Macrotermes gilvus

Macrotermes gilvus is a pro macrotermes termite from Southeast Asia. Yellow-brown workers; soldiers with very large dark heads and powerful mandibles. A Southeast Asian fungus-growing termite – workers cultivate Termitomyces fungus on collected plant litter. Macrotermes – fungus-growing termites of African and Asian savanna (note: termites, not ants).

Termites require a closed-system terrarium of acrylic or glass with deep substrate of moistened wood, sand, and clay – at least 20 × 15 × 15 cm. Mature colonies need vertical space for mound or gallery construction. A separate chamber for the fungus garden may develop over time as the colony establishes its fungiculture.

Keep the terrarium at 26–30 °C and humidity 80–95 % year-round. Termites are extraordinarily sensitive to drying out – workers and the king-queen pair die quickly in dry air. Never let the substrate dry. No light during day-night cycle is fine – termites are blind and live entirely in the dark.

Plant litter: dry leaf litter, small wood pieces, and grass – workers carry plant material to the underground fungus garden where the fungus (Termitomyces) processes the cellulose.

The colony eats only the fungus garden, not the plant material directly.

A fungus chamber typically establishes within 1–3 months of stable conditions.

Never offer ant food (sugars, insects) – termites cannot digest these.

Maintain consistent humidity for the fungus garden to thrive.

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Termite escape risk is real – workers can chew through wood and many soft plastics.

Use glass or thick acrylic (4+ mm) for the terrarium walls.

Lid must seal completely – gaps over 1 mm allow worker escape.

Do not house termites near wooden structures or untreated wood furniture.

Quarantine the colony from any cellulose surface you value.

The king and queen must BOTH survive – losing either ends the colony.

Never introduce ant food. Termites need cellulose, not protein or sugar.

Maintain 80–95 % humidity constantly. Drying is fatal within hours.

Workers are blind – light cycle is not relevant. Keep the terrarium in stable temperature.

Do not house termites near active ant or roach colonies – territorial mixing is dangerous.

Termites are NOT ants – they belong to a separate insect order (Blattodea, infraorder Isoptera) and need fundamentally different husbandry. Both a king and a queen must survive for the colony to persist. Diet is cellulose only – wood, plant litter, fungus garden – never insects or sugar. Recommended only for keepers with prior termite experience.

Your termite colony ships in a closed humid container with the king-queen pair, attending workers, and a starter substrate. Insured courier shipping with temperature control. We hand-pick every colony and inspect the reproductive pair on the day of dispatch.

• Described by Hermann August Hagen in 1858 from Java.
• Ranges across Southeast Asia from Thailand through Indonesia, the Philippines, and southern China.
• Cultivates Termitomyces fungus in dedicated underground chambers – the workers eat the fungus, not the plant material directly.
• The mature queen reaches 5–6 cm in length with a massively swollen physogastric abdomen – she can lay 1000+ eggs per day.
• Builds large soil mounds in some habitats – termite mounds shape the African and Asian savanna landscape.

How big can the colony grow?

monogyne king+queen pair, mature colonies hundreds of thousands of workers with cultivated Termitomyces fungus garden. Mature colonies of large termite species can reach hundreds of thousands or millions of individuals over many years.

Is this a true ant?

No. Termites are in a completely separate insect order (Blattodea, infraorder Isoptera) – more closely related to cockroaches than to ants. They share the social colony lifestyle but diverged from the rest of insect biology over 150 million years ago.

Will the colony arrive alive?

Yes. We ship in temperature-controlled insured boxes. If anything goes wrong in transit, contact us within 24 hours with an unboxing video.

Can I feed it like an ant colony?

No. Termites cannot digest sugars or animal protein. Their entire diet is cellulose. Feeding ant food will kill the colony.

Are termites dangerous to my house?

Yes, if they escape. Use thick glass or acrylic and seal the lid carefully. Many termite species can damage wooden structures.