Termitesss :)

[schmiggle]

I'm no termite expert, but that looks more like Reticulitermes to me. They live in the soil, You likely saw a simple foraging intrusion into wood.

Unless California subterranean termites are much, much bigger than the Eastern species, there's no way this could be Reticulitermes. 6-7mm, or even 5mm, is just too big. From this website, it doesn't seem to me that they are. However, I wouldn't be surprised to be wrong on this front. I'm still looking for a specimen with an actual scale bar

 

[XxSpiderQueenxX]

I'm no termite expert, but that looks more like Reticulitermes to me. They live in the soil, You likely saw a simple foraging intrusion into wood.

The thing is, I haven't seen any soldiers, and the soldier and alates are the only ones you could tell species by looking at... The size is a bit too big for subterranean. Also, @schmiggle the subterranean termites that would be here would be Western Rets, which are the same size as the Eastern ones

 

[Nare]

Yes, those are probably Reticulitermes (Definitely Rhinotermitidae), likely part of the R. hesperus-group. Like all Reticulitermes, these guys don't actually nest in soil, but they use it to maintain humidity and to get around from one piece of wood to another. If there is any wood in contact with soil nearby, there are likely also termites in it. Reticulitermes, (at least R. flavipes) never forage without a soldier, so if you couldn't find one, then the piece of wood was likely an incorporated part of their nest. This would correspond with the very small white individual that you found, which was likely a nymph (what I call a larva, because the word "nymph" is also used to describe individuals in the reproductive line). The larger worker you saw could have been a nymph - you can distinguish them via wingbuds on the thorax.

A cardboard trap will do to collect termites, alternatively a PVC pipe, buried in the ground, full of cardboard with holes drilled in the sides and a cap on the bottom and the top would work as well. This pipe trap is likely sturdier than just cardboard alone, so if you intend to collect lots and lots of termites regularly, I might use something like that.

There are also likely more termites present in that piece of wood: I've found that often there can be tens of termites crammed into a single side tunnel that I might miss whilst digging through wood. I've found digging through wood to be the best method to collect termites, as termite density in actual soil is likely extremely low, and all the traps I placed last year flooded and degraded before any termites could get to them.

If you're interested in keeping these guys, I'd recommend collecting as many as possible (200+ individuals) and then putting them into some sort of setup with wood. I've tried setups with paper, cardboard, sand, and soil, but my collected colonies have always died out in these. Wood setups (with some substrate to maintain humidity / prevent the wood from knocking around) seem to work best. That soft wood you mentioned earlier, stuffed into a test tube, petri dish, or any other small container, would likely do fine.

Good luck - subterranean termites are a lot of fun, and their behaviors are very interesting to watch. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.

EDIT: Saw your latest comment, the only other possibility is some sort of Termitidae (higher termite), though I'm fairly certain all the higher termites in California are smaller than Reticulitermes. I know a few people have found some large Reticulitermes around Orange County (I think). This is why I referred to them as hesperus-group, because western Rets are poorly studied and likely constitute multiple species, one of which may include the slightly larger termites you've found here.

 

[XxSpiderQueenxX]

@Nare So I found a list of termites in CA where i live exactly, and the dampwoods here are pacific dampwoods and Nevada dampwoods. It couldn't be a drywood, but possibly is a subterranean. I'm still looking for a soldiers, and yes there are more termites inside the wood! When I looked in the hole, I saw worker's wriggling butt Also, I don't want to break the wood of their ?nest? so could I just keep the whole wood as their setup? I don't want to break it because I feel bad doing it XD

 

[Nare]

@Nare So I found a list of termites in CA where i live exactly, and the dampwoods here are pacific dampwoods and Nevada dampwoods. It couldn't be a drywood, but possibly is a subterranean. I'm still looking for a soldiers, and yes there are more termites inside the wood! When I looked in the hole, I saw worker's wriggling butt Also, I don't want to break the wood of their ?nest? so could I just keep the whole wood as their setup? I don't want to break it because I feel bad doing it XD

Yep, keeping the whole piece of wood as their nest should be fine. Just keep in mind that keeping them in a thicker piece of wood means you may see less activity, but that's the way it tends to be with termites. They thrive on neglect (as long as they don't dry out). If you've got a critical number of termites in that piece of wood, you can likely just take it, put it in a container, and let them do their thing. Breaking wood can often injure termites too, so it's probably best to leave them be.

