2. Terrestrial and water-loving: Termites mostly nest underground, so they are called terrestrial insects, which can generally reach 0.5 ~ 2 meters deep. Even if they nest in the wood on the ground, they should communicate with the underground through the tunnel, so that the soil particles can be mixed with excrement and spit out, and the ant path can be built. Termites cannot live without water. No matter where they nest, they must first build a waterway (suction line) that is coherent with the main nest, and connect it with the vicinity of the nest or with underground water sources. Once the water source is cut off, the whole nest of termites will die by themselves within 10 days. Therefore, there should be a certain thickness of soil layer and water supply device in the feeding container.
3. gregarious, photophobia: termites are very gregarious, never alone, especially in the low temperature stage, concentrated in the nest. Termites also have the characteristics of licking each other and feeding by guards. Termites are usually afraid of light. They only live in nests made of wood and mud or in ant paths. When exposed to light, they will run away and work together to plug the occasional loopholes in the ant path. But winged adults have strong phototropism when they fly out of their nests, but this is only temporary. As long as they finish mating and take off their wings, they lose their phototropism and quickly drill into the nest under the soil or wood to raise their children. Therefore, the feeding container should have shading equipment and create social conditions for it. ?
4. Group flight: Group flight is an early form of termite colony. When the density of termites in the same nest is too high, a large number of winged adults (breeding ants) will be produced. Every year in the late spring and early summer, when the weather is sultry and the air pressure drops obviously after the rain, we will fly out of the nest and build a new nest group. Because termites have the habit of flying in groups, the feeding container should have not only plane space, but also high space for flying in groups. According to the above five characteristics of termites, it is best to set the feeding container outdoors, with a brick feeding pool with a length, width and height of several meters, a fine gauze net installed on the pool, and a canopy built with bamboo curtains; The pool is filled with soil and wood, with a perennial water storage tank at one end and a protective box at the periphery of the pool to prevent natural enemies from attacking. A pool can be divided into several communities and raised several groups.
5. Seed collection and artificial feeding? (1) Seed collection: It is the process of introducing ant colony into the feeding pond. The method is as follows: firstly, from the place where the ant nest is built in the field, the nest room and the fungus garden with the queen ant are excavated and moved into the culture pond. The best time to dig is when the sun is strongest, so most ant colonies are concentrated in their nests and brought back with cloth bags. Some termites left in tunnels or sub-nests, as long as there are supplementary ants, will also nest in groups in the original place. Second, during the wedding flight in late spring and early summer every year, the newly born reproductive ants who have lost their wings are lured by the lights near their nests (try to collect them as much as possible to prevent some of them from dying because they don't adapt to the environment) and move into the pool to choose their spouses and nests. The latter is more convenient to collect seeds and saves the trouble of finding and digging the main nest, but because of the poor reproductive ability of the newborn reproductive ants, the ant colony is small and the harvest is less.
(2) Artificial feeding: In the feeding process of termites, besides proper natural feed, artificial feed should also be given as a supplement to natural feed, which can improve the reproductive ability, expand the population and increase the source of medicine. At present, the artificial feed formula for raising domestic termites and yellow-breasted termites has been successfully tested. Formula 1: (wet weight percentage) ergot 0.06, protein 0.05, distilled water 65.82, cellulose 34.06 and nipagin 0.0 1. Formula 2: β -sitosterol 0.06, casein 0.05, distilled water 65.82, cellulose 34.06, and nipagin 0.0 1. Formula 3: ergot 0.06, vitamin B mixed solution 3.23 [adding choline chloride and inositol in Vanderzant( 1957)], Wechsler's salt 0.4, distilled water 62.04, cellulose 34.26 and nipagin 0.0 1. The preparation of artificial feed is that the raw materials of each formula are put into a glass dish in proportion (with or without Wechsler salt) and stirred to become viscous slurry, but not soup. Put it in the corner of the feeding pond, cover it with wooden boards, check it every 5 ~ 7 days, and replenish it after eating. Too long will lead to pollution and mildew. From the distribution and nest number of termites in the field, collecting termites in the field can meet the medical needs. Termites are the enemy of wooden materials and dams, and collecting termites in the field can turn harm into benefit. From the point of view of species protection and ecological balance, harvesting and feeding should be combined in a planned way.