Greetings, Ant Lovers/AC Family! Thank you for watching today's termite-y episode! The termite colonies are quite big now and wow those workers tho!!! Hope you guys can remember to hit LIKE, leave me a COMMENT, SHARE the video with your friends, and if you haven't yet SUBSCRIBE to the channel (hit the BELL and Select ALL for Notifications Squad)! Ant love/Termite love forever! So regarding what I asked about in the video, what are your recommendations? What do you think I should do? Thanks in advance!
Hey, a few things I would like to note and answer your concerns; 1. That soil you buried that one colony in is extremely unsuitable for housing Macrotermitinae colonies. It looks like some kind of organic potting soil mix? Macrotermitinae *require* _sandy clay_ soils because the sand and clay provides the structural integrity for the nests and the low organic content needed to properly raise a fungus garden which greatly reduces the occurrence of pests and disease. You can find these soils pretty much everywhere where you live, Ultisols dominate the Indomalayan tropics. Sidenote: That colony's "fungus garden" is just mold. 2. It is not debated or controversial on how Macrotermitinae acquire their fungus, contrary to what many commenters may say. Again, I'd like to stress this, *almost all known Macrotermitinae (including Macrotermes) species must acquire their fungus symbiont from the environment via spores released from mushrooms that have erupted from the surface of a mature colony's mound.* The only *known* exceptions are the species belonging to the genus Microtermes and one Macrotermes species, that being M. bellicosus. The species you have is Macrotermes gilvus, and it is not known for the queen and king to carry the fungus within themselves. Quite the opposite, M. gilvus has been extensively studied and their life cycle and acquisition of their fungus symbiont from the environment via spore dispersal is well understood. 3. All Macrotermitinae imagoes (the reproductives) are fully claustral and so they do not normally consume any detritus during founding, and when they do it's opportunistic. Yes you are mostly correct about the idea of them being similar to how queen ants feed their first brood, although the mechanisms in termites may be different. Salivary secretions are likely involved. 4. All higher termitidae workers do not molt any further. Those workers with the sclerotized heads are mature and will not molt further. Since what you have is Macrotermitinae termites, they will *never* molt into the cone/gun head Nasutitermitinae termites, they are not in the same subfamily of termites. I would bury all your colonies into small tanks or deep petri dishes filled with sandy clay soil (please make sure it's decently moist and compacted, not loose or with large particles), and wait for the workers to begin foraging on their own. Collect plant detritus from outside. It is likely the spores will be on the detritus since the spores are dispersed widely. Though of course your greatest luck will be when you collect the debris from nearby colonies or areas with a healthy population. I would make the move soon as the termites are likely to start burrowing into the cotton that plugs the water reservoir, and flood the test tube.
This explanatio w as too long that i gave up after like half way of the second one Hope its important for temite colony keepers im not keeping one anyway
@@monsterteamtr6488 Why would you even comment that? You aren't adding anything to the conversation, you are just showing that you don't wanna be bothered with a relatively tiny amount of reading.
It's a shame this colony will die just like all the others. But hey, maybe one day, Mikey will actually read a helpful comment like yours and actually use the info instead of going trial and error to farm content through unnecessary drama. Can't wait for the classic "Oh no, my termite colony died! Anyways, like favorite and subscribe!" video.
I'd ask the owner of the cottage to keep an eye out for mushrooms which attract termites and call you when they see them. The spores will be under the cap in the "grill". If you were to sit a cap on a piece of coloured paper, and leave it for an hour or so, by the time you went back you'd see a "fingerprint" of spores under the cap. Each fungus species has its own shape and/or colour. In fact I'd ask the owner to pick some mushrooms and put them in an airtight pot for you, and for you to get there asap. What is equally important is what the mushrooms feed on, because they require the right conditions to grow, just like ants do. Some feed on rotten wood which the workers bring in, much like leaf-cutter ants do with their fungus gardens. It really depends on the species of termite and fungus! I'd definitely try to find out which species they are. You must know someone who knows a specialist in this field.
@@osmosisjones4912 i can't really find anything on this but i don't think it's likely as termites aren't ever looking for a fight as they're not predators and ants are very good at wiping out termites so they probably wouldn't risk it and idk if they could judge the size of their opponent, what's likely is they'll both avoid each other as both termites and young ant colonies would rather flee at the sight of danger
Bees, wasps, and ants are actually all very closely related. In fact, ants are really just eusocial flightless wasps. And Any solitary species that are called "ants", like the velvet ant, are flightless wasps.
The termites with guns are known as nasute soldiers. They have a horn on their heads, a nasus, that shoot out a sticky glue that is actually toxic. They can shoot so hard sometimes it rips their jaws out feom the recoil! Would love to see those on your channel. Good luck looking after them and I hope they can grow big!
