I Helped My Termites Create a FUNGUS Comb (Experiment)

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 พ.ย. 2022
  • I have always dreamed of keeping leafcutter ants because of their ability to farm their own food, i.e. a fungus which the leafcutter ants eat. However, when I discovered that termite colonies I was raising (Macrotermes gilvus) were also fungus-farmers, I sought out to help them establish their vital fungal combs so they could thrive! I also learned in this video how Termitomyces mushrooms result from termite activities! Hope you enjoy this week's info-packed journey of discovery, as we experiment with different setups to try and help my termites create their fungus combs. Ant/termite love forever! This video was shot in 4K Ultra HD resolution. #Termites #Mushroom #Experiment
    Special thanks to Cicada Fun for all the termite help and guidance!
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  • @cicadafun
    @cicadafun ปีที่แล้ว +3268

    It's been such a pleasure talking with you and navigating you through your journey of keeping fungus-growing termites. Keep up the good work! 😁

    • @kamilahmad2893
      @kamilahmad2893 ปีที่แล้ว +64

      Wow so cool

    • @AntsCanada
      @AntsCanada  ปีที่แล้ว +374

      Thank you so much, man! You've been such an incredible resource of information tbrough this whole thing! Termites are pretty awesome!

    • @White_Martian
      @White_Martian ปีที่แล้ว +53

      it the guy yoooooooooooooooooooo

    • @mattmccaughen8082
      @mattmccaughen8082 ปีที่แล้ว +17

      Love watching your shows on Sat keep up the good work

    • @catlover3551
      @catlover3551 ปีที่แล้ว +19

      Hi cicada fun and antscanada

  • @woodboy544
    @woodboy544 ปีที่แล้ว +2364

    Fun Fact: the design of the fungus comb is legitimately the greatest amount of surface area possible while maintaining structural integrity

    • @BlackViperMWG
      @BlackViperMWG ปีที่แล้ว +94

      As with the bees comb, no?

    • @hugoalvord2779
      @hugoalvord2779 ปีที่แล้ว +68

      Looks like a morel fungus fruiting body. Same function makes the same form I guess!

    • @MationGaming
      @MationGaming ปีที่แล้ว +56

      Same with brains and intestines. They all look similar for the same reason

    • @jorisvankeimpema4104
      @jorisvankeimpema4104 ปีที่แล้ว +132

      Yeah, because THE HEXAGON IS THE BESTAGON

    • @merikmalhads1676
      @merikmalhads1676 ปีที่แล้ว +64

      It is done that way because the fungus needs to be able to breathe. Remember that unlike plants which can produce their own oxygen through photosynthesis, to breathe just like animal tissue. I was actually going to comment it separately but since you already brought up the surface area point, it just seems better to tag it on here.
      An important note is that this looks quite similar to the internal breathing structures of most insects: Unlike vertebrates like us how have our oxygen delivered through our circulatory system, insects get their oxygen directly from their respiratory system which weaves through their body rather than being handled by a distinct organ structure like our lungs. Grasshoppers are often used as the textbook insect body and if you search "grasshopper pulmonary structures" on google as I did just now you can see some of it yourself.
      For any who want a more in depth explanation of what they are seeing: Before I start, I'd like to remind people (or let them know) that insects and other protostomes will often have their nerve chords running along their front or ventral side instead of the back or dorsal side of us deuterostomes so that is why you see structures where we would normally find our spines. With that out the way, the most important two structures in this network are the spiracles and the air sacs. The spiracles in grasshoppers are advanced structures often found only in flying insect species as they have a sphincter muscle guarding the entrance to their pulmonary network. More simple spiracles are literally just openings and you often find those in species you can kill by covering them with salt as the drying out of any breathing structure (yes even ours so you can technically kill yourself by snorting a ton of salt) will cause an inability for gas exchange to happen suffocating the individual. The air sacs on the other hand are the closest to our lungs that insects get as they are structures which push air out and pull it in to cycle oxygen faster. The air sacs, like the more guarded spiracles are only found in species that actually need to breath faster and so are usually only found in insects who need to support flight muscles. As the termites have soft bodies, you can actually watch their air sacs pumping but just remember they don't exactly breathe like we do, it just looks very similar.
      Well I think that covers all of it. Just remember though that just like the insects, the fungi still needs to breathe so the structures of the chambers as well as the comb-like structure of the fungal growth media are all used to increase the gas exchange between the fungi and the air will have to maximize the surface area of contact just like our alveoli, the insect's air-sac powered tracheal network and even combustion engine air intakes (guess what we based that on). If you want to take away something away of the biochemistry of why it needs to both have high surface area and be wet note that, for oxygen to be dissolved into our body fluids, it needs to be contacting oxygen poor fluids with almost no barrier (we have a literally one cell thick layer between our lung's blood and the air, the insect's have their hemolymph [their blood] bathing their trachea, and the fugus's mycellia [that white fuzz looking stuff] have cells in direct contact with open air). Ant and termite fungal agriculture is then an architectural battle to both maintain a solid structure (like the various breathing structures or growth media) while maximizing the one-cell layer contact with the air

  • @Lathland
    @Lathland ปีที่แล้ว +289

    As someone who adores ants and has had a few colonies myself I am loving this termite series as honestly I know NOTHING about them - Fantastic to learn about all of this, so much I didn't know and It's wonderful to see the progress being made here!!

