shane
Ant Photographer
Ant Species Image Gatherer
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Post by shane on Jul 5, 2016 20:15:49 GMT
Log: 05.07.2016 ===========
There moved in to there new round Tub home I made them yesterday as there like a small nest.
There new hames made out of a wax worm tub, as I been trying them on wax worms and yes they seem to like them
Anyhow there Homes made from a wax worm tub you get from a pet store with wax worms in them,
The tub has a dotted hole lid and holes and bottom which is nice for letting out a bit of condensation out as well as letting out flooding on the bottom if it gets to much build up in side with water that runs down sides to bottom holes, Then to make it dark I used tinfoil to as you can shape it to anything. So used tinfoil around it to moiled in to same shape as tub also tinfoil don't rust or anything and is safe as it don't react to anything or poisons It also reflects heat in case it gets to hot from light from lamp at seiten times at night.
The I cut a small hole for them to go in then another tinfoil base with kitchen towel between to absorbed water to keep it damp. Also forgot to say that's tub's upside down so it was easy to cut out a small hole for there new home.
I've removed there plant as I'm trying set up with washed stream pebbles you get from any river or steam's. For now I'm just testing some to see if colony likes to walk on them but there only a party of 1 to 5 worker scouts at any one time when they go looking for food.
The works also don't seem to move out of nest so you can pick nest up and move nest around if there's no scouts.
Colony numbers around 50 to 60, hard to count as I carnt see there inner nest right yet with steam. If colony out grow there tub I may try bigger round tubes.
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shane
Ant Photographer
Ant Species Image Gatherer
Posts: 1,738
Likes: 819
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Post by shane on Aug 1, 2016 18:46:51 GMT
Log: 01.07.2016 ===========
At times this colony confuses me to bits with there behave yeah.
Colony seems to keep small and the old retired works seem to leave the nest at a distance away for days before there start to die which I find strange,
There's only 2 or 3 scouts in this small colony of around 150 as rest seem to be nest bound and just hang around holding larvae or pupae or a ball of eggs which seems to get bigger some days then smaller like they must eat some of them.
Another discovery is that they do poop in there nest and only take out the dead food once they eaten off it what they wanted. They also must use there poop as some sort of like sticky wax so they can use it to hand around side of walls and it does have a like formic acid small which may be used to kill off little pests in wild or a warning to other ants that may try and take there home. The small also maybe there home smell to tell them this is there nest and colony smell.
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shane
Ant Photographer
Ant Species Image Gatherer
Posts: 1,738
Likes: 819
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Post by shane on Aug 24, 2016 1:53:14 GMT
Log: 24.08.2016 ============
Colony has a very dirty nest habit of just pooping all over there nest. If the nest is plastic. Then there is little chance trying to clean the black oil out they leave behind like a stain and found it better for them to nest in something glass so the black oil is way easer to clean out with out it staining the sides, when its time to clean them out.
The way I clean them out is not forcing them out but by just uncover there nest and let the light in as they don't like light in there nest, So they move out to a dark new nest.
Colony are the most friendly of any ant species I kept and know of in wild, They don't bite, just do warning taps in nest now and then and or two walk around the out side of nest as the rest keep in side and never come out, Like this photo from last time I cleaned them, They all keep in. So its easy to move nest around as this colony seem mainly nest bound for a small colony species. I even had nest on side today for over a hour when I cleaned tank out and they never come out to wonder around apart from 2 that just come out to top of there nest for a bit and went back in nest.
They also a weaver ant species but to my knowing they don't weave at all but will move to new nest homes if light shines in.
Colony for its size of 100+ don't seem to eat much at all and mostly drink water or honey water with the odd waxworm every 3 or 4 days and I have a feeling they recycle there poop to a degree in nest.
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shane
Ant Photographer
Ant Species Image Gatherer
Posts: 1,738
Likes: 819
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Post by shane on Sept 12, 2016 23:23:51 GMT
Log: 13.09.2016 ===========
Colony don't do as much exploring as other ant colony's I know. Just roosting as a small group and thinking of moving them out of there Large set up to a small one, Colony numbers don't even go over 300 mark so should be fine in a small medium tank set up even though a ant island I think would be ideal for them,
But for now I'm going to wait and see and think what to do next.
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shane
Ant Photographer
Ant Species Image Gatherer
Posts: 1,738
Likes: 819
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Post by shane on Sept 23, 2016 9:40:58 GMT
Log:23.09.2016 ===========
Been a successful move to a small tank but I fear that tank could be a little to small so may move them at some point to a little bigger one
I moved them in to a small antstore 10x 20x foraging arena with sand clay so they can move dirt around as they do seem to drink from it too.
Now with it being damp but not too damp its more like there home where they from and seem to love it, The only problem now is I could do with there set up just been a little bigger which I may move them to in next week or 2 once they settled.
It's safe to say there's ants don't weave there nest or anything for them been a Polyrhachis but do seem to rap there larvae in a extra layer of silk making them look like a white fat cushion. ==================== ====================
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shane
Ant Photographer
Ant Species Image Gatherer
Posts: 1,738
Likes: 819
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Post by shane on Sept 23, 2016 15:27:08 GMT
Log:23.09.2016 ===========
Seems the sand does keep them busy and seem more active now.
They do seem to like carrying sand clumps in there jaws at times now as I think they may use them to drink water from, Anyhow they like to dig too.
Still think a tank a little bigger will be best for them, but for now they happy.
Odd workers in this colony do still fight and once they start on one 2 or 3 join in with pining down or dragging a worker away or kill them and take them to a corner.
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shane
Ant Photographer
Ant Species Image Gatherer
Posts: 1,738
Likes: 819
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Post by shane on Sept 26, 2016 18:36:57 GMT
Log:26.09.2016 ===========
I'm a little annoyed with this colony having workers which I thought was constantly fighting among them selfs. But with in a smaller set up I now can see why workers I thought ?, Turned on other fellow works well.
It turns out this colony has what I call warden workers.
2 or 3 works will go out of nest and scout around and randomly if any works just have a lazy snooze the scout warden will constantly nudge her and if the worker don't move then the warden will grab a leg and try and drag her back to nest. But as always the worker that been snoozing or refuses to go back ends up having a leg or 2 pulled off or ends up in a fight
This seems to happen all time and about 20 to 30 a week die from this tug of war in they own colony which maybe reason why they keep a small colony.
With them been in a small set up I have now witnessed wardens carrying them back or dragged back in to nest and them that don't have a ball fight which ends up at times one dyeing.
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shane
Ant Photographer
Ant Species Image Gatherer
Posts: 1,738
Likes: 819
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Post by shane on Oct 7, 2016 21:12:09 GMT
Log: 07.10.2016 ===========
Been a big decline in this colony cos of matrons, only around 17 works are left in this colony from when I can see.
If there's still a big decline I may have to take out the bulling matrons to stop them killing off workers.
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