I don’t know anything about bugs, but I wanna study mushrooms when I’m older :) If the mycelium that grows on termite nests actually produces mushrooms, just take a few of the caps home! Spore prints of mushrooms are extremely simple to do, and you’ll have a ton of spores to sprinkle into their nest afterwords! To find them, just head out into the forest after some good rain, and check every termite mound you could possibly find. Right now is peak mushroom season, so I think it’d be a pretty cool thing to go out and find/observe in the wild
Good video! I think you should find another colony of macrotermes termites and take some termite fungus from them. You can do this by this by digging some the outer layer of the termite mound. I am not exactly sure what the fungus gardens look like but i have in other peoples videos that it looks white in color. If you dig this up and give it to your termites they might except it and build there fungus gardens. The fungus species they feed on is termitomyces. You should do research on this mushroom species also
Hi I just want to ask, could you make video about all your ants/animals, maybe even make regularly "summary" video every one or two months? Because honestly I'm curious what happened to carpenters ants that were still in test tubes (since last time we saw them) especially Antless Queen no5 [week 12] I mean series like this would be great for newcomers that want to catch up and have quick learn about your ants/animals (and overall your channel) without being "forced" to watch many ~20 minutes videos. Would also help you with making content because you would get 1 week every 1-2 months without creating new original video which could be nice brake for you without extended editing and scripting.
Antscanada, I hope you see this comment. I love your videos. Made me have more respect for ants, and all insects. I watch these videos from Australia 🇦🇺. You make me want to start making an ants terrarium. Thank you for you're awesome commentary
Fun fact: The termite's infraorder name Isoptera is derived from the Greek words iso (equal) and ptera (winged), which refers to the nearly equal size of the fore and hind wings. "Termite" derives from the Latin and Late Latin word termes ("woodworm, white ant"), altered by the influence of Latin terere ("to rub, wear, erode") from the earlier word tarmes.
LETS GOOO ITS OUT! Everyone morning on Saturday I always wait for his video. It also makes my day. Hope this time your termites make a big colony :) Ant&Termite love forever
Harvesting mushroom spores is a snap if you can find them. Take a few mature (fully opened cap) mushrooms (Make sure to cut them at the base instead of plucking them clean out, this insures they can grow back). Bring them inside, remove the mushroom caps and lay them out, gill-side down on either colored paper, a paper towel, or foil. Then, wait for a few days, maybe up to a week. Then remove the caps and presto! You will have a fine dusting of mushroom spores. IF THERE ARE NO MUSHROOMS you may unfortunately have to dig a little bit into the termite mounds to harvest the mycelium directly. It will look like a lace web of white tendrils mixed within the soil medium of the termite mound. Take a decent helping of it, and put it in a setup for cultivation.
I feel like going back to where you found them to see if you can find any sort of fungus would be the best option! Find things around the mushrooms that have opened up to see if you can find more spores... or perhaps even find a young mushroom to plant in your own terrarium to see if you can control the spore growth that way!
I would suggest going and trying to find the mushrooms first. Then I would try to cultivate the mushrooms to grow in one of your worlds then once the terminates look like their ready to get out then you should let them go out into that world.
Look, do all that also but the best and surest way to get the mushroom would be to DIG OUT a bit of the mushroom comb from an existing wild colony. Imo this is the best chance you've go at making this work, hell i'll probably work with the mushroom of related species of termites since i had different acromyrmex sp. accept each others fungus successfully.
Just when I was starting to think that all the termites were done and this whole thing was going to be over, you drop this absolute bomb down on us. You're awesome in the weirdest ways, man!
Digging up the soil from an area you suggested and connecting to an outworld ASAP. I only suggest right away as they have to grow the fungus as well as forage. Time may be an issue. I don't see a worst case for connecting them "too early" at any rate. Best.
Not gonna lie those baby termites are pretty cute. lol Hope you can figure out what to do in regards to getting them the mushroom spores they need, its really fascinating to learn about them.
Even though this was about termites, I want to say thank you to AntsCanada for helping me better deal with my Myrmecophobia (fear of ants). I've had it for 30 years. It had taken over my life to the point of even being afraid to go outside or look at a pic. But I can proudly say thanks to you and your videos, that is no longer a problem. I love learning about ants!
At school it rained and there were termites flying around and mating. Just a side note. I think you should go back to the place you caught them and get some debris and put it in a outworld. Hopefully it will have spores. I think you should prepare in advance and experiment. Once the dirt grows spores, put the termite colony in. Good luck! - Ria the Ant and Esther the Termite
Given the coverage of both ant and termite colonies, I would love to see a cheeky review of the movie Antz from you! Maybe as an april fools video or as a Christmas special or something.
AC: These are termites! Ants: *What kind of tomato sauce are you going to use for these meatballs?* Worker termites aren't born with nor develop eyes. Ninety percent of all termites don't. Only the king and queen have completely functional eyesight. Swarmer termites (reproductives) also get eyesight once they reach complete maturation (in which they double in size and develop internal organs and wings as well) as they may also become a king or queen if they start a colony.
7:13 You're actually right, termite workers don't have any eyes. However, I think the soldiers/majors do, they use them to defend their weaker sisters.
In my opinion, all specimen/insects of the Hymenoptera are very satisfying to watch as they all cooperate in perfect harmony and create some truly amazing things.