  • @derpderpin1568
    @derpderpin1568 ปีที่แล้ว +67

    That honeycomb structure gives them optimal surface area for growing as much as possible in a limited underground space. It's pretty amazing how they evolved to be so efficient.

    • @nobpyxl5389
      @nobpyxl5389 ปีที่แล้ว

      It’s been more than 200 million years so of course they would

  • @Darwinism001
    @Darwinism001 ปีที่แล้ว +710

    The "fuzz" on the comb is the mycelium, which is part of the fungus. It looks quite healthy!

    • @TechBirb
      @TechBirb ปีที่แล้ว +53

      *gasp* a mushroom wizard

    • @kittycatkaii3780
      @kittycatkaii3780 ปีที่แล้ว +30

      *celebratory applause

  • @ijlayugan4149
    @ijlayugan4149 ปีที่แล้ว +604

    I love how Ants Canada doesn't think about just keeping a collection of ants. He has his own rules that benefits himself and the ecosystem. He doesn't just take any ant colony he finds, not even if he really wanted them. He always thinks ahead of what would happen if he were to take care of the species.

    • @LordDragox412
      @LordDragox412 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Yeah, he always thinks ahead, that's why so many of his termite colonies died...

    • @darwinskeeper421
      @darwinskeeper421 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      I respect Ants Canada's determination to do the right thing even if that means not being able to do what he wants to do.

    • @tamarrajames3590
      @tamarrajames3590 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@LordDragox412 He IS taking advice from a person with more termite experience than he has, and he doesn’t pretend to know everything. The keeping of any species is susceptible to any number of things that can cause a colony to fail, just as most mated pairs of termites or fertilized Queen ants do not succeed in Nature. That is why so many are involved in each nuptial flight.🖤🇨🇦

    • @benandsarahherrick9415
      @benandsarahherrick9415 ปีที่แล้ว

      Aren’t we all 😀😀😀😀

    • @elylew
      @elylew ปีที่แล้ว +3

      What about the honeypot and Dracula ants? Those are from the American Southwest and Madagascar, respectively.
      I guess they wouldn't stand a chance where he lives and he was only keeping a small number.
      Also, the original Dracula ant species is highly endangered :(

  • @zaralia5297
    @zaralia5297 ปีที่แล้ว +37

    You should do all you can to support the wild termite nest in your yard, and kind of 'farm' a wild termite colony and see if you can get those mushrooms growing in your yard, turning it into a mushroom garden. You help them and they give you the mushrooms you enjoy.

    • @AntsCanada
      @AntsCanada  ปีที่แล้ว +28

      Now that I know what I know, when the season comes around again (Aug-Oct) when the termite mushrooms sprout, I will definitely check all the mounds on my property for the mushrooms! I can't wait!

  • @catandfoxworldbuilding
    @catandfoxworldbuilding ปีที่แล้ว +17

    Probably not what most people use your content for, but you'd be amazed how helpful your videos are for world building and speculative biology. Its amazing really.

  • @timothywells1632
    @timothywells1632 ปีที่แล้ว +449

    Regarding the mushrooms coming up after lightning storms...lightning causes a reaction in the air that results in higher nitrogen rates in the soil. This is why, if you garden, you'll find your plants looking greener, bigger, and more vibrant after a storm...it's not just the water from the rain...it's the nitrogen from the lightning. I wonder if that's not also the case with these mushrooms. If so, you would probably need to keep a colony outside where it is exposed to outside air during a lightning storm in order to get mushrooms. Would it be possible to keep a colony in your aviary? I know that it is exposed to outside air at the top.

    • @AntsCanada
      @AntsCanada  ปีที่แล้ว +111

      Oh, how interestig!!! Perhaps that could be it!

    • @lisandrob.leopatri3324
      @lisandrob.leopatri3324 ปีที่แล้ว +43

      but if that is the case, can you have the same result adding nitrogen to the soil in an artficial way?

    • @timothywells1632
      @timothywells1632 ปีที่แล้ว +43

      Yes, I was wondering about artificial options like nitrogen/fertilizer spikes.
      But I'm pretty sure nitrogen is part of the puzzle. This is part of the reason that, in the middle of a drought, you can irrigate all you want, but you still won't get the results you would have if you had regular storms.
      Which makes me wonder about artificial means. Most likely, it would work, but it might not produce the same results in nature. I think about aquarium keeping. Freshwater aquascapers supplement CO2 to help encourage plant growth. Reef keepers have to supplement all kinds of nutrients and other things to keep corals healthy and growing. We have found artificial ways of mimicking nature, but it's still not quite the same results as you find in nature itself.

    • @velarde3412
      @velarde3412 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      All of this idea are great but won't birds Attack on the mounds or eat the termites foraging?

    • @timothywells1632
      @timothywells1632 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@velarde3412 I was wondering about that. That's a question for antscanada to answer.

  • @Flippokid
    @Flippokid ปีที่แล้ว +235

    As a hobby mushroom forager I'm immediately intrigued by this! That's a great find!

