pyroant
Leaf Cutter Ant
Posts: 76
Country: Canada
I Like: bugs.
I Hate: Pancakes.
Likes: 9
|
Post by pyroant on May 3, 2013 14:02:12 GMT
when they moved from the nest they were sent in, they went right to a sand/coconut fiber mix hill that was toward the back of the enclosure. I tried to make the nest that I built warmer/ cooler dryer and more humid for about 3 weeks with no success. I was initially upset because id like to see the day to day of the nest life but I have noticed a surface number increase, which leads me to believe the queens have started to lay eggs again which is great. After about three days of internal debate I removed the nest that I made and added a lot more substrate. It looks so much better in my opinion.
|
|
pyroant
Leaf Cutter Ant
Posts: 76
Country: Canada
I Like: bugs.
I Hate: Pancakes.
Likes: 9
|
Post by pyroant on May 5, 2013 15:17:45 GMT
Last night the colony moved from one end of the tank to the other and I set up my iphone to snap pics every three seconds with the miniatures app which plays them as a video later and I think so far I've gained at least another thousand workers... but the real exciting thing was the HUGE pupa that were slowly trucked by. They definitely have at least one queen pupa and three males. I only counted three queens though. My guess is that the 4th traveled more hidden under the moss which I formed into covered surface tunnels throughout the habitat
|
|
|
Post by Wood~Ant on May 5, 2013 15:29:54 GMT
Would you like this topic moved to the journals board Pyroant, as it reads like it could be a good ant journal to me.
|
|
pyroant
Leaf Cutter Ant
Posts: 76
Country: Canada
I Like: bugs.
I Hate: Pancakes.
Likes: 9
|
Post by pyroant on May 8, 2013 14:31:58 GMT
Yeah, that would be great if you would like to Thank you Wood~Ant The colony has one queen pupa and three male pupa for sure. I'm very excited about this.
|
|
pyroant
Leaf Cutter Ant
Posts: 76
Country: Canada
I Like: bugs.
I Hate: Pancakes.
Likes: 9
|
Post by pyroant on May 24, 2013 15:15:21 GMT
I wish I knew the growth rate of this Species. I feel that they may have already doubled the numbers from when they first arrived. They have started making forraging trenches right under the moss cover and they are constantly active. I've been going through 40 large crickets a week with 2-3 mealworms also every day. I feed them mealworms just incase they are unable to catch enough food every day.
After the ants moved the nest from one end of the tank to the other, I opened up the old nest to see what the inside looked like and how many exoskeletons were piled up. To my surprise, I didnt find anything at all. not even a leg. I'm guessing that they ether moved them when they are finished with them OR that they are eating the whole thing, including the exoskeleton.
I think this week, ill bump the cricket count up to fifty and see what happens. I do have a bunch of baby crickets running around in the tank which I'm sure the ants are also eating. I assume some of them came pregnant and laid eggs before the ants got ahold of them.
|
|
|
Post by Jenny on May 26, 2013 22:33:53 GMT
I originally thought that I'd have to keep food pinned down because they were not strong enough to catch full sized crickets and meal worms but they do very well on there own. I even had a crab in the tank to keep large debris cleaned up but they killed him too. Egg production is back and on the rise and new workers are hatching every day. I'm thinking about getting a feeder lizard and seeing how they do with that. Hi Pyroant, this entry has been brought to my attention because of the cruelty of it. I would like to think that the case of the live crab was not originally intended for food? But knowing this ant species it wouldn't have survived and one in which lead to a long painful death. I hope that you did not go through with the lizard idea, as this would add salt to the wound. We do not endorse giving live food of this nature to ants in the world of ant keeping. I admit I have placed what I think to be dead flies in a tank, only for them to come round and be chased by the Velox, which happened today, but the intention was very different. Please do not place live food in the tank it is cruelty at it's worst.
|
|
pyroant
Leaf Cutter Ant
Posts: 76
Country: Canada
I Like: bugs.
I Hate: Pancakes.
Likes: 9
|
Post by pyroant on May 27, 2013 15:20:53 GMT
The crab was an accident. I had considered that they might kill it but thought that since it had water to hide in and the fact it was basically a tank, that he would have no problem. I was intending for him to act as a clean up crew and eat the crickets that the ants did not finish so I didn't have to worry so much about mold. I do believe they did kill him but I have no way of knowing for sure.. He wasn't anywhere near his water, so me have have gotten lost and died that way... either way, I do feel bad about him.
As I have stated before I do travel a lot so feeding them live crickets is sometimes my only option. They need to eat every day and my neighbor will not have anything to do with them. If you have a better way, please let me know. I honestly feel bad when I have to kill the crickets.
