mar 17, 2005)

On the offchance that anyone would have some and be willing/able to ship, I'll bump this back up. I have access to get some from nearby woods, but if anyone is selling reasonalby sized termite cultures, please pm/em me.

Thanks!


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## Guest (Jul 31, 2005)

My dad is an entemologist, and he also used to kill termites and ants and roaches for a living. He says that a non-swarmer cannot just turn into a queen. He said that a queen can live up to 20 years, but you can't just get one from nothing. Workers and soldiers are sterile. However, there may be many eggs or larva in wood you collect already, so that may be where you are seeing tons of babies coming from. The workers can live anywhere from a few months to a few years. I myself had a ten gallon tank when I was younger with termites in it, just for fun. They lived about 6 months, but I had tons of them. I also had added some swarmers in the begining, but they didn't take. I have a feeling the other termites weren't very accepting. Could always try and catch swarmers yourself and hope one of them takes and becomes a queen. But I'm pretty sure one won't spontaneously turn into a queen, otherwise I'd still have a colony right now.


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## Ryan (Feb 18, 2004)

I've read different on many sites about termites biology and their colonies survival. It also depends what type of termites he is talking about, not all termites are the same. If he did on houses, he probally dealt with subteranean termites. Ive only read about dampwood being able to have 3rd productives.

Ryan


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## Guest (Jul 31, 2005)

yeah, i'm talking about subterranean. good point, i don't think he dealt with anything else. i think that's mostly what's down here in florida. hmmm...


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## Ryan (Feb 18, 2004)

There is also dampwood termites, those are much larger.

Ryan


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## Guest (Jul 31, 2005)

mmm.. large termites =P


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## sports_doc (Nov 15, 2004)

Might it be a situation where the Queen secretes or emits a chemical that suppresses other termites from becoming sexually active...and in her absence the suppression chemical wheres off?

Shawn


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## Arklier (Mar 1, 2004)

Dampwood (and drywood) termites have no worker caste. All the work in the colony is performed by immature termites, which grow up to be either soldiers, secondary reproductives, or kings and queens. I'm pretty sure the queen secretes phermones that stunt the growth of the immatures, but a few of them grow up due to changes in phermone levels. A termite colony is not overwhelmingly female like it is for bees and ants, ordinary termites can be of either sex. It's not unusual to find many secondary reproductives 'helping out' by building the population.


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## VTHokie (Jun 28, 2005)

So how many would you have to catch and how long would you have to let them sit to get them to start breeding.


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## Guest (Aug 1, 2005)

hmmm.. good question... and where would you find them? there are no pieces of rotting wood in boca raton, lmao, i could prolly bet on that...


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## Guest (Aug 1, 2005)

*Termites*

Actually the termites I do breed are dampwood . I have gotten some with alot of eggs and some without any at all.And I never said that they just turn into reproductives all i said was that you do not need a queen in order to have a succesful colony.My colony lives in a 55 gallon food grade barrel I have had this colony for 3 years and still going very strong.I only use dampwood because I have tried others and had trouble with frogs actually dying I dont know if termites were to blame but once I changed it never happened again.Also when you are collecting terms as soon as you open the log etc. you have to act quick so you get a majority of immatures cauz it doesnt take long for the soldiers to come and you dont want alot of them if you can help it also once you find a good supply dont deplete the whole colony keep as much intact as possible they will do most of the work for you.I am not an expert just 14 years exp.
later


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## Guest (Aug 1, 2005)

thanks wort! do you think there would be some of those up in the florida panhandle? tallahassee?


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## Guest (Aug 1, 2005)

*Termites*

I f you live close to salt water possibly but you are better off going further inland.Find an area thick with pines older growth the better. Do not I repeat do not go into federal land Parks etc.I have had the best luck asking farmers with alot of grazing land etc to look around and beleive it or not they let me at my own risk of course I have been chased quite a bit by angry bulls and such.Even in dryer weather down here I have had succes finding alot of terms.The key is pine, termites dont usually take over oak although I have found them in it just no where near the numbers in pine because it takes forever to break down.Pine gets infected by molds and fungus that actually start the decomposition process for them.
Hope that helps a little but i bet you will find some.
oh yeah no lawn timber anything soaked in creosode I have found termites in these kinds of wood but never ever used them.


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## Guest (Aug 1, 2005)

what's creosode?


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## Guest (Aug 1, 2005)

*Termites*

It is a form of tar used to soak railroad timber in and also used to soak telephone poles in.
cya
I doubt if they still use it but just be careful


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## Guest (Aug 1, 2005)

ack! how the heck wouldya know??


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## Guest (Aug 1, 2005)

*Termites*

Smell, usually very strong odor.Kinda like after they resurface blacktop or parking lots very strong even after years of weather abuse.
later


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## Arklier (Mar 1, 2004)

The correct spelling is creosote. It's a form of coal tar that is usually forced into wood under high pressure, and is used to protect it from water and insect damage. If you've seen wooden pilings on docks, piers, or fence posts that have black or brown gunk oozing out of them in the hot sun, that's creosote. It's sticky at higher temperatures, and smells like used motor oil.


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## Guest (Aug 2, 2005)

*Termites*

Creosode I was close wasnt I :?


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## SLEDDER23 (Mar 17, 2005)

OK, question for someone out there that knows termites. My "termite trap" in the back yard worked better than expected. 2' of 4 inch PVC, rolled cardboard inside, soaked with water and covered. I waited a week, and it is COVERED in termites. Yippee!

Now of course the concern. I know termites are EVERYWHERE, but this is about 30 feet from my house, and back deck. I try to avoid any pesticides in the back yard at all, since this is where my children play. Should I be concerned about the proximity of termites to my house and back deck? Is there something that I can spray/apply to my house and deck that will protect them somewhat?

Thanks all in advance.


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## Guest (Aug 7, 2005)

*Termites*

I dont think you need to treat a problem that doesnt exist.You could check for any water damaged wood on your deck house etc.And replace accordingly usually it takes something to trigger infestation such as a roof leak and so on.
cya


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## SLEDDER23 (Mar 17, 2005)

thx wort, that makes me feel a bit better. In the mean time, I just wish I had more frogs to take advantage of the over abundance of free food!


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## Guest (Aug 8, 2005)

*Termites*

Dont get rid of any you get use a deli cup with a lid that can breath like the ones you get with your fruit flys take the wet cardboard or paper towels and loosely put inside they will stay happy and healthy for a while just open container up once and a while to get rid of built up ammonia.
later


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## SLEDDER23 (Mar 17, 2005)

So let me get this straight, you're saying I DON'T need to get more frogs?! I figured that was the only reasonable solution. :lol:


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## Guest (Aug 11, 2005)

Yeah I re-read what you said.No way get as many frogs as you can and good luck.
later


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## guyelcamino (Jan 22, 2005)

Ive got a great way to collect termites. If you locate them in a rotting tree or log but can't bring it home do to size, use a vacuum. One of those crappy, to week to suck much of anything, cordless battery powered ones. Tape a paper toilet roll or piece of pcv pipe to the inlet. Cut the intake end of the tube on an angle for easyer pickup. The vacuum is just stong enuff to pick up the termites with little to no harm. Them just tap them out of the vacuum bag into a container with damp corragated cardboard for them to live in. When you need to harvest some just peel the cardboard apart and knock them out. If you keep them cool they will go dormant and hopfully not over take your house.


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## Guest (Sep 26, 2005)

*Termite Culture*

Termite Culture Directions:

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=14641


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