Ants/Termites eating my wood.

[Stickleback]

Sorry, this is a ridiculously specific problem:

I have an outdoor aquarium on my balcony in Vietnam. I have a lot of wood protruding from the tank and a lot of plants etc on the wood. It attracts a lot of fauna, most of which I welcome. A few ants, or they may be termites, made it their home. At first they were a welcome guest, but they have multiplied and are eating my wood.

Any ideas for getting rid of them without harming the aquatic life?

edit to add: The ants nest is in the earth and roots of a small tree living on the wood. So it is a self contained problem so to speak.

This is the tank:

The Kraken Archipelago of Vietnamesia | UK Aquatic Plant Society


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[sarahtermite]

I think your tank is absolutely lovely, and I hope the insects don't destroy what you've achieved.

If you can see the insects above ground, then they're very unlikely to be termites. There are some species of termites that forage above ground in your neck of the woods, but you almost certainly won't see them in an urban setting. So, almost certainly ants. The good news is that no ants actually eat wood, although some will hollow it out to create a nest. Most ant species are omnivores, so I suspect they won't harm your plants, at least not directly.

But I'm afraid I can't think of any way of getting them out, other than dismantling the whole tank. You could try physically removing the individual workers as you see them, and eventually this should weaken the colony to the point of it dying off, but it would be a long process. Or else, if they're not causing any harm, learn to appreciate them??

Good luck!
Sarah

 

[Stickleback]

I think your tank is absolutely lovely, and I hope the insects don't destroy what you've achieved.

If you can see the insects above ground, then they're very unlikely to be termites. There are some species of termites that forage above ground in your neck of the woods, but you almost certainly won't see them in an urban setting. So, almost certainly ants. The good news is that no ants actually eat wood, although some will hollow it out to create a nest. Most ant species are omnivores, so I suspect they won't harm your plants, at least not directly.

But I'm afraid I can't think of any way of getting them out, other than dismantling the whole tank. You could try physically removing the individual workers as you see them, and eventually this should weaken the colony to the point of it dying off, but it would be a long process. Or else, if they're not causing any harm, learn to appreciate them??

Good luck!
Sarah

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