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Hi gang: today I found some items I would like to check with you all. In one of the homes I am rehabbing, I found a huge nest of what one of my employees say are termites that are migrating. I have never seen one before. They looked like ants with wings but with the wings they were 1/2 inch long. I have not done spraying there and I know no one has done spraying there for at least over one year or more. Q#1: are these termites, and can our frogs really eat such a sizable insect, and how do I avoid picking up a queen? Q#2: I found also, a bunch of mushrooms on one of my other lawns recently fertilzed. Are these mushroom safe to harvest and get spores from to inoculate a tank? IF so, how does one go about this? Thank you so much-Maggie

i have heard of males and some females of certian insects species growing wings to move to find new colonies (ants and termites). they might be ants? what color are they? if there hasn't been any kind of spraying i don't see why you couldn't try a couple and see what the frogs do. if they are too big for them, they won't eat them... so you know not to get more. don't know enough about mushrooms, but have heard if you put the cap of a mushroom on a piece of paper (try wax paper) in a container all the spores will eventually collect on the paper. you could then just use those spores for your tanks. i think thats what i have read before, somebody please correct me if i am wrong.

Thanks for your quick reply. The insects are black on the body, the wings are gray/white. Thanks

Termites don't migrate, they swarm. At which point they look liked winged ants and all that you find are reproducers out to found new colonies. What you found sound more like carpenter ants. I'd still see if the frog will eat them.

As for the mushroom, take a cap off (if has them)and set it on a sheet of paper for a day or so (bottom side against the paper). You may want to try one white and one black sheet so you can tell if droped spores. Once it drops the spores scrape them into the tank and you should be good to go. It may take a while to get fruiting bodies, as it can take in some cases years.

Good luck.

Thank you! That was very helpful information! I will try it. Will Carpenter ants be harmful to homesites by the way? I just don't want to bring some home and find that i have endangered my own residance! Thanks! Maggie

That depends, is your home made of wood? Carpenter ants can do a number on homes. But (and I'm not sure on this) I don't think you have much to work about if you don't get a queen.

Wood structures, YES!

in a field guide of mine it shows and talks about a subterranean termite (Reticulitermes hesperus) that has male "reproductives" that are produced when a colonies queen's egg production starts to slack. so maybe it could be them?

forgot to mention that they are winged, oops. they are also the same coloration that you described.

Maggie,
Ants and termites are relatively easy to tell apart. Below is a link that should help you out.

Donn

Ants vs Termites

Maggie, you can get spores at www.sporetradingpost.com/psychedelic_cafe.htm You just have to do your research at finding out if any are harmful or not though.

M.N

Thanks everyone for the quick and useful replies. You all are so helpful on the forum. I do think I stumbled onto a termite site. I just can't believe that they at 1/2 inch with the wing can be eaten by our darts! The site on shroom spores is really neat. I was surprised to see the psychodelic stuff ! Some of the other gourmet mushrooms would look really neat in my tanks. We'll see what happens!

Maggie