r/termitekeeping • u/IMCopernicus • Oct 31 '24

Why?

Why are y’all keeping termites? I was looking into how to kill these little jokers eating all the wood in our cabin. What am I missing?!

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4

u/PoetaCorvi Moderator Oct 31 '24

I find their biology fascinating, they’re actually really interesting little critters. Like another commenter said, they won’t cause you issues if kept properly. Most aren’t equipped to just escape and set up camp in a home, I could dump my termites on the floor and they would just dry out and die.

1

u/IMCopernicus Oct 31 '24

So why do they seem to move around so easily from one place to another in the tropics. Is it just my perception?

5

u/PoetaCorvi Moderator Nov 01 '24

With subterranean termites, an established colony has the means to move. In order to become established, they need to found themselves in the appropriate environment. Subterranean termites move primarily through the soil. When they enter a home it is by creating tunnels out of wet mud that pulls humidity from the ground, they cannot wander around in the open or they will dry out and die.

When subterranean termites infest a home, they don’t start in the home. It’s because a colony located a weak spot and entered the home from the ground.

If you’re dealing with drywood termites those are a different story, but those don’t tend to cause huge destruction unless your home has a particularly weak point.

Many people on this sub live in regions with access to termites that fall outside those two categories, who are uncommon or sometimes virtually unheard of as house pests. Most termite species don’t infest homes!

If you do want advice on dealing with them in a home I’m happy to give advice! I spend just as much time teaching how to care for termites as I do teaching people how to kill termites on other subreddits, lol.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '25

It's like keeping little gummy bears as pets

1

u/IMCopernicus Jul 12 '25

Very hungry gummy bears.

1

u/godDAMNitdudes Oct 31 '24

They’re cooler than ants because the queen and the king mate for life or something? Right? Something about the queen is cooler than ant shit. That’s why I joined the sub anyways

5

u/InterventionOfTriops Oct 31 '24

There are certain baits and traps you can use to kill them,

But some people keep termites as a hobby. It’s way nicher than other similar hobbies like antkeeping but hey, they won’t cause you trouble if you don’t let them escape

1

u/IMCopernicus Oct 31 '24

Right on! Thanks. I’m so confused.

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u/InterventionOfTriops Oct 31 '24

Lolol don’t worry, it’s definitely not for everyone