The other night I placed a small piece of raw chicken and a lifesavers ment in.. the chicken was promptly torn up and taken home, the lifesaver is still there but I have noticed it being chipped away. in the next week or so I'm wanting to try a food panel or various fruits to see what they will and will not eat.(I'm betting they eat everything) Also, they do love stewed carrots. I gave them a slice and they promptly swarmed.
|
|
|
Post by Wood~Ant on May 27, 2013 16:09:33 GMT
Sometimes the fastest and easiest way to feed fresh insect prey is to either kill them quickly by crushing their head, or place them into a freezer where they will just go to sleep and never wake up as they die naturally. Freezing them may dry them out a bit, but does keep them fresh for months. Defrost them at room temperature for an hour before feeding. Finding a quick and humane way to kill prey animals is best, as ants are just as happy being scavengers and it saves them having to hunt down and kill their food, as I wonder how many people would become vegetarians if they actually had to slaughter a cow or lamb; but many of us are fine eating freshly cooked meat.
|
|
pyroant
Leaf Cutter Ant
Posts: 76
Country: Canada
I Like: bugs.
I Hate: Pancakes.
Likes: 9
|
Post by pyroant on May 28, 2013 14:35:19 GMT
Yeah, I do understand, but every other week they seem to eat so much more. My fear is that I will overfeed and the tank will develop mold and the colony will die. I also fear underfeeding, leading to the colony to perish will perish of starvation. Since the happy medium has changed so often with them, I wouldn't even know a good number to guess.
|
|
|
Post by Zarbi on May 28, 2013 15:00:42 GMT
Have you considered dried meal worms as an alternative to fresh insects?
|
|
pyroant
Leaf Cutter Ant
Posts: 76
Country: Canada
I Like: bugs.
I Hate: Pancakes.
Likes: 9
|
Post by pyroant on May 29, 2013 14:05:25 GMT
Not really, no. I'm not sure if they would eat them.
|
|
pyroant
Leaf Cutter Ant
Posts: 76
Country: Canada
I Like: bugs.
I Hate: Pancakes.
Likes: 9
|
Post by pyroant on Jun 15, 2013 18:11:43 GMT
I was just inspecting the enclosure, checking humidity/temp and whatnot when I noticed workers moving eggs toward the nest they have been in for awhile. my first thought was that the fourth queen which has been mussing branched off to form her own nest and this was a raiding party bringing her eggs home. But after closer inspection the eggs looked very odd. they were long cylinders, to long to be the working class of this Sp in larva form. Then it hit me, I've noticed very frequently that the crickets dig holes, back into them for a bit them pop out. The ants had found a cricket nest and were hauling them home. I'm betting if the tank was maybe four times the size, I could have an almost sustainable cricket population.. at least while the colony is still under 20,000. lol
Also, and more exciting in my opinion, I caught a glimpse of the princess! I know they have males also, so I intend to look into the exact mating environment and TRY to mimic it to see what happens. I think I read somewhere that they don't always even fly off, that sometimes they mate at the door then the new queen goes back into the nest. I may be mistaken though. ill have too check.
|
|
pyroant
Leaf Cutter Ant
Posts: 76
Country: Canada
I Like: bugs.
I Hate: Pancakes.
Likes: 9
|
Post by pyroant on Jun 26, 2013 14:28:55 GMT
Last night, I observed a new behavior. About 500 ants, (just workers) were marching in a 9in circle for about two hours. I assumed it was an attempted hunt trail that got confused. I used a cricket to interrupt the circle and they promptly took it to there nest. Also, they were circling just under the air temp lamp. I don't know if that had anything to do with it but it might. Has anyone experienced this in any other Sp.?
|
|
pyroant
Leaf Cutter Ant
Posts: 76
Country: Canada
I Like: bugs.
I Hate: Pancakes.
Likes: 9
|
Post by pyroant on Jun 26, 2013 21:54:33 GMT
"Anyone who has watched insects or animals living their lives freely in the open knows that they do not always do their everyday duties in the same way; that there are in each population conservatives and radicals, stupid, brilliant, mediocre, and probably insane individuals" - Rau, 1933 lol maybe it was a protest for a change of government.
|
|
pyroant
Leaf Cutter Ant
Posts: 76
Country: Canada
I Like: bugs.
I Hate: Pancakes.
Likes: 9
|
Post by pyroant on Jun 26, 2013 23:01:07 GMT
I saw a few majors with mites a few days ago. After reading through all the forums, I've decided it's time for a "relocation". I've places the nest they arrived in back into the tank and lifted the moss cover from the nest. the move is well on its way. This was also the recommendation of a friend of mine who works at dow agrosciences who was over today again. He was also here when I noticed the mites and he said he'd take them in and see if a friend of his could tell if they were harmful or not and also where they came from. On the bright side, they may be around 20-22k which is exciting. Its hard to tell though. and so many with wings.. way more male than female though. only four females to the around 15+ males
|
|