Coptotermes formosanus are known as the formosan subterranean termite. These termites’ nest in soil in the wild with access to wood, which is their main food source, cellulose which is produced from plant cells, is what they feed on and have special digestive enzymes which break down the wood. Coptotermes formosanus have been successful in spreading their distribution around the world, as they can grow large in number and are more aggressive than other species and can outcompete other termite species such as species from the Reticulitermes genus.
Coptotermes formosanus (formosan subterranean termite)
Care
Live arrival guarantee
They will come in a test tube with either card inside of tissue paper which they eat you will have to pipette water into the test tube every 5-10 days to keep nest space damp but not wet, if the tissue/card is wet then do not add additional water its best to have the space with humidity but not too wet.
Once they have 10 or more workers consider moving to a nest, they use up the food you can simply pop in some damp tissue or toilet roll without any scent on.
Natural set up with a block of untreated wood at the bottom covered with hydroponic soil or sand/loam mix, you can also use tissue paper and toilet roll.
Acrylic nest: You can create a small chamber for the small colony by opening the nest and creating chamber without any tissue or small amount of tissue then fill the acrylic nest space with tissue then seal it up in the outworld you can place a block of untreated wood and cover with a layer of soil or sand/loam mix. Make sure you keep nest hydrated and they should do well.
best to keep termites covered for sunlight and can reveal during observation of the colony. A blanket or black acrylic sheet or red acetate sheet should be ok.
Any questions just contact me, and I’ll help!
Keeping difficulty: Moderate (Kept at least one or two European species)
Colonyform: Monogyne
King size: 12-15mm
Queen size: 12-15mm
Worker’s size: 3-6mm
Soldier size: 5-8mm
Food: wood, paper/cellulose
Temp: 18-26°C
Humidity: 50-70%
Founding: Semi-claustral with
Colonysize: 1-100,000
Hibernation: NO