The white fungus is called mycelium and each string of mycelium is called a hyphae... if you find mushrooms above a termite nest make sure to take some clear pictures of the mushrooms. Take photos of the stem, the gills, the cap, and the full mushroom, for identification... so you can KNOW what mushroom spores species they eat... - amateur mycologist here
Can't to see how the workers will grow like, termites from babies to workers are absolutly cute! I know nothing about the fungus but hope you will figure it out, so we can all keep looking forward for the future of these termite colonies ^^
I recently dug up abunch of termites from my yard, took them up to a local college to get identified, turns out they are a invasive yellow fungus farming termites. When i collected them i collected abuncha the wood and dirt from where the colony was, they already have fungus growing in a chamber and are busily taking care of it. I collected them originally because i feed them to my small grey female wolf spider.
AntsCanada. I was thinking about the Fungus Situation. I say make an outworld and put the Fungus in that Outworld so it could have plenty of Time to Florish and produce spores. Then when it's Time, release the Termites into the Outworld. That is what I think would work the Best and to make sure that your Termite Colonies Survive
Finding then getting the spores started successfully could be an entire episode in itself. I wonder if it would require its own dedicated environmental setup? That would be cool to watch!
People say the workers "find spores" but it doesn't seem like anyone is sure exactly how the fungus garden starts. Mikey, I would recommend introducing termitomyces spores to the outworld but also dig down for the mycelium underneath. Some people have mentioned the fungus mycelium producing these little white balls of hyphae which might be what termite workers are actually looking for when starting a garden. I know fungus can spread from a mycelium culture faster than spores, so this might make sense? You might want to search for that instead of obtaining the tall mushroom portion of a fruiting fungus. I'm not a biologist, but I kind of have a feeling that spores aren't what the termites actually use to start a fungus garden. If you do find mycelium, keep it moist and introduce it to the workers as soon as possible so that they can keep it safe from contamination by parasitic fungus and bacteria.
Always wenn I see the TH-cam notification and it says antscanada has uploaded a new video im like "aight time to watch this video!" And yes that is my reaction
I’d go to get those mushroom as in now. You could look for them to make sure they are growing. Some mushrooms only stay around for a little amount of time.
I think you should wait till it looks like they need food, then go looking for it like you said, they look well fed right now (somehow). I've also read that specialization in termites is caused by pheromones released by the royals, unlike in ants where it depends on how much the larvae are fed. Thank you so much for showing us this story, termites are very interesting and the babies are so cute.
I enjoy these more then what the documentary or history Channel will show, ant and termites, any bug in general sure have one hell of a life of survival and death
If you go find a termite nest, I’d collect a mushroom if possible (spores come from mushrooms) and different types of debris from around the nest. Dirt, wood, leaves. Then give it to the termites.
I think your instincts are right on the fungus. My first thought was to immediately make available an out-world with the fungus laden earth. But I don't keep insects, and don't have any strong feelings, so i would have deferred to your judgment anyway. This is uncharted territory, so the gut feeling of the (arguably, i suppose) best ant-keeper alive is probably the best thing to do. Humility is a valuable virtue, and probably has resulted in much of your success in ant keeping. Nevertheless, current evidence strongly suggests you are one of the, if not the best ant keeper. Not just saying this as a fan. You have discovered and then raised legit unknown species, kept and raised a few species with success under circumstances no one else could. And you have made meaningful and substantial advancements in ant science. You might not have the degree for it, but in my mind you are no amateur or even semi-pro. You ARE a professional.
I look these termites up Theses termites live under land they have big super majors so if he have solders they is gonna be big termites and when they grow even more workers they go out finding fungus I looked them up they go out and grow fungus by taking them in nest when they get soldiers they go out
I'd go with option number 1, the dish nest as I like to call it. Since I'm pretty sure the termites can set up satellite nest if you give enough soil. But I like both options
The fungus is their food- they would find it in the environment, eat some, and bring some back. Find a mushroom, split the cap, harvest tissue. Or find a termite mound and dig around and see if you can spot mycelia in the soil and harvest some. Use it to innoculate steam pasteurized leaf matter or whatever the termites harvest to feed the mycelia.
bro its so satisfying when you watch a video that just came out becuase they always have any views or likes and when you like you can just see it go up
I don't know which is which, but you can tell them apart! One's top part of their exoskeleton abdomen (where the legs attach) is darker than the other! Other than that, you could have the AC family watching extended footage to see which one lays the eggs!
To answer a few questions: regarding the colony nutrition, you assumptions were correct: the larvae (newborn indifferentiated termites are actually referred as such by termitologists, despite being obviously still not related to the larvae of holometabolous insects - the term "nymphs" is reserved to the immature, wing-padded forms that lead up to a primary king or queen) and first workers are fed by the royals through their fat reserves and wing muscle reabsorbtion. The workers (and soldiers) of these (and most) termites lack developed eyes and are indeed blind, but remain capable of sensing light. Their clumsiness on glass is due to the lack of adhesive pads on their "feet", unlike most ants. The dark-headed workers you have there are mature and won't molt and grow anymore, however they are nanitic and much smaller than workers in mature colonies. Regarding the fungus, you can use a small piece of fresh enstablished fungus garden from the inside of a wild colony (as the fungus fruiting body is only presend during certain seasons) and it should be added when the workers start to attempt foraging, indicatively around 30 strong (you will also likely see them build a dark ramificated structure, the still unfertilized first fungus garden). As you assumed, mushroom fruiting body emergence and new colonies starting foraging are timed events. As a last thing, the termites you showed at 0:53 and in several other parts of the vid are not Macrotermes, but Hospitalitermes/Lacessititermes, that don't grow fungi but feeds on lichens, mosses and other microephyphites.
