Places to Buy Termite Queens & Obscure Arthropods (Diplura, Symphala, Japygidae, Termite Queens)

[richard22]

Thinking about breeding termites and it’s quite heavy work digging apart a fallen tree in a forest for 2 hours just to find termites but no queen, I have heard Carolina Biological Supply had termite queens, but not anymore. Also, I wonder if there are any sellers of two-pronged bristletails, forcepstails (larger diplura that look like earwigs and bark beetle larva), symphalans (tiny white soil millipedes) and maybe pauropods, and maybe larger species of thin springtails. Does any one breed these? I am planning on using some of these micro fauna to make soil ecosystems in some of my vivariums along with isopods and springtails of different sizes. I have also seen and tried breeding jumping bristletails, but they have been known to be hard to breed in captivity and are also small and less practical than firebrats. Springtails and isopods are a must for vivariums, but diplurans and symphalans might be rare and not very useful though they some (like japyx) might eat mites. Is it worth it hunting or buying (if possible) these soil-dwelling insects, and should I bother trying to breed termites for human consumption? I have access to large enclosures and don’t feel uncomfortable keeping termites in my house as long as the queens are kept inside. Are pauropods and coneheads worth considering too, are the others more notable, or should I just have springtails and isopods? I also have millipedes, greenhouse and psuedopolydesmus, along with giant American annularis millipedes too, I don’t know if they’d be worth keeping with the others because isopods do the same wok but aren’t poisonous. Basically, I just want healthy vivariums that complements the larger inverts by decomposing the organic material and waste and especially mold, and preferably the mites too, and I am curious about these obscure soil arthropods and if they are worth breeding for vivariums or as even food.

Are there any predators of grain and/or soil mites that could like with isopods, springtails, and/or millipedes because they have invaded my springtails and some other vivariums and I don’t know how to stop them without baiting and manual removal.

Repost of my post on http://www.openbugfarm.com/forum.ht...s-diplura-symphala-japygidae-isopteran-queens

 

[Mirandarachnid]

I would also love a colony of termites, this is based on my research and not first hand experience.

As far as buying termite queens, it is illegal to ship reproductive termites across state lines, so you'd need to find a vendor in your state.

Many sp. of termites have the ability to generate reproductives if the colony loses it's queen, a couple juveniles will molt into a new set of reproductives. I'd collect some from an old log, just make sure you're getting a good number of juveniles.

If you want a true queen, your best bet is to wait for a nuptial flight and catch a mated pair. You will know if it's a mated queen and king because they will be running in tandem. I hear the founding king and queen groom each other and carry around the larva like kittens. Super cute.

Are you talking about eating them yourself, or selling them as a food product? From what I recall, they are quite high in protein. You'd need a substantial colony to be able to support the losses from you harvesting them, and I don't know that there is much of a market for termite burgers, but it's not a bad idea for a SHTF backup food supply. They do make good feeders for small critters though.

Formiculture.com has some good info on termites.

Good luck!

 

[richard22]

Yeah I’ll try some isolated termite juveniles or eggs to generate a queen or a few. I’ll have to find another wild colony though. I have heard termites probably aren’t much higher in protein than mealworms, maybe 50% protein, which would still be similar in protein dry material to beef jerky, but like wax worms they’re high in fat and oil so they’d have to be on occasion to not be unhealthy for whoever is eating them. I was planning on myself doing so, maybe I could use my sieve stack to harvest a colony.

 

[schmiggle]

Like @Mirandarachnid said, you don't need a queen to start a colony. Worker termites are developmentally the penultimate instar, so in the absence of a queen some will molt into winged reproductives, two of which should become the king and queen. I haven't heard of any species of termite where this is not true.

 

[richard22]

Somehow I forgot, guess I wanted a queen immediately but chances are low.

 

[Bob Lee]

Termites don't breed nearly fast enough
Unless you have a huge colony

 

[schmiggle]

Termites don't breed nearly fast enough
Unless you have a huge colony

Fast enough for what?

Also, how're those dampwood termies doing? Give them a kiss from me when you get the chance.

 

[richard22]

Fast enough for what?

Also, how're those dampwood termies doing? Give them a kiss from me when you get the chance.

I haven’t checked, I have some in a bucket and some in a humid vivarium with bess beetles. I should take a few individuals from some wood and isolate them.

 

[Bob Lee]

Also, how're those dampwood termies doing? Give them a kiss from me when you get the chance.

There is literally nothing going on. I feel like I'm raising a pot of wood.

 

[Bob Lee]

Termites breed too slow for human consumption because majority of them are tiny.
The big ones such as Zoots (Which I have) are literally living rocks.

The only exceptions are the fungus growers and some African species.
And we have none in North America
Rets - Need huge colony of tons of reproductives, too small
Cop - Need huge colony and a fat queen, too small
Zoot - Can't even form big colony
You get the idea

 

[richard22]

Termites breed too slow for human consumption because majority of them are tiny.
The big ones such as Zoots (Which I have) are literally living rocks.

The only exceptions are the fungus growers and some African species.
And we have none in North America
Rets - Need huge colony of tons of reproductives, too small
Cop - Need huge colony and a fat queen, too small
Zoot - Can't even form big colony
You get the idea

I figured, I read termite workers weigh less than a milligram, and queens can weigh as low as 2mg or as high as 30mg, not sure for the other larger ones. You’d need 10,000+ just to get 1 gram of workers, and maybe 100,000+ to get a full serving. Waxworms would be much better anyway. How much do the zoots weigh, if you know?

 

[schmiggle]

There is literally nothing going on. I feel like I'm raising a pot of wood.

I am quite familiar with this feeling. Stick with it, bud!

However, are you sure they aren't all dead?

 

[Bob Lee]

However, are you sure they aren't all dead?

They are alive, I hear them scratching at the bottom of the container and inside the wood all the time. I just don't get to see them that much.

 

[XxSpiderQueenxX]

lol im late. I have made a recent post, pls check it out. Ill try taking some termites from the colony outside. How to you go about isolating them?

 

[XxSpiderQueenxX]

https://arachnoboards.com/threads/termitesss.331263/
there's the link to my post

 

[Bob Lee]

lol im late. I have made a recent post, pls check it out. Ill try taking some termites from the colony outside. How to you go about isolating them?

Try not to reply to old posts just to link yours...
We will see your post naturally

 

[XxSpiderQueenxX]

Try not to reply to old posts just to link yours...
We will see your post naturally

ack oops