Earn a few million a night by looking for the fungus that grows around the termite’s nest soi

This is a precious specialty, costing up to nearly 1 million VND/kg that nature has bestowed on mountainous areas with fertile basalt red soil.
Every year, starting in the rainy season, people in many southern provinces invite each other to hunt for termites. As a precious mushroom that grows naturally, every kilogram of mushroom is picked by traders to buy at home with the price of 500-800,000 VND/kg.

Mr. Le Van Phuong, residing in Tan Lap commune, Dong Phu district (Binh Phuoc) said that after many long months of intense sunshine, termite mushrooms sprouted after the cool rains at the beginning of the season. This fungus is special in that, they only appear in places where termites nest, from the footprints of workers passing through. The new umbrella termite mushroom, which grows naturally in the forest, has the highest price. “During the process of crawling around the nest, worker termites leave behind a saliva-like substance. After the rain, this substance grows fragrant mushrooms. Those who went to pick mushrooms at night, before they could see the mushrooms, smelled the sweet aroma of mushrooms at the top of the forest,” Phuong shared. According to Mr. Phuong, the termite mushroom season only lasts a few months and emerges from the ground at about 2-3 am and withers in the early afternoon. Therefore, people take advantage of going into the forest at midnight to look for mushrooms. People who use flashlights, those who shine motorbikes run into the forest, to rubber lots or cashew fields to look at mushrooms all night. Those who go to shave rubber will be the first to encounter termites because the work of tapping latex is usually done at night. However, once you see the mushrooms, you have to know how to pick them to get all the mushrooms and sell them at a high price. “We had to use very strong wooden sticks, as small as fingers, to poke the mushrooms. In the early morning, the new mushroom sprouted its head on the ground, so the body was still lying on the ground. Therefore, using a stick to poke down, lift the whole mushroom body up. Especially do not use iron rods because the next season the mushrooms do not grow again, it takes time to find other places, “said Phuong. Those who go to pick mushrooms must use a sharp tree to get the body of the termite mushroom deep in the ground. In the past, people went to pick mushrooms just to stir-fry with melon or melon tops as food for their families. Seeing that the mushroom is crispy, more delicious than any other mushroom, plus many people know the great taste and value of the forest termite mushroom, so the mushroom is purchased at a high price, from 700 to 900,000 VND/kg. Therefore, many people stayed up at night to look for termites. In each termite mushroom season, Ms. Cao Thi Thuy, residing in Tan Phu ward, City. Dong Xoai (Binh Phuoc) all drive back to their hometown in Bu Dang to look for mushrooms. According to Ms. Thuy, termite mushrooms have 2 types, white body and black body. The black body is tough, crispy, sweeter than the white one, so the price is also higher. “Mushrooms are very fragrant. Going to look for mushrooms, just need to be sharp, you will smell the faint aroma of termite mushrooms somewhere. Holding the searchlight around, you will see small dim light spots of the mushroom, “said Ms. Thuy. People use motorcycle lights to pick mushrooms. According to Ms. Thuy, the price of termite mushrooms in recent years has always been sky-high. If 3 years ago it was only 450,000 VND/kg, last year it was 700,000 VND/kg. This year, at the beginning of the season, selling to people around the area is also 750,000 VND/kg. After each heavy rain, the lucky person can pick a few kilograms of mushrooms, making a few million easily. In recent years, grasping the market demand in big cities, many people in Dong Phu practice “dealing with termites”. Instead of going to the forest with a lamp to pick mushrooms every night, all day they drive hundreds of kilometers across areas considered to have many termites to buy and collect goods. Mr. Nguyen Huu Mieu in Thuan Loi commune, Dong Phu district, who has been trading in termite mushrooms for 7 years, said that this fungus is hunted by consumers everywhere. In particular, they only buy forest termite mushrooms. Termite mushrooms are hunted by traders everywhere with high prices. Only by purchasing termite mushrooms, 3 members of Mr. Mieu’s family can earn about 3 million VND/day. This year, if mushrooms are still abundant and the price of mushrooms is as high as now, the income of mushroom traders like him will definitely be higher. According to medicine, mushrooms are rich in calcium, phosphorus, iron, protein and other nutrients that are very good for health, especially people with diabetes, the sick and the elderly. Eating termite mushrooms regularly can improve immunity against cancer cells, anti-aging… Delicious dishes made from termite mushrooms are very simple and rustic, such as: pancakes filled with termite mushrooms, fried termite mushrooms, termite mushroom soup, termite mushroom porridge…