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Post by Joona on Aug 4, 2014 16:52:24 GMT
Yeah lol I doubt they will ever get to any where near that size, which is quite sad when you think about it. I have hand reared this colony and it wasn't boosted, everything that has happened has been natural but they will never get to there potential size and for that I sometimes feel guilty. If I could put them back in the wild now I would. Id do anything to let them live a natural life but sadly that will not happen. Mark
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Post by Joona on Sept 8, 2014 17:24:44 GMT
Thought I should inform you that today I discovered the queen floating in my moat set up, I have no idea how long she was there but she is dead, which would explain a few thing with the colony behaviour the last few days. To say I'm gutted is an under statement. I had a good run with them and got a basket ball sized fungus garden but sadly no winged queens. This is my mission so I guess ill try again next spring but thinking about going Acro this time.
Thanks for all the help and support you have all given this past year especially Adam and Deansie who I cannot thank enough. Ill still be active on here and will always help where I can. Mark aka Joona.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 8, 2014 17:31:43 GMT
Thought I should inform you that today I discovered the queen floating in my moat set up, I have no idea how long she was there but she is dead, which would explain a few thing with the colony behaviour the last few days. To say I'm gutted is an under statement. I had a good run with them and got a basket ball sized fungus garden but sadly no winged queens. This is my mission so I guess ill try again next spring but thinking about going Acro this time. Thanks for all the help and support you have all given this past year especially Adam and Deansie who I cannot thank enough. Ill still be active on here and will always help where I can. Mark aka Joona. That is terrible news. I am so sorry to hear this.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 8, 2014 17:41:54 GMT
This is awful. I am very sad to hear this Mark. If people don't mind me saying, it seems odd that as member buys a new leafcutting ant colony, someone else's dies for whatever reason. For example when I got mine, a week or two later Adam's Queen died. Formica got his and then yours died. This is very unfortunate and odd. Are you going to re-Queen this colony, maybe you can speak to Andrew?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 8, 2014 17:42:45 GMT
Oh no! That must have sucked they were doing well too! Sorry about your loss
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shane
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Post by shane on Sept 8, 2014 17:43:01 GMT
I am also guttered you had this colony almost a year and there was doing so fine even you upgraded there set up alittle.
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Post by Wood~Ant on Sept 8, 2014 18:17:37 GMT
Devastating news Mark. I am as gutted as you to read this sad event.
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Post by Joona on Sept 8, 2014 18:36:30 GMT
No I'm not going to re queen it, as much as I love them I'm not getting attacked by the mass numbers of soldiers, no way! I have put the remaining ants in small tubs, and will feed them to my geko. The fungus is in my chest freezer to just get it over with. Typical I just brought all the perspex for my new set up for them but I'll put that project on hold untill next year and make it look nice and big
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Post by Deleted on Sept 8, 2014 18:36:47 GMT
It is horrible when you have put so much effort and money into thr project and the Queen dies for unknown reasons.
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Post by deansie on Sept 8, 2014 19:19:45 GMT
Thought I should inform you that today I discovered the queen floating in my moat set up, I have no idea how long she was there but she is dead, which would explain a few thing with the colony behaviour the last few days. To say I'm gutted is an under statement. I had a good run with them and got a basket ball sized fungus garden but sadly no winged queens. This is my mission so I guess ill try again next spring but thinking about going Acro this time. Thanks for all the help and support you have all given this past year especially Adam and Deansie who I cannot thank enough. Ill still be active on here and will always help where I can. Mark aka Joona. Was very sad to hear buddy, Is the time and effort and constant modifications involved with these ants when they get going that you don't realise until you have them. I'd do exactly the same as you have done and not prolong long things, don't fancy watching the ants slowly die out. As they're not to commonly kept think we pick each others brains, I was picking yours 10 minutes before you discovered the queen lol! but nice to know I've been a help too you too. You will love the Acromyrmex mate when the time