myrmepropagandistFeb 9

It turns out that fungus growing termites sometimes cultivate Termitomyces titanicus. This is an excellent scientific name.

CORRECTION:
I assumed they had to work like ants. Wrong! (A fruiting body would only emerge from a dead ant colony not so with these termites) Something about macrotermitinaes nuptial flights stimulates mushroom fruiting. (!) They get covered in pink spores.

And you can eat it!

Hence the species name.

Show threadmyrmepropagandistFeb 9

I've been reading about this mushroom and everyone says it's *really* delicious. But, you just need to luck out to try it. It's not really possible to cultivate it.

When a termite colony has a nuptial flight you may get a few to share with the town.

(corrected the reason for fruiting, which is different than in leaf cutting ants. )

Show threaddstuFeb 9
@futurebird ...this suggests a fictitious future setting where farmers raise insect colonies not because the insects make an excellent source of protein, but because their agriculture turns out to produce great food for us, too. (I mean, we already do this for honey, right?)
Show threadmyrmepropagandist

@trurl

We kind of do that with old oak forests and truffles to some degree already.

Termites eat rotting wood, they might be able to be part of a composing operation and you get mushrooms as a side benefit?

Feb 9 at 2:46amWeb