Also, for everyone interested, the termite species shown in the thumbnail and at 7:37 is Mastotermes (not Macrotermes) darwiniensis, a very interesting one for being the most primitive termite species still living and the last remnant of a whole family of once-widespread termites, the Mastotermitidae.
I'm not a termite expert or anything, but I do know a fair bit about mushrooms and the reproductive cycle of them. My suggestion, provided you manage to go back to the area the termite pairs were captured from at the right time, is to cut off a few of the mushrooms entirely instead of taking back the surrounding detritus. At the very least, even if the termites won't harvest from the mushroom it's self, even after being cut off from the rest of the stalk the head will continue to produce and spread spores for a few days allowing you to place it into a controlled environment your termites can harvest from.
Look up how to make a spore print and spore solution from the print you can soak debris in to make spore covered debris. You could also just take the mushroom caps and leave them in the habitat and hope they're able to grow
ugh, termites are so confusing... I don't mind the ant-like heads, but the roach-like bodies just send shivers down my spine... That might just be cockroach-hating me though...
If you find mushrooms you can harvest just the mushrooms. Cut the stems in half and lay them in the soil. Lots of videos online of people starting mycelium with store bought shrooms.
![Colony defeats Termite King & Queen [Co-op Mode] Pocket Ants](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/KjqDEcyCqoU/mqdefault.jpg)
Greetings, Ant Lovers/AC Family! Thank you for watching today's termite-y episode! The termite colonies are quite big now and wow those workers tho!!! Hope you guys can remember to hit LIKE, leave me a COMMENT, SHARE the video with your friends, and if you haven't yet SUBSCRIBE to the channel (hit the BELL and Select ALL for Notifications Squad)! Ant love/Termite love forever! So regarding what I asked about in the video, what are your recommendations? What do you think I should do? Thanks in advance!
Hi im a Fan can youu pls Reply?
Good video!
Heyo
No sound
I love termites I think they're so cool!!! it's so interesting to see termites in action!!
Hey, a few things I would like to note and answer your concerns;
1. That soil you buried that one colony in is extremely unsuitable for housing Macrotermitinae colonies. It looks like some kind of organic potting soil mix? Macrotermitinae *require* _sandy clay_ soils because the sand and clay provides the structural integrity for the nests and the low organic content needed to properly raise a fungus garden which greatly reduces the occurrence of pests and disease. You can find these soils pretty much everywhere where you live, Ultisols dominate the Indomalayan tropics.
Sidenote: That colony's "fungus garden" is just mold.
2. It is not debated or controversial on how Macrotermitinae acquire their fungus, contrary to what many commenters may say. Again, I'd like to stress this, *almost all known Macrotermitinae (including Macrotermes) species must acquire their fungus symbiont from the environment via spores released from mushrooms that have erupted from the surface of a mature colony's mound.* The only *known* exceptions are the species belonging to the genus Microtermes and one Macrotermes species, that being M. bellicosus. The species you have is Macrotermes gilvus, and it is not known for the queen and king to carry the fungus within themselves. Quite the opposite, M. gilvus has been extensively studied and their life cycle and acquisition of their fungus symbiont from the environment via spore dispersal is well understood.
3. All Macrotermitinae imagoes (the reproductives) are fully claustral and so they do not normally consume any detritus during founding, and when they do it's opportunistic. Yes you are mostly correct about the idea of them being similar to how queen ants feed their first brood, although the mechanisms in termites may be different. Salivary secretions are likely involved.
4. All higher termitidae workers do not molt any further. Those workers with the sclerotized heads are mature and will not molt further. Since what you have is Macrotermitinae termites, they will *never* molt into the cone/gun head Nasutitermitinae termites, they are not in the same subfamily of termites.
I would bury all your colonies into small tanks or deep petri dishes filled with sandy clay soil (please make sure it's decently moist and compacted, not loose or with large particles), and wait for the workers to begin foraging on their own. Collect plant detritus from outside. It is likely the spores will be on the detritus since the spores are dispersed widely. Though of course your greatest luck will be when you collect the debris from nearby colonies or areas with a healthy population. I would make the move soon as the termites are likely to start burrowing into the cotton that plugs the water reservoir, and flood the test tube.
This seems like the best info, hopefully it gets upvoted a lot.
@@Maximusrex4575 lmao this isn't reddit
This explanatio w as too long that i gave up after like half way of the second one
Hope its important for temite colony keepers im not keeping one anyway
@@monsterteamtr6488 Why would you even comment that? You aren't adding anything to the conversation, you are just showing that you don't wanna be bothered with a relatively tiny amount of reading.