    • @dcarmeloi
      @dcarmeloi ปีที่แล้ว +6

      I can see this possibly working on an industrial scale and it would be a much better way to include the insect world in our food supply system rather than constantly spraying them with stuff that then poisons us.

    • @Vermikun
      @Vermikun ปีที่แล้ว

      It would be great to be able to use a symbiotic method in order to boost the result.
      I can feel that the topic at hand here won't just be for mushroom, but also other type of fungus/plant

  • @hgbugalou
    @hgbugalou 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    It's very awesome you respect your local ecosystem enough to not allow your passion to threaten it. Many pet keepers do not bother considering this, and its part of the reason so areas have massive invasive species issues. Good on you.

  • @BacentRekkes
    @BacentRekkes ปีที่แล้ว +13

    This video has better writing, storyline, and suspense than many AAA games now. This is why I keep watching these videos~

  • @imalittleeggroll
    @imalittleeggroll ปีที่แล้ว +245

    I find this channel one of the most fascinating, informational, entertaining, interactive channels on my roster!!! I’ve never been more TEAM TERMITES in my life!!!

    • @AntsCanada
      @AntsCanada  ปีที่แล้ว +29

      Thank you so much! Ant/termite love forever!

    • @imalittleeggroll
      @imalittleeggroll ปีที่แล้ว +22

      @@AntsCanada No, THANK YOU! My daughter was anti-ALL-things-insect. We watch your channel and now I’ll find her crouched down intently watching insect life! She will even relocate any indoor insects outside. You’ve helped change her perspective ❤️

    • @BakuBiotch
      @BakuBiotch ปีที่แล้ว +11

      This is the most wholesome comment i have ever seen 🥲

  • @AntsCanada
    @AntsCanada  ปีที่แล้ว +557

    Greetings Ant Lovers/AC Family, this is definitely one of my favourite episodes on this channel, and it's not even ANTS! LOL! It's also soooo long! Hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it, and if you did, I'd truly appreciate it if you could give it a LIKE as it would really help a lot, SHARE the video, and SUBSCRIBE (hit the BELL and Select ALL for Notifications Squad) to join our every growing AC Family! Ant/termite love forever! So guys, which colony is your favourite?

    • @Death-cm3nk
      @Death-cm3nk ปีที่แล้ว

      no sound on the vid

    • @yellowguy1672
      @yellowguy1672 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      What happens to the green empire???

    • @zafloridaman9477
      @zafloridaman9477 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      4th reply

    • @antlife4289
      @antlife4289 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Where’s the Phönix empire

    • @easyben21
      @easyben21 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Rooting for A, but D is my favourite, I love their dome!

  • @archlyner1339
    @archlyner1339 ปีที่แล้ว +32

    So they're been here all along? I've always been dreaming of seeing a leaf cutter ant colony because of their farming ability, and just wow there we have it's termite counterpart my goodness I'm mind blown. Never heard of this my entire life not until now. Great vid

  • @MGJerry69
    @MGJerry69 ปีที่แล้ว +58

    AntsCanada: "Aww man, I can't have leafcutter ants 'cause they are not native to my area."
    Fungus-farming termites: *"Allow us to introduce ourselves."*
    Edit (9 min into the video): Fungus-farming termites: *"Allow us to introduce ourselves (again)."*

  • @philip4534
    @philip4534 ปีที่แล้ว +64

    My graduate research group was looking into novel antibiotics. I wish I had seen this in my first year in that lab. I’d maybe have been able to convince my PI to farm termites and discover the anti fungal that the termites use

    • @Vermikun
      @Vermikun ปีที่แล้ว +9

      sounds like a good topic to research. I always feel that colony insects may have something we don't know that are great for "house-keeping" their colony.

  • @emmalinekim9822
    @emmalinekim9822 ปีที่แล้ว +32

    I am a geotechnical engineer and I work for a deep foundations specialty contractor. I LOVE learning about tropical clay soils! They're still really under researched. If you're curious about learning more, look up tropical residual clay soils. They behave really differently from other soils because of how they are formed chemically. Building foundations on them is very challenging because of their properties. Love your ant channel!! Keep up the great work!

    • @ScrolledAgain
      @ScrolledAgain ปีที่แล้ว

      This is really interesting! Thank you for sharing!

  • @matthewsykes4814
    @matthewsykes4814 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    My other half absolutely freaks out at bugs and things. Me, I love them. I've a sort of pet spider, common house spider, she's huge and house bugs aren't a problem with her around. She's still fast on her feet and often wanders. I've had her wander up as I'm sat watching vids and use me as just an obstacle, watching her clean herself is fascinating. If she was a tarantula I may be less inclined to let her wander about the house....but she's not and has a healthy diet of other spiders, pillbugs, silverfish etc

    • @animeloveer97
      @animeloveer97 ปีที่แล้ว

      Lmao tarantulas aren't as dangerous either less dangerous sometimes. There's some very calm ones from videos I've seen

  • @edith3604
    @edith3604 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    the relation to lighting storms may be linked to how alot of mycelium are water dependent when producing fruiting bodies, many won't fruit until they have a certain amount of rain fall so maybe the termite mushrooms are linked to lighting storms in a similar way. With humid air and certain temperatures from the hot and cold air.

