Re: [gecko]Re: termites

[Lyle Puente]

thanks Chad,
Nice post. I think for the first time ever I cant wait for winter to 
end so I can forage for some local termites.
I hope I can find tons.....

On Dec 16, 2004, at 4:48 PM, Chad Mayer wrote:
Yeah, I failed many times too.  Heres what I do now:
10 gal aquarium with an airtight lid.
6"x6" squares of regular pine lumber.  Cut a hole in
the middle leaving only about 1" of wood remaining
along the sides.  Using unbleached paper towels, stuff
the center of the hole.  Every other piece of wood is
a "blank" square with no hole cut in it.  Put wood
squares into the aquarium on the side, not laying
flat, alternating between the blanks and the paper
towel filled pieces.  Forms sort of a sandwich effect.
 Fill one (short) side of the aquarium with these
guys.  Add sandy soil to the remaining 3/5 of the
aquarium, about 2" deep.  Heavily spray the wood and
let sit for a few days.  Add TONS of termites to the
wood.
Depending on what type you have, the termites will
begin burrowing into the soil and wood, eventually
forming a viable colony.  Keep in a cool (below 80)
dark space for a YEAR, watering (spraying) once a
week.  Replace toweling (which is best gotten from a
gas station.  You'll have to experiment with this as
some is better for this purpose than others) as
necessary, checking no more than once a month.
Key things: temps need to be between 60-75 F.
Moisture needs to be high, they dessicate rapidly.  As
I said, I failed many, many times, but now have
Pacific Northwest dampwood termites and a species from
florida reproducing for me.  Its hard to not check
more than once a month, but if you set the colonies up
on some sort of shelving, you can see activity through
the bottom of the glass, relieving curiosity.  The
termites DONT like being disturbed, and they will
expire quickly if temps get higher than 80 F.
Best of luck, I think that luck plays a big part in
getting these guys to work for you, and you may have
to repeat the experiment several times before you get
a viable colony.  Fortunately, few people will
complain about you harvesting termites.....Any other
questions, feel free to ask!
C
Message: 2
From: Lyle Puente <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: [gecko]Re: termites
Date: Wed, 15 Dec 2004 08:31:12 -0500
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Nice!  how did you manage to get that all set up and
how are you
keeping them?
I always had long term failure in my attempts.
On Dec 15, 2004, at 2:15 AM, Chad Mayer wrote:
Just for the record, I culture two different
species
of termites, and my gex LOVE them.  Theyre high in
protein, but a bit fatty, so they dont get them
very
often, but when contained and properly cultured,
they
make a great feeder.  You have to be incredibly
patient though, they can take as long as a year to
become a viable colony after being taken from the
wild.
Lyle Puente
President
Global Gecko Association
My Brothers Banned
http://www.mybrothersbanned.com
--__--__--
Message: 3
From: "Sven Vogler" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Date: Wed, 15 Dec 2004 15:12:45 +0100
Subject: Re: [gecko]Re: termites
Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Yep. In that setup I am highly interested, too.
Greetings from Hamburg
Sven Vogler
----- Original Message -----
From: "Lyle Puente" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: [gecko]Re: termites
Date: Wed, 15 Dec 2004 08:31:12 -0500
=20
Nice!  how did you manage to get that all set up
and how are you keeping =
them?
I always had long term failure in my attempts.
=20
On Dec 15, 2004, at 2:15 AM, Chad Mayer wrote:
Just for the record, I culture two different
species
of termites, and my gex LOVE them.  Theyre high
in
protein, but a bit fatty, so they dont get them
very
often, but when contained and properly cultured,
they
make a great feeder.  You have to be incredibly
patient though, they can take as long as a year
to
become a viable colony after being taken from
the wild.
=20
Lyle Puente
President
Global Gecko Association
=20
My Brothers Banned
http://www.mybrothersbanned.com
=20
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Lyle Puente
President
Global Gecko Association
My Brothers Banned
http://www.mybrothersbanned.com
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