I'm rather positive that these are still Rets, I'm speaking w/ an acquaintance who found a bunch of large Reticulitermes near Irvine, California, they said soldiers are 6-7mm and workers are 5-6mm. Here's a pic he sent me of some specimens, they're preserved in ethanol, but you can see they're still really big compared to "normal" Rets. Out of curiosity, are you anywhere near Irvine or really Los Angeles in general? It's possible this particular species is located only really in that area, but if you're farther away, then that would suggest they have a larger range than expected.

Like I said, western Reticulitermes are still very poorly understood, so we aren't entirely sure which areas their ranges do or don't include, or even how many distinct species there are out there.

 

[XxSpiderQueenxX]

Argentine ants are killing the termites @Nare any way to drive the ants away from the termites?

 

[Nare]

Argentine ants are killing the termites @Nare any way to drive the ants away from the termites?

Hm unfortunately probably not. Termites are best at fighting in closed tunnels, so I'd rescue the piece of wood if possible and hope for the best. The termites remaining in the soil will likely make their way back to the rest of the colony (assuming it's nesting nearby). Remind me again of the dimensions of the piece of wood? Any way you can get an idea of how many termites are inside?

 

[XxSpiderQueenxX]

The dimensions are around 6x6, being about a 1/2 inch thick. It was a leftover scrap of lumber

 

[Nare]

The dimensions are around 6x6, being about a 1/2 inch thick. It was a leftover scrap of lumber

That can probably hold a fair amount of termites, although in my experience there's really no sure way to tell how many are present. That's a convenient size and shape though - it could probably fit well in some sort of setup like this if you wanted to spend some time making the thing. Of course, a container full of wood and soil always works as well.

 

[XxSpiderQueenxX]

Ill probably take in the wood, if only just to keep the termites safe from the Argentine ants. Ill make a journal in formiculture if I do

 

[schmiggle]

Yep, keeping the whole piece of wood as their nest should be fine. Just keep in mind that keeping them in a thicker piece of wood means you may see less activity, but that's the way it tends to be with termites. They thrive on neglect (as long as they don't dry out). If you've got a critical number of termites in that piece of wood, you can likely just take it, put it in a container, and let them do their thing. Breaking wood can often injure termites too, so it's probably best to leave them be.

I'm rather positive that these are still Rets, I'm speaking w/ an acquaintance who found a bunch of large Reticulitermes near Irvine, California, they said soldiers are 6-7mm and workers are 5-6mm. Here's a pic he sent me of some specimens, they're preserved in ethanol, but you can see they're still really big compared to "normal" Rets. Out of curiosity, are you anywhere near Irvine or really Los Angeles in general? It's possible this particular species is located only really in that area, but if you're farther away, then that would suggest they have a larger range than expected.
View attachment 339174
Like I said, western Reticulitermes are still very poorly understood, so we aren't entirely sure which areas their ranges do or don't include, or even how many distinct species there are out there.

This I would not have expected, and it's very interesting. You learn something new every day. Wish we had the big ones out here in the east

 

[XxSpiderQueenxX]

This I would not have expected, and it's very interesting. You learn something new every day. Wish we had the big ones out here in the east

Haha, yeah! I wish more people kept western Rets, there is absolutely no information on them or their care! lol I can't even find any termite journals about them :O

 

[Bob Lee]

That's a Zootermopsis, almost 90% sure
Better pictures can help, and if you find bigger workers it's definitely Zoot

 

[XxSpiderQueenxX]

That's a Zootermopsis, almost 90% sure
Better pictures can help, and if you find bigger workers it's definitely Zoot

Yes I'm setting them up today so I will have them in the house Ill try to measure more and take better quality pics

 

[Bob Lee]

Hold on I take that back for a moment, where do you live?

 

[XxSpiderQueenxX]

CA

 

[Bob Lee]

Oof, tough one, was never good at IDs to begin with
I actually don't know now... Could be Zoot or Ret...

 

[XxSpiderQueenxX]

Oof, tough one, was never good at IDs to begin with
I actually don't know now... Could be Zoot or Ret...

Yes, could you give me any care tips on both, so the colony won't die? I really need care tips

 

[Bob Lee]

Yes, could you give me any care tips on both, so the colony won't die? I really need care tips

Just keep em in the wood, maintain a relatively high humidity
That's really all there is to it...

 

[XxSpiderQueenxX]

How to keep humidity up? I have a hard time keeping it up in my geckos tank sooooooooooo