  • @antlife4289
    @antlife4289 ปีที่แล้ว +121

    So cool to see them grow this is why I love this channel

  • @reanaa
    @reanaa ปีที่แล้ว +56

    This was a particular good episode. Love how you don't sugarcoat reality even when it fails sometimes. Great job Mikey.

  • @markryandublado
    @markryandublado ปีที่แล้ว +5

    It took me 5 days to even start the video because I was hesitant in watching terminates and not an ant related video from you Mikey but now I'm craving for more! The storytelling sold it to mw, the informative details and new knowledge from this colony. I would definitely look at a termite mount with such grace and respect now.

  • @nitrusdrexler1189
    @nitrusdrexler1189 ปีที่แล้ว +18

    I love how Mother Nature decided to give you some content by putting a termite colony of the same species near you when you needed it lol.

    • @AntsCanada
      @AntsCanada  ปีที่แล้ว +3

      This always happens! I feel so lucky!

  • @Rejic
    @Rejic ปีที่แล้ว +73

    you';re gonna need one big setup by the time those mushrooms begin to grow.

  • @kathyl9222
    @kathyl9222 ปีที่แล้ว +71

    I like the idea of somehow combining ant keeping and termite keeping with permaculture together.

    • @ItsDannyRobbins
      @ItsDannyRobbins ปีที่แล้ว +3

      There's a whole movie about this and it does not go well for the ants. It's called....ANTS.

  • @jessep4086
    @jessep4086 ปีที่แล้ว +38

    As I am catching up on the months of videos I missed, I feel like these videos are starting to feel like a TV show. First ten minutes is a recap. Next ten minutes is suspense. Next ten minutes is what should we do? end scene.
    How many times are we going to get the same recap?

    • @betzology6711
      @betzology6711 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      The recap is because he posts weekly and you can forget alot in a week.But if your binge watching it can be a little annoying

    • @anonymouse9833
      @anonymouse9833 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      "as I'm catching up" yeah that's why the recap is there haha so wherever you pick up, you can figure out what's going on!

    • @jessep4086
      @jessep4086 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@anonymouse9833 thank you for repeating the same thing the guy before you said but differently. It really sticks in the repetition!

    • @jessep4086
      @jessep4086 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@betzology6711 just reminds me of DragonballZ. Ten minutes recap that wasn't needed. Ten minutes of actual footage. Then seeing the same footage over and over.
      Don't get me wrong I love seeing everything antscanada does! That's why I can't watch it every episode that gets released that day. It's the same crap I watched last weekend and then the same ten minutes of something I'll watch next weekend.

  • @kennyferrick1240
    @kennyferrick1240 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    I know there are some species in the arachnid family that do in fact eat and kill mites and help bees (they leave them completely be and just go for the mites) but I'm not certain if they'll help termites with the mite problem. They are called psuedo scorpions or book scorpions(called book scorpions cause they'd eat the pests eating the pages of books) which are VERY TINY, barely any larger than the letters in a book's page and look just like scorpions without a tail and walk backwards. They're actually one of my favorite critters I really want to consider keeping in the future since I know that they will help a colony of of bees and bumbles be free of those nasty parasites. These critters are all over in many different countries and are hitchhikers on many different animals including other bugs which they never will harm. So finding a pseudo scorpion is a definite treat!

  • @bacula8424
    @bacula8424 ปีที่แล้ว +45

    I am soo happy this is documented with such quality

  • @farhatamnan3736
    @farhatamnan3736 ปีที่แล้ว +23

    It's so exciting to watch the different experimental setups of the termites adaptwith their surroundings to survive. I was at the edge of my seat as I watched your recent termite videos. Looking forward to their progress and are hoping to see beautiful fungus combs.

  • @m.d.2708
    @m.d.2708 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Yours is by far the best TH-cam channel I randomly found one day. Started with the early days of the Phoenix Empire a few years back and barely miss an episode. No offense to Paul Rudd, but you the REAL Ant-Man.

  • @press8704
    @press8704 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    The baby termites at the beginning were so cute with their darker heads and tiny little bodies!

  • @Duesikazergaming
    @Duesikazergaming ปีที่แล้ว +40

    Great work AC! I’m not a termite expert but I know that having a fungal comb is a good sign because that means the colony is growing.
    So if you have many colonies at this stage. You have more chances of having a termite colony
    Here are some names:
    Terminators 2.0.
    Fungus farmers.
    Termie warriors.
    Fungal dungals.
    Mitie empire.
    That it for the names i could think of that’s related to termites

    • @sirtopoftheworldegg
      @sirtopoftheworldegg ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Terminators 2.0 sounds cool

    • @Duesikazergaming
      @Duesikazergaming ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@sirtopoftheworldegg the OG termite colony antscanada had its name was “the terminators”. So that’s why I had terminators 2.0 in the names

  • @darrelldevo2820
    @darrelldevo2820 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    I've never ran to TH-cam so fast !. You are Part of my Saturday routine. I felt so out of place!. Welcome back, now let's watch with my ☕️!