It's a shame this colony will die just like all the others. But hey, maybe one day, Mikey will actually read a helpful comment like yours and actually use the info instead of going trial and error to farm content through unnecessary drama. Can't wait for the classic "Oh no, my termite colony died! Anyways, like favorite and subscribe!" video.
AC growing a termite farm to feed his ants more organic food is not the twist I was expecting this late into 2022.
Wasn't expecting that, tbh
Crazy twist dude!
Farming
If it was me I would not have the heart to feed the cute baby’s to ants
anyone got that on their 2022 bingo card
I'd ask the owner of the cottage to keep an eye out for mushrooms which attract termites and call you when they see them. The spores will be under the cap in the "grill". If you were to sit a cap on a piece of coloured paper, and leave it for an hour or so, by the time you went back you'd see a "fingerprint" of spores under the cap. Each fungus species has its own shape and/or colour. In fact I'd ask the owner to pick some mushrooms and put them in an airtight pot for you, and for you to get there asap.
What is equally important is what the mushrooms feed on, because they require the right conditions to grow, just like ants do. Some feed on rotten wood which the workers bring in, much like leaf-cutter ants do with their fungus gardens. It really depends on the species of termite and fungus! I'd definitely try to find out which species they are. You must know someone who knows a specialist in this field.
Wonder if termites ever do preemptive strike on ants
@@osmosisjones4912 ants are much more aggressive than termites and the termites will stay away from ants
@@osmosisjones4912 termites are far weaker than ants
@@TXRNISHED_lc what a large termite colony found a small starting out any colony wouldn't they neutralize the future threat
@@osmosisjones4912 i can't really find anything on this but i don't think it's likely as termites aren't ever looking for a fight as they're not predators and ants are very good at wiping out termites so they probably wouldn't risk it and idk if they could judge the size of their opponent, what's likely is they'll both avoid each other as both termites and young ant colonies would rather flee at the sight of danger
I can't wait until he inevitably starts keeping bees.
I will!!!
@@AntsCanada show us the entire process please, please
Bees, wasps, and ants are actually all very closely related. In fact, ants are really just eusocial flightless wasps. And Any solitary species that are called "ants", like the velvet ant, are flightless wasps.
@@AntsCanada do you think youll get back into beetles too???
@@AntsCanada bumble bees
Watch PART 2 (Continuation/Update) here: th-cam.com/video/eKKNMkxCMy8/w-d-xo.html
The termites with guns are known as nasute soldiers. They have a horn on their heads, a nasus, that shoot out a sticky glue that is actually toxic. They can shoot so hard sometimes it rips their jaws out feom the recoil! Would love to see those on your channel. Good luck looking after them and I hope they can grow big!
Wonder if Termites ever do preemptive strike on ants
To add to ur info, I believe they are of the genus nasutitermes
@@bloodhunter4628 yeah you are right
@@osmosisjones4912 its ok the ants have zee!
WATCH OUT THAT TERMITE GOT A G U N
This colony honestly has been my favorite to watch. They're so cute!
Wonder if termites ever do preemptive strike on ants
Shame it will die like all the others.
I don’t know anything about bugs, but I wanna study mushrooms when I’m older :) If the mycelium that grows on termite nests actually produces mushrooms, just take a few of the caps home! Spore prints of mushrooms are extremely simple to do, and you’ll have a ton of spores to sprinkle into their nest afterwords! To find them, just head out into the forest after some good rain, and check every termite mound you could possibly find. Right now is peak mushroom season, so I think it’d be a pretty cool thing to go out and find/observe in the wild
Good video! I think you should find another colony of macrotermes termites and take some termite fungus from them. You can do this by this by digging some the outer layer of the termite mound. I am not exactly sure what the fungus gardens look like but i have in other peoples videos that it looks white in color. If you dig this up and give it to your termites they might except it and build there fungus gardens. The fungus species they feed on is termitomyces. You should do research on this mushroom species also
Early. 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
good idea
The termites need wood debris also. They need it to build ther fungus gardens
There's just something so adorable seeing the termite queen and king work together in raising their babies
cum
The tiny clear nymph termites are soooooo cute!
The tiny clear nymph termites are cum
Hi I just want to ask, could you make video about all your ants/animals, maybe even make regularly "summary" video every one or two months?
Because honestly I'm curious what happened to carpenters ants that were still in test tubes (since last time we saw them) especially Antless Queen no5
[week 12]
I mean series like this would be great for newcomers that want to catch up and have quick learn about your ants/animals (and overall your channel) without being "forced" to watch many ~20 minutes videos.
Would also help you with making content because you would get 1 week every 1-2 months without creating new original video which could be nice brake for you without extended editing and scripting.
Agreed
@@deltamico yes
Definitely
He makes ant room tours every year
I could imagine he is going to finish the new terrariums first. Understandable.
