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Post by Wood~Ant on May 11, 2011 17:14:09 GMT
Yes they are tiny ants, but very tenacious for their size as mine move 2 or 3 fairly large flies into their nest each day. Good luck with them
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Post by Wood~Ant on May 12, 2011 19:55:41 GMT
I love reading well presented journals about the ants members keep, and I must say that Blem12's are a joy to read as they paint a picture of what is happening; and every picture tells a story Keep up the nice entries Blem, as they make such interesting reading about the ant species you keep
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Post by Zarbi on May 13, 2011 10:36:52 GMT
Yes, I love to read the journals of our younger guys ants. Will keep an eye on the pallidula journal Blem with interest
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Post by Blem12 on May 15, 2011 5:58:32 GMT
Thank you very much, Zarbi.
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Post by Wood~Ant on May 17, 2011 22:03:48 GMT
Hearing about the large number of deaths, I am wondering if the set up is a bit too damp, as they do come from drier areas of southern Europe. I did manage to keep a colony in an Ant World, but the workers can squeeze out of even the tiny air holes, so you have to watch for this and prevent escapes. I let the soil in my P. pallidula nest get quite dry before spraying a bit more water in, by providing a minimal amount of moisture they do well. I have had only 12 deaths in 6 months, and the queen has given the colony more brood, although perhaps not as much as last year; but warmth usually kick starts egg laying more during the Summer months. I think a change of nest may help in your colonies case
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Post by TenebrousNova on May 22, 2011 11:37:12 GMT
Reading through this journal has been interesting so far, and it looks like they will do well once you've isolated the cause of the deaths. It does sound like a humidity problem.
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Post by Wood~Ant on May 29, 2011 8:13:34 GMT
Those Pheds do love their honey ;D We have had to put a sturdier foraging pot back of our pallidula colony as they kept rushing out and a few got squished Since putting back the old style foraging pot they have settled down more, even though it isn't as deep as the one we removed Nice to hear your colony is doing so well
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Post by Blem12 on May 29, 2011 9:15:21 GMT
Thank you for your comment.
Yes, when my Pheds had the plastic pot as a foraging area some would get stuck between the lid and the pot due to the plastic being flimsy thus enabling the tiny workers to go in those small gaps.
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Post by Blem12 on Jun 15, 2011 6:27:30 GMT
Thank you for pointing that out Green Ant. I have now corrected it.
I don't think it is due to over-crowding due to the fact that their nesting box has a lot of space to offer and they are mainly just using 2 or 3 chambers when there are a couple more.
I do not think it is stress as they are taking in food, workers seem to do their normal day tasks, none of the ants are trying escape etc...
My initial thoughts where that the colony has ''separated'' (Budding system) and that they are now acting as single colonies?
Thanks,
Blem12.
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Post by TenebrousNova on Jun 15, 2011 7:08:55 GMT
Maybe it is something to do with the queens, with they and their workers becoming more dominant than the others and wanting more space for themselves?
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Post by TenebrousNova on Jun 16, 2011 8:49:32 GMT
If you don't mind my asking, what are you keeping your Pheidole Pallidula in?
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Post by Blem12 on Jun 16, 2011 17:01:45 GMT
Good afternoon, I am keeping my Pheidole pallidula colony in an Ant World at the moment.
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Post by Zarbi on Jun 25, 2011 9:42:24 GMT
Good news about your colony Blem12, and you did right to remove that niger worker as I have seen some terrible fights break out between these 2 species when they go to war
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Post by Blem12 on Jun 26, 2011 7:42:34 GMT
Thank you guys. Yes I am happy that I removed that worker or else something terrible could have happened.
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Post by Zarbi on Jun 26, 2011 7:53:43 GMT
I like your new Messor barbarus journal, nicely done and precise info about the colony
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