  • @Giitzerland
    @Giitzerland ปีที่แล้ว +4

    It's really weird how termites are so calm, and deliberate with their movements, it almost lends a level of intelligence not often seen in the insect world.

  • @iusethisnameformygoogleacc1013
    @iusethisnameformygoogleacc1013 4 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Sometimes this video feels like watching Dorah The Explorer where someone will go over the same basic concepts at 1/10th the speed of a normal conversation and ask obvious questions three or four times. "Alright Boots! Let's Go! Where are we going? To accidentally kill some termites! Where's that royal going? To sleep? That looks weird, they don't sleep for days at a time, Boots!" It also feels like you're perpetually seconds away from commercial break and trying to set up a cliffhanger except you're just moving on to the next sentence.

  • @tracybowling1156
    @tracybowling1156 ปีที่แล้ว +21

    This was the best video! I love the long format!!! Thank you for the very detailed update!!! I hope it stays this way! ☺️ #ant&termite❤️4-ever

    • @AntsCanada
      @AntsCanada  ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Thank you! Ant love forever!

    • @tamarrajames3590
      @tamarrajames3590 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@AntsCanada Yes, I have missed the long Saturday videos, and am happy to see them returning now the Ant House is done. Loving these termites.🖤🇨🇦

  • @thatskykld
    @thatskykld ปีที่แล้ว +11

    When I was a kid I didn’t really like insects but watching your videos I stoped fearing insects and your videos are so creative I actually got and idea for my ants at my home I learned a lot of things about ants and termites. ants Canada, I really like your videos there very interesting and shocking me every time I watch you videos. Thanks a lot for making me face my fear of insects.

  • @tychohaggman6683
    @tychohaggman6683 ปีที่แล้ว

    The bigger worker at 20:05 grabbing the smaller one on the wall is pure gold.

  • @Sorrowe
    @Sorrowe ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I can’t believe I watched a 30 minute video about stuff I don’t care about, animals I literally hate, and topics I would usually label as “boring” and I actually loved it.

  • @hitavi4965
    @hitavi4965 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    11:20 "It was time for us to have some funguys" there are no words

    • @AntsCanada
      @AntsCanada  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      🤣🤣🤣 You caught it!!!

  • @AGirlNamedVan
    @AGirlNamedVan ปีที่แล้ว +21

    I love your passion and excitement finding all these ants

  • @spencer4771
    @spencer4771 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    This is a phenomenal episode, from every aspect, education, entertainment, and storytelling. Great job!

  • @huntercool2232
    @huntercool2232 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Hey AC I just wanted to say I really admire you taking advice and even learning from one of your subscribers. It’s not often you have a TH-camr who is humble enough to step back and actually do that. It just goes to show we truly all can learn from each other as equals. You truly are an inspiration bro keep up the great work!

  • @LuthienNightwolf
    @LuthienNightwolf ปีที่แล้ว +29

    I would definitely avoid gathering anything from places that other people frequent, as pesticides and other contaminates are likely. Roadsides, other yards, near businesses....better to be safe and assume they are all contaminated than take a chance on it. You have a nice big yard, and you know you don't spray, I'd just stick to that. :) Love the video, always so fascinated with these little creatures.

    • @appalachiabrauchfrau
      @appalachiabrauchfrau ปีที่แล้ว

      he can also rinse everything he collects and bake it for half an hour at 250f to disinfect/clean the substrates and detritus, but I'd only do that for leaves and bits collected on his own property, just forgo collection from roadways and other land altogether.

    • @LuthienNightwolf
      @LuthienNightwolf ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@appalachiabrauchfrau Would that not kill off all the spores he's trying to collect though? He's probably safe if its from his own yard, anywhere else would need to be sanitized, defeating the purpose (unless he wants it for decoration only).

    • @animeloveer97
      @animeloveer97 ปีที่แล้ว

      ​@@LuthienNightwolf yea it would lmao

  • @pinkdaruma8942
    @pinkdaruma8942 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    long episodes feel just right. The termites are really interesting, while also having a different "feel" to ants. In videogame terms It feels like ants and termites got very similar play style even tho they use different skills and stats.
    I have also been reading the comments Cicada fun made in your previous videos too. they're awesome.

  • @galaxyguy218
    @galaxyguy218 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    9 minute intro?!? That’s dedication! Keep up these videos they are amazing keep up the good work!!

  • @bonkious_maximus8297
    @bonkious_maximus8297 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    It is adorable to see the larger termites grabbing and moving the smaller termites when they get in the way 😂

  • @ijlayugan4149
    @ijlayugan4149 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    Nature is so beautiful. The fungus comb are so cool

  • @alztherogue4223
    @alztherogue4223 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Seeing you nurture and raise a Leaf Cutter colony would be awesome, but I really respect the ethics of not wanting a non-native species possibly get loose and damage the local ecosystem, I love watching the colonies you have grow and thrive it's something I never thought would be interesting, but it's amazing to see the work they do to survive and thrive.

  • @jjdg88
    @jjdg88 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I've been with this channel since the beetle Olympics (Go team Hades). My journey with this channel has gone from me just viewing it as something interesting, to having absolute dread every time something bad happens. This channel has had a huge effect on how I now handle the insects that cross my path.