Antscanada, I hope you see this comment. I love your videos. Made me have more respect for ants, and all insects. I watch these videos from Australia 🇦🇺. You make me want to start making an ants terrarium. Thank you for you're awesome commentary
same but not from australia I'm from 🇭🇰
edit: I liked so I can support him seeing it
@@jonathanchang9393 What's you're flag? Never seen it before
@@AlexReiter1988 hong kong
@@dungeonlord1 ty
Fun fact: The termite's infraorder name Isoptera is derived from the Greek words iso (equal) and ptera (winged), which refers to the nearly equal size of the fore and hind wings. "Termite" derives from the Latin and Late Latin word termes ("woodworm, white ant"), altered by the influence of Latin terere ("to rub, wear, erode") from the earlier word tarmes.
Thank you, Sheldon.
LETS GOOO ITS OUT! Everyone morning on Saturday I always wait for his video. It also makes my day. Hope this time your termites make a big colony :) Ant&Termite love forever
I always look forward to these weekly episodes.
Wonder if termites ever do preemptive strike on ants
Harvesting mushroom spores is a snap if you can find them. Take a few mature (fully opened cap) mushrooms (Make sure to cut them at the base instead of plucking them clean out, this insures they can grow back). Bring them inside, remove the mushroom caps and lay them out, gill-side down on either colored paper, a paper towel, or foil. Then, wait for a few days, maybe up to a week. Then remove the caps and presto! You will have a fine dusting of mushroom spores.
IF THERE ARE NO MUSHROOMS you may unfortunately have to dig a little bit into the termite mounds to harvest the mycelium directly. It will look like a lace web of white tendrils mixed within the soil medium of the termite mound. Take a decent helping of it, and put it in a setup for cultivation.
Yes! More termites please! Ants are cool but I love termites a lot!
I feel like going back to where you found them to see if you can find any sort of fungus would be the best option! Find things around the mushrooms that have opened up to see if you can find more spores... or perhaps even find a young mushroom to plant in your own terrarium to see if you can control the spore growth that way!
I would suggest going and trying to find the mushrooms first. Then I would try to cultivate the mushrooms to grow in one of your worlds then once the terminates look like their ready to get out then you should let them go out into that world.
Wonder if termites ever do preemptive strike on ants
Look, do all that also but the best and surest way to get the mushroom would be to DIG OUT a bit of the mushroom comb from an existing wild colony. Imo this is the best chance you've go at making this work, hell i'll probably work with the mushroom of related species of termites since i had different acromyrmex sp. accept each others fungus successfully.
Just when I was starting to think that all the termites were done and this whole thing was going to be over, you drop this absolute bomb down on us. You're awesome in the weirdest ways, man!
Digging up the soil from an area you suggested and connecting to an outworld ASAP. I only suggest right away as they have to grow the fungus as well as forage. Time may be an issue. I don't see a worst case for connecting them "too early" at any rate. Best.
I love so much the termites. Best hope for finding the fungus!
When you were explaining how termites grow it really puts into perspective why chitin synthesis inhibitors work so well to eliminate colonies.
Not gonna lie those baby termites are pretty cute. lol Hope you can figure out what to do in regards to getting them the mushroom spores they need, its really fascinating to learn about them.
Thanks for the update on the termites dude, I've been waiting in anticipation for months.
Time to show the AC Family the Ant Room!!!
No! It's not ready. Also, stay on your channel!!!
😂😂😂
Ants Canada and termite Canada make a godly duo
Even though this was about termites, I want to say thank you to AntsCanada for helping me better deal with my Myrmecophobia (fear of ants). I've had it for 30 years. It had taken over my life to the point of even being afraid to go outside or look at a pic. But I can proudly say thanks to you and your videos, that is no longer a problem. I love learning about ants!
At school it rained and there were termites flying around and mating. Just a side note. I think you should go back to the place you caught them and get some debris and put it in a outworld. Hopefully it will have spores. I think you should prepare in advance and experiment. Once the dirt grows spores, put the termite colony in. Good luck!
- Ria the Ant and Esther the Termite
Given the coverage of both ant and termite colonies, I would love to see a cheeky review of the movie Antz from you! Maybe as an april fools video or as a Christmas special or something.
I’ve been checking in and out of this channel since the first fire ant colony and the golden crazy ants, nice to see the channels still going strong💪
Woah! Love your vids mikey, I’ve been watching u since I was like 7 and you’ve grown so good. Love to see more termites 🎉 🎉
5 seconds ago this was sent before i clicked on video
nice
The nymphs and the small worker termites are so cute and adorable 🥰
AC: These are termites!
Ants: *What kind of tomato sauce are you going to use for these meatballs?*
Worker termites aren't born with nor develop eyes. Ninety percent of all termites don't. Only the king and queen have completely functional eyesight. Swarmer termites (reproductives) also get eyesight once they reach complete maturation (in which they double in size and develop internal organs and wings as well) as they may also become a king or queen if they start a colony.
7:13 You're actually right, termite workers don't have any eyes. However, I think the soldiers/majors do, they use them to defend their weaker sisters.
In my opinion, all specimen/insects of the Hymenoptera are very satisfying to watch as they all cooperate in perfect harmony and create some truly amazing things.
So, ants and wasps?
