Termite looks very lovely, but I think they will scare me. I might in the future want to culture them, but if I can't find them, I'm guessing to use them as treat cause they get expensive if you keep buying them. Its cheaper to culture ff, springtail, and flour beetles, and meal worms. Then if I have room, I will try culturing termites and aphids. For people wanting to know more information about the termites,
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Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Termites are a social insect, and along with bees and wasps, make up 10% of the planetary biomass; another 10% is made up of strictly ants - That is twenty percent of the biomass of the entire planet made up of social insects. Everybody who raises Poison Frogs is always looking for the best ways to get their hands on the best foods. Termites and ants are, far and away, the best foods for these animals. A full 60% of a Poison Frogs diet is suspected of consisting of social insects, mostly ants, but especially termites if they can get them. I have personally witnessed a diet of dampwod termites pull the skinniest, most pathetic looking adult wild caught tinctorius from the brink of death, and turn it into the fattest, healthiest dart I had seen to that date. (**Note** The animal was also treated with a panacur paste to relieve it of intestinal parasites.)
Welcome to the Tincs.Com Gadgets Page: Culturing Dampwood Termites
First we will talk about dampwood termites, and then we will discuss finding a viable colony, lastly we will discuss keeping a colony alive for literally years with a small amount of weekly maintenance, and radical maintenance about every six months.
The Rough Facts About Dampwoods:
Size: Dampwood termite nymphs are up to 3/4 in (20mm) long, swarmers up to 1 in (25mm) long.
Characteristics: The dampwood termites in these three families vary in appearance, but are in the same habitat group. Most of these species are larger than the eastern/western/subterranean termites.
Droppings: Pellets are about 1/32 in (1 mm) long, the color of the wood being eaten. They have a long oval shape, like those of drywood termites but with the six sides flattened. However, they may be round or sphere shaped if the wood is very moist. Pellets of the desert dampwood termite are cone shaped.
Where found: Dampwood termites are found in Pacific and adjacent states, the desert or semi-arid southwest, and southern Florida.
Comparison with other species: The three families that represent this dampwood termite habitat group contain species of varying appearance. Almost all of them are larger than the eastern/western/desert subterranean termites, nymphs being up to 3/4 in (20mm) long, and swarmers up to 1 in (25 mm) long including wings.
Habitat: Damp, sometimes decaying, wood, such as logs, stumps, and dead trees that are still standing. One species is found in the dead limbs of living trees. Dampwood termites move into buildings where wood is in contact with the ground, or where there is a leaky pipe or other source of continual moisture.
Food: Wood.
Biology: Dampwood termites are not subterranean, and do not require contact with damp ground (except for desert dampwood termites). They do need damp wood, such as that in contact with the ground or constant moisture. They do not usually burrow in soil. Swarming time varies depending on the family. Check locally known species for specific information on swarming time. Swarmers excavate a chamber in wood, enter, seal it off, mate, and the female (queen) lays eggs. There is no worker caste; immatures do the work.
Finding a Viable Colony
In the Pacific Northwest, Dampwoods are pretty common. A friend of mine and I, Kristian Fossler, used to go collect local salamanders, and while out would ocassionally find a colony while flipping over wooden logs. This generally occurred in the very early spring. The way to ensure that you will obtain a viable colony is to be sure that wen you find a group of them, you collect them all. Leave none behind. No soldiers, no immatures. If you are careful, you have just collected the entire colony. Dampwood queens are fairly indistinguishabe fromt he rest of the full grown "immatures". This sounds like an oxymoron, (and is) but a termite will grow to full size in about seven to nine weeks, and then get to work helping out with the colony. When it is time for mating season, wings will emerge, and all the now "reproductives will rush out into the open and start flying around looking for the opposite sex. Dampwoods do not fly well at all, and look like miniature helicopters while they fly. It is quite comical.
Culturing the Termites
termites, and this means all termites, eat cellulose material. While they are in captivity, you do not want to stress out the colony, or allow things like ammonia buildup to wipe them out. If you keep the colony with pieces of wood, the chances of you doing this and not knowing what is happening is extremely high; You will also beat the crap out of the colony and their home every time you want to feed some termites to your frogs. also, most do not know that Dampwoods MUST have soggy, soaked, preferably rotting wood - Why run your teeth nto something hard and difficult when you can zip through the same matter that is rotting and ten times as fast?
I have gotten around this need by going back to what wood is - simply celluclose in it's raw form. Paper towels are nothing more than wood. Simply said, I stack paper towels to the top of a large glass container, (1 quart mason jars work fine) and pour the termites in on top. The paper towels should not be packed down, as you will want a good airflow; Without it, ammonia will build up quickly. the termites, if they have not been too damaged from collecting, will setup shop in the papertowels. not only are they interesting to watch, but you should see babies fairly quickly, and start being able to feed really large, tasty food to your frogs that they will go bananas over every time they see them.
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Joe, if you ever do learn how to culture them, let me know