  • @Ksp_kerbani
    @Ksp_kerbani ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Btw The fibers you saw on the comb where the mycilium or the roots of the fungus

  • @ijlayugan4149
    @ijlayugan4149 ปีที่แล้ว +23

    So happy to see them grow! They're so interesting

  • @amountain7487
    @amountain7487 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    imagine being a termite just farming and vibing and some titan destroy your roof and take half of your farm land away

    • @AntsCanada
      @AntsCanada  ปีที่แล้ว

      🤣🤣🤣 I did feel really bad afterward. I think I got a little too excited in the moment as it was quite a shock, and I took way more than I really needed.

    • @munchaking1896
      @munchaking1896 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@AntsCanada Im surprised you didnt add more of the fungle comb to the new colonies

  • @lissakaye610
    @lissakaye610 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    Thank you for addressing the ecological and ethical reasons for responsible husbandry.

  • @effoffutube
    @effoffutube 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    fungus yiss hearing you talk about ecologies made me want this more than anything, you have it all

  • @Redd0w
    @Redd0w ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I think it’s pretty cool how each of the colonies did different things in their new setups, not one colony is the same as the other. Pretty good how you can experiment on colonies with different intentions/ challenges and see which ones cope the best.

  • @irvingbrown2389
    @irvingbrown2389 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    How’s it going Mikey? Thanks as always for sharing your life with us! I always look forward to seeing the progress from the week before, will things be successful or will there be setbacks? It’s all park of the incredible process of discovery and learning more about these incredible creatures that we still know very little about!! I’m honored to be a part of your channel!! You have already made important discoveries and are learning every day! It wouldn’t suprise me at all to see this channel be a historically important piece of discoveries not yet known to man. I believe through your experiments with the different termite colonies we will discover and learn things still unknown! I really think that your on the brink of great discoveries!! And I’m m honored to get to be witness. Thanks so much Mikey and the Ants Canada Family!! I truly appreciate everything you all do!! This channel above all has changed my life in ways I could have never imagined! Thanks! Take care, stay safe and healthy!! Also I was thinking, it must be difficult to want a colony like leaf cutters, they are so interesting! Yet I completely understand and agree with your decision to be responsible and only keep species native to your area. Hopefully through examples like yours more people will learn and understand the importance of not keeping invasive species where they could escape and reek havoc on the ecosystem where they don’t belong. So many places are now suffering the consequences of such irresponsible decisions to keep dangerous invasive species. The killer bee epidemic was started from a scientist keeping them in a location they weren’t supposed to be in. There’s countless stories about invasive species that were accidentally released or escaped their enclosure and now are causing major problems for places they weren’t meant to be!! There’s a good reason that certain species only exist in certain places! Nature had a unique balance that’s formed over millions of years. Do what’s right and be responsible and do not keep species that aren’t native to the area that you live. The consequences are often irreversible and usually deadly!! Take care. Look forward to seeing , success!! Fingers crossed 🤞🏼

  • @KipperDip
    @KipperDip 4 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Mom: We have leaf cutter ants at home
    Leaf cutter ants at home:

  • @W.D.I.G.M.I.Tanner
    @W.D.I.G.M.I.Tanner ปีที่แล้ว +2

    What a fantastic episode! I'm so glad to be a part of the start of this journey!!

    • @AntsCanada
      @AntsCanada  ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Thank you! Ant/termite love forever!

  • @y_fam_goeglyd
    @y_fam_goeglyd ปีที่แล้ว +19

    That's fascinating. So sad about colony B. I wonder if you can find similar mites to the ones which saved the infested ants in the past so you can save the termite colony. In the meantime, perhaps putting lemon slices inside the gap will reduce the infestation?
    As for the others, it's an exciting time. We're sure going to have a lot of fun-guys! (I'll get my coat! 😂)

    • @Joshuajacobson95
      @Joshuajacobson95 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      do i need to list the names of ant colonies that had mites

    • @munchaking1896
      @munchaking1896 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@Joshuajacobson95 Golden Empire?

    • @Jayasree0627
      @Jayasree0627 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@Joshuajacobson95 fire nation?

  • @GothBoyUK
    @GothBoyUK ปีที่แล้ว +21

    It's almost unbelievable! Such an amazing lucky find. 🐜

    • @veronicasponchia5838
      @veronicasponchia5838 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      He's got acres of land with termites, ants, snakes, lizards etc. Not that hard to believe

  • @Tetopettenson1
    @Tetopettenson1 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    This man always makes ants doing something interesting