The white fungus is called mycelium and each string of mycelium is called a hyphae... if you find mushrooms above a termite nest make sure to take some clear pictures of the mushrooms. Take photos of the stem, the gills, the cap, and the full mushroom, for identification... so you can KNOW what mushroom spores species they eat... - amateur mycologist here
Who else loves when the termites move in one line perfectly 🥰
Can't to see how the workers will grow like, termites from babies to workers are absolutly cute! I know nothing about the fungus but hope you will figure it out, so we can all keep looking forward for the future of these termite colonies ^^
woah! cool termites! Cant wait for more updates! :0
samee
Excited for the update!
I was just wondering about the termites. I love Ozzy and Harriet. Yes, I named them. ☺️
I recently dug up abunch of termites from my yard, took them up to a local college to get identified, turns out they are a invasive yellow fungus farming termites. When i collected them i collected abuncha the wood and dirt from where the colony was, they already have fungus growing in a chamber and are busily taking care of it. I collected them originally because i feed them to my small grey female wolf spider.
AntsCanada. I was thinking about the Fungus Situation. I say make an outworld and put the Fungus in that Outworld so it could have plenty of Time to Florish and produce spores. Then when it's Time, release the Termites into the Outworld. That is what I think would work the Best and to make sure that your Termite Colonies Survive
Finding then getting the spores started successfully could be an entire episode in itself. I wonder if it would require its own dedicated environmental setup? That would be cool to watch!
I love your videos! 🥰♥
People say the workers "find spores" but it doesn't seem like anyone is sure exactly how the fungus garden starts. Mikey, I would recommend introducing termitomyces spores to the outworld but also dig down for the mycelium underneath. Some people have mentioned the fungus mycelium producing these little white balls of hyphae which might be what termite workers are actually looking for when starting a garden. I know fungus can spread from a mycelium culture faster than spores, so this might make sense? You might want to search for that instead of obtaining the tall mushroom portion of a fruiting fungus. I'm not a biologist, but I kind of have a feeling that spores aren't what the termites actually use to start a fungus garden. If you do find mycelium, keep it moist and introduce it to the workers as soon as possible so that they can keep it safe from contamination by parasitic fungus and bacteria.
👍
Would want to see more contents on termites 😭❤️
Glad you're doing well growing the termite farm :D
really interesring, cant wait for more updates! love your vids!
love how wobbly the newborn termite nymphs are
Always wenn I see the TH-cam notification and it says antscanada has uploaded a new video im like "aight time to watch this video!" And yes that is my reaction
I’d go to get those mushroom as in now. You could look for them to make sure they are growing. Some mushrooms only stay around for a little amount of time.
Why is there no sound
Edit: nvm, there's the sound
I thought I was the only one. 😲
I agree
Ye no sound
Same
No is mute for you
I think you should wait till it looks like they need food, then go looking for it like you said, they look well fed right now (somehow). I've also read that specialization in termites is caused by pheromones released by the royals, unlike in ants where it depends on how much the larvae are fed. Thank you so much for showing us this story, termites are very interesting and the babies are so cute.
Hi there I'm afraid of picking up ants (unless they are weak and friendly).
This should be the pinned comment
no ants are friendly
some ants dont even sting and bite that hard
I picked up ants at some school and they were friendly :)
Where I live, it rained about a week ago and the day after the whole park seemed to be just mushrooms. It was kind of cool to see.
Updates about the Jade empire?
Btw this video is interesting upload more videos 👍
he did one
@@kaitok5304 did he found them?
@@yellowguy1672 oh oops i thought you didnt see the video were he lost them
@@kaitok5304 oh alr
I got a mega colony on my garden and well I see them every week to see how there doing and I've seen a lot of eggs on the surface I love them
Hi antscanada I love your channel and I'm trying to get a ant queen to start my first colony
An AntsCanada video is a great way to start the day :D
Is it just me or is there no sound
You're not alone mate.
@@yushwakunYes
Now it has sound
I always anticipated every video about termites and I just don't know why. They're just so interesting looking insect.
Notification fam
yessir
Yessir
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Yessir
Wow this is a amazing video thank you for entertaining everyone!
No sound???
Great job, keep up the work on these termites.
No one has like my comment
ur mom
Like beggar
@@error-710 I ATE FIVE PEOPLE BECAUSE I THOUGHT THEY WERE WATERMELON
@@BObertandBIlli I just ate a bug 2 seconds ago because it kept bugging me
I enjoy these more then what the documentary or history Channel will show, ant and termites, any bug in general sure have one hell of a life of survival and death
Hi you can actually buy the spores for this fungus online and have them shipped to you then cultivate the mushrooms for the termites
If you go find a termite nest, I’d collect a mushroom if possible (spores come from mushrooms) and different types of debris from around the nest. Dirt, wood, leaves. Then give it to the termites.
Man, i for sure LOVE TERMITES!!!! TERMITE LOVE! TERMITE SUPREMACY!!
I think your instincts are right on the fungus. My first thought was to immediately make available an out-world with the fungus laden earth. But I don't keep insects, and don't have any strong feelings, so i would have deferred to your judgment anyway.
