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Post by TenebrousNova on Dec 11, 2016 21:01:48 GMT
The colony had chewed so far into the cotton between them and the test tube's water reservoir that I feared they'd flood it. I put a small pot filled with soil inside their tank and I'm happy to say that they moved in within days. Right now they're eating a big bluebottle. Lots of digging is still going on.
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Post by Wood~Ant on Dec 12, 2016 8:18:44 GMT
Can you still see what the colony is doing inside the soil nest? I always find that chewing cotton wool is a sure sign the ants want to dig a nest, as it sounds like you Manica colony is doing it.
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Post by TenebrousNova on Dec 12, 2016 15:01:34 GMT
Can you still see what the colony is doing inside the soil nest? I always find that chewing cotton wool is a sure sign the ants want to dig a nest, as it sounds like you Manica colony is doing it. At the moment it's just glimpses of activity, but the queen came out at one point to investigate the bluebottle. I'm hoping they'll make a brood chamber against the sides or bottom.
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Post by Black Ant on Dec 12, 2016 15:15:20 GMT
How big is this colony now? I expect most of the brood has developed into adult workers.
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Post by TenebrousNova on Dec 12, 2016 17:02:27 GMT
At the moment they're back to 7 workers...there were 8 just a few weeks ago, no idea what happened! No sign of a body and they've never been able to escape. Brood is pretty much the same as before: a darkening pupa, plenty of big larvae and a big ball of eggs. I suppose their development has slowed down thanks to the colder season?
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Post by TenebrousNova on Jun 1, 2017 14:29:26 GMT
Regrettably, this colony has perished. After a lot of inactivity I dug them up and there was no sign of any ants. A big shame, as this colony was doing well. I'm starting to become averse to soil setups because this seems to happen too often...
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