  • @jefflenardamor8541
    @jefflenardamor8541 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    hi AC! i'll share to you my experience to my attempts to keep termite colony but end up failed because of lack of effort and tools for bigger set up that i should did back in my highschool days.
    1. keeping termites in captivity is multiple times harder than ants
    2. if termite workers, soldier and nymphs didn't get any contact with the king and queen for a very long time it will probably die.
    3. enclosing them clays with your own hands will kill them sooner or later as if they suffocate you should let them close it in on their own.
    4. always keep the royals close to each other they're actually very sensitive i bet the colony B royal main cause of death is their transition of place.
    5. hand molded clay soil was actually a bad idea to place them in since it will easily dried out and dehydrated a damp sandy soil or pinong pino lupa in tagalog that is clay like when wet and touch is better trust me.
    6. Fungus garden was actually an egg chamber and a Nursery Area you'll discover it once you find a very mature colony!
    7. u better set them in an enclosed flat surface damp sandy soil clay like and connect it with a tube to another set up in an exposed setup but with soil and dried leaves, damp wood rotten old papers. it will also help them determine which one is outside and which one is inside it will have a high chance that one day one worker will find the area to forage the expose setup. it rarely happens in a very young colony. no one knows when they do that and how.
    8. be careful to place any foreign mold risk material near the hall of the colony and royals. there is something that is very small to a human naked eye that pest on them termites have unknown to human knowledge their ways to get rid of them.
    9. fungus garden have a health status you'll determine it on its textures and appearance actually. it must be kept on a warm ventilated hot air moist but once they exposed outside it will get dried out and im not sure if it can be use anymore.
    i can't mention it all but there are lots more of information i found with them during my termite era.

  • @that_one_filipina_girl_who951
    @that_one_filipina_girl_who951 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    I like your vids and they're interesting i would definetly recommend this channel to a entomologist or someone who wants to learn more about ants and termites

  • @wendycharles9576
    @wendycharles9576 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Love this video! CAN YOU DO AN UPDATE ON THE NATIVE VERSUS THE INVANSIVE SPECIES OF THE MUBUAY FARM HOUSE. I've been watching the daily blogs since before you broke ground. I think we would love and update on this. Probably in January though since you're jam packed until then.

  • @SlugLamer
    @SlugLamer ปีที่แล้ว +2

    "What the fuzz!?"
    "It was time for us, to have some fungis..."

  • @johnsteele3628
    @johnsteele3628 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    You could take spore prints of the mushrooms and use them that way, Then you could watch the fungus grow from start to finish! Just a suggestion, as a mushroom cultivator myself i thought you would love that idea!

  • @summerkingmainchannel8237
    @summerkingmainchannel8237 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    This experiment was great I can’t wait to see these termites grow their fungus! 😁

  • @jianpingxie2248
    @jianpingxie2248 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    You are so good at starting termite colonies. I hope to be able to be like you!

  • @pryordvm
    @pryordvm 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    I love getting a close-up view of the Royals because you can really see the resemblance to their distant cousin, the cockroach.

  • @moolcazy3805
    @moolcazy3805 4 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    Lighting helps catalyse certain nitrogen related reactions so maybe that why it's after a lightning storms

  • @StarWonder
    @StarWonder ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Lightening is the secret ingredient! XD Love it!

  • @sined911
    @sined911 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    This feels like one of your older videos! I like it!

  • @dennisfranchesco8372
    @dennisfranchesco8372 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I have a colony of leaf cutter ants in my yard, that's because I live in Brazil. I love ants, and when I learned about leaf cutters they became one of my favorites

  • @wise_thaat
    @wise_thaat ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Always a beautiful day, when Ants Sensei drops 🙏 and a mega thank you, I feel guilty as I definitely asked about leafcutter ants on a few videos in the past year. Makes perfect sense why you can't/won't. Amazing substitute, thank you mate 💗

  • @luisemoralesfalcon4716
    @luisemoralesfalcon4716 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    I am glad, I cannot wait to see the immense animal room after all your creatures in the new home.

  • @jordynozymandias374
    @jordynozymandias374 ปีที่แล้ว

    That royal around 21:39 is just like "NOT IN THIS HOUSE!!!"

  • @josiahchacon410
    @josiahchacon410 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Me:oh im tired and antscanada’s vids are calm and relaxing lemme listen
    Puts it on and gets blasted with sound

  • @CMZneu
    @CMZneu ปีที่แล้ว +8

    7:58 You expect us to believe you randomly picked a spot and there happened to be fungus cultivating termites! 🤔

    • @AntsCanada
      @AntsCanada  ปีที่แล้ว +13

      OMG YES!!! I SWEAR!!! In fact, I wasn't even planning on filming the collection of clay soil but as soon as I turned over the first layer of soil, I couldn't believe how I had struck gold! I mean, it was no wonder it was a bare patch of soil with no grass on it. Beneath it was an active middle-aged termite nest! I filmed the fungus chamber with my cell phone, hence the poor quality of that shot!

    • @FakeCletus
      @FakeCletus ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Woww! I'm in amazement of your luck!

    • @CMZneu
      @CMZneu ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@AntsCanada Hmm ok kinda sus but ok, i guess you either got extremely lucky or i am greatly underestimating the amount of macrotermes in the area.

    • @Kairos_Akuma
      @Kairos_Akuma ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@CMZneu I mean..it's the perfect soil for termites, so naturally there would be a chance of them beeing there.
      Honestly it's more lucky that they didn't got damaged on accident.

    • @veronicasponchia5838
      @veronicasponchia5838 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      He's got acres of yard with termite mounds, what's hard to believe?