This is uncharted territory, so the gut feeling of the (arguably, i suppose) best ant-keeper alive is probably the best thing to do.
Humility is a valuable virtue, and probably has resulted in much of your success in ant keeping. Nevertheless, current evidence strongly suggests you are one of the, if not the best ant keeper. Not just saying this as a fan. You have discovered and then raised legit unknown species, kept and raised a few species with success under circumstances no one else could. And you have made meaningful and substantial advancements in ant science. You might not have the degree for it, but in my mind you are no amateur or even semi-pro. You ARE a professional.
"This is uncharted territory", "you have made meaningful and substantial advancements in ant science" - yeah, about that...
I look these termites up Theses termites live under land they have big super majors so if he have solders they is gonna be big termites and when they grow even more workers they go out finding fungus I looked them up they go out and grow fungus by taking them in nest when they get soldiers they go out
I'd go with option number 1, the dish nest as I like to call it. Since I'm pretty sure the termites can set up satellite nest if you give enough soil. But I like both options
cum
this changed my prospective on termites its so cool
The fungus is their food- they would find it in the environment, eat some, and bring some back. Find a mushroom, split the cap, harvest tissue. Or find a termite mound and dig around and see if you can spot mycelia in the soil and harvest some. Use it to innoculate steam pasteurized leaf matter or whatever the termites harvest to feed the mycelia.
This is good to watch
bro its so satisfying when you watch a video that just came out becuase they always have any views or likes and when you like you can just see it go up
i used to think bugs where scary looking and ugly, ive been watching this channel for a while and its definitely changed my outlook on them
cicada fun seems to have the right ideas and I would follow their suggestions if it were me.
Been Waiting For This!
I would live to see you get some dirt from the area you found them and set them up in a larger enclosure to see how they act and if they succeed !
I don't know which is which, but you can tell them apart! One's top part of their exoskeleton abdomen (where the legs attach) is darker than the other! Other than that, you could have the AC family watching extended footage to see which one lays the eggs!
That cute termite worker at 5:40 😭😭😭
To answer a few questions: regarding the colony nutrition, you assumptions were correct: the larvae (newborn indifferentiated termites are actually referred as such by termitologists, despite being obviously still not related to the larvae of holometabolous insects - the term "nymphs" is reserved to the immature, wing-padded forms that lead up to a primary king or queen) and first workers are fed by the royals through their fat reserves and wing muscle reabsorbtion. The workers (and soldiers) of these (and most) termites lack developed eyes and are indeed blind, but remain capable of sensing light. Their clumsiness on glass is due to the lack of adhesive pads on their "feet", unlike most ants. The dark-headed workers you have there are mature and won't molt and grow anymore, however they are nanitic and much smaller than workers in mature colonies. Regarding the fungus, you can use a small piece of fresh enstablished fungus garden from the inside of a wild colony (as the fungus fruiting body is only presend during certain seasons) and it should be added when the workers start to attempt foraging, indicatively around 30 strong (you will also likely see them build a dark ramificated structure, the still unfertilized first fungus garden). As you assumed, mushroom fruiting body emergence and new colonies starting foraging are timed events. As a last thing, the termites you showed at 0:53 and in several other parts of the vid are not Macrotermes, but Hospitalitermes/Lacessititermes, that don't grow fungi but feeds on lichens, mosses and other microephyphites.
Also, for everyone interested, the termite species shown in the thumbnail and at 7:37 is Mastotermes (not Macrotermes) darwiniensis, a very interesting one for being the most primitive termite species still living and the last remnant of a whole family of once-widespread termites, the Mastotermitidae.
Nice a new termite colony joins the AC family
I'm not a termite expert or anything, but I do know a fair bit about mushrooms and the reproductive cycle of them. My suggestion, provided you manage to go back to the area the termite pairs were captured from at the right time, is to cut off a few of the mushrooms entirely instead of taking back the surrounding detritus.
At the very least, even if the termites won't harvest from the mushroom it's self, even after being cut off from the rest of the stalk the head will continue to produce and spread spores for a few days allowing you to place it into a controlled environment your termites can harvest from.
Look up how to make a spore print and spore solution from the print you can soak debris in to make spore covered debris. You could also just take the mushroom caps and leave them in the habitat and hope they're able to grow
I’d like to have a termite colony and care for it, but I already have some kind of ant colony under my house walls or something, so yeah.
Antscanada be like: they are so cute and caring let's feed them too our ants!
I like how when he said should I put them in an out world to scavenge for food he literally had a picture of the Phoenix Empire’s out world XD😊
In your situation i would collect the soil around the nests. That should be enough to get some spores for the termites.
Maybe you should: Get a big tetteriam, 2nd, Get soil and plants, mushrooms, and try to make it fitting.
yay termites :)🥰
ant and termite love forever :)
ugh, termites are so confusing...
I don't mind the ant-like heads, but the roach-like bodies just send shivers down my spine...
That might just be cockroach-hating me though...
If you find mushrooms you can harvest just the mushrooms. Cut the stems in half and lay them in the soil.
Lots of videos online of people starting mycelium with store bought shrooms.