The Intricate Termite Caste System - Breeding Termites at CCAG for lizard food

Termites. The bane of a homeowner's existence. Known for their greed and their voracious demolition of wood, termites are often regarded as major pests in the United States and Canada.

People often overlook termites as pest insects. That's 100% true - many species such as Incisitermes minor and Reticulitermes hesperus are major pests in California. But termites are much more than just pests. Termites are more intelligent than you think as they make the some of the most effective hierarchy systems today.

First off - what are termites? Termites are small eusocial insects in the order Blattodea, which include cockroaches. Like the unrelated insect order Hymenoptera (Ants, bees, wasps etc..) all termite species form royal colonies including a queen, king, soldiers and workers.

The Queen is the main reproductive termite. She has an enlarged abdomen that can grow to over 4 inches long. She is mainly found deep in the colony - in the "royal chamber." Her main job is to reproduce with the king to make offspring (nymphs), which either become workers or soldiers.

The soldier termite's (can be ex. male, female or both) main job is to defend the colony using their specialized front jaws.

The worker termites are responsible for most common tasks - they build the nest, find food for the queen and maintain the colony.

How and why are we breeding termites?

The termite species we are breeding is the Zootermopsis angusticollis, or dampwood termite. These termites are native to the Pacific Coast and are one of the largest termites in the United States - workers can reach up to half an inch long.

We are breeding termites as lizard food. As our lizard species count has increased (see "Animals" page) and we have brought in more lizards and built habitats, it is important to be able to maintain a constant food source.

Every year around fall, some dampwood termite nymphs turn into alates and fly from their colony in hopes to mate and start a new colony. I am lucky enough to have a dampwood termite around my house.

On a warm October evening, I paused my homework around 6:30 PM to collect alates. As the alates only fly for short periods, their wings are underdeveloped making them easy to catch. I collected around 8 alates over the course of three days and placed them in a container.

Over the course of the week, 6 of them died leaving 2 termites to mate. Hopefully they will be starting a colony soon, in which I will be frequently sourcing for lizard food.

Two alates

Alate with wings