  • @theeisahussain
    @theeisahussain ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I love ants but I didn't think termites were as cool. now I know

    • @AntsCanada
      @AntsCanada  ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Ikr?! Same! Thank you for watching! Ant/termite love forever!

    • @theeisahussain
      @theeisahussain ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Ant/Termite love forever

  • @SqLionRio
    @SqLionRio ปีที่แล้ว

    There is no TH-cam channel like yours and I’m so happy that you have kept making videos. Keep up the good work

  • @Purple_arti
    @Purple_arti 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    The intro jump scared me i was not expecting that kind of intro 😂

  • @theantboy7379
    @theantboy7379 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Hey love the videos AC!

  • @TamTroll
    @TamTroll ปีที่แล้ว +3

    So we've got Ants, We've got Termites, what do you think the odds are of ever successfully keeping Bees or some kind of Wasp? Might not be possible with the enclosed glass-tank setups you usually make due to their need to fly, but could be interesting all the same.
    Shame there isn't some kind of Aquatic eusociality species to my knowledge.. Then you could have the Fire nation (fire ants) Earth Kingdom (Termites) Air Nomads ) Bees/Wasps) and the Water Tribe (Whatever could theoretically exist here. Some kind of shrimp maybe?)

    • @AntsCanada
      @AntsCanada  ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Yes, bees are definitely on my bucketlist! I am just in the landscaping and planting stage of the flowering plants around my home first so the bees have flowers to visit! In terms of aquatic eusocial creatures I did hear that there is a eusocial shrimp species. Not sure.

    • @TamTroll
      @TamTroll ปีที่แล้ว

      @@AntsCanada Oh yeah, Google has some results for some eusocial shrimp. Doesn't seem like a lot, and could be tricky to get your hands on, but could be an interesting thing to try if nothing else.

  • @SmokyMountainLashBees
    @SmokyMountainLashBees ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I love how the comb is similar to also to my bees’ comb. Especially if you look at the ways bees build comb in open spaces and not managed comb off frames.

  • @kgmc29
    @kgmc29 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

    20:04 is no one going to talk about the worker pulling the nymph away from the wall? It gives me a "get down from there you doofus" kinda feeling

  • @flamose1
    @flamose1 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    The white fuzz is the hyphae of the fungus, essentially the mycelium. Think of it as the root structure

    • @LordDragox412
      @LordDragox412 ปีที่แล้ว

      No dude, that's mold, and scientist don't understand it, and AC will be the first in the world to discover the secret behind it! /s

  • @yellowguy1672
    @yellowguy1672 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    THEY ARE GONNA GROW BIGGER!!!!!!

  • @dacksonflux
    @dacksonflux ปีที่แล้ว

    Btw I love your brief rendition of "Circle of Life". When I first clicked on this video, I had to stop what I was doing to sing along. lol

  • @CoralMan24
    @CoralMan24 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I love this channel don't know much about ants or termites except I love watching them and seeing them and this channel really gives you much appreciation for what they do on our planet :)

  • @anthonyleggio4877
    @anthonyleggio4877 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    One of the products of lightning is an increase of ozone in the air. I wonder if the fungus increases yield with an increase in ozone. If you attempt this I highly recommend very small amounts as ozone can be a nasty chemical.

  • @kazymazy7878
    @kazymazy7878 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    The termite mushrooms flourishing after lightning could be from an abundance of nitrogen! When lightning strikes it breaks down atmospheric nitrogen that then gets brought down to the ground with the rain. So maybe the mushrooms really like lots of nitrogen?

    • @AntsCanada
      @AntsCanada  ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Oh, possibly!

    • @tamarrajames3590
      @tamarrajames3590 ปีที่แล้ว

      Might also have to do with negative ions, also produced by thunderstorms. Perhaps giving the water you add to the set-ups a negative charge might help.🖤🇨🇦

  • @palsprinting
    @palsprinting ปีที่แล้ว

    I've honestly been loving the termite series, honestly there kinda adorable and I hope to see much more of them in the future!!

  • @Jacen13
    @Jacen13 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Mad Season! That’s when the mushrooms grow! 🍄

  • @641mamaluigi
    @641mamaluigi ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Hmm… farming termites to farm tasty termite mushrooms, sounds amazing… too bad the world is so against termites, had humans been farming termites as they do silkworms we could have a branching breed of termites that live alongside us that helps us grow termite mushrooms, that’d be amazing

  • @ThisGuy327
    @ThisGuy327 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    AntsCanada has been the biggest inspiration to me ever.

  • @HardcoreGamerAus
    @HardcoreGamerAus ปีที่แล้ว

    You first termite colony is what got me hooked on your channel. I’m so happy you have another colony. I have to go back and watch the first episode when you get them.

  • @nickl7734
    @nickl7734 ปีที่แล้ว

    I love how some of these shots look like you dropped some termites on a clay stop animation set

  • @lucaswallace7476
    @lucaswallace7476 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Would the mites you applied a year ago to deal with a parasite mite infestation on a crazy yellow ant colony deal with this type of mite infestation?

    • @AntsCanada
      @AntsCanada  ปีที่แล้ว +2

      I think they might but I don't know where to get hypoaspis mites! I need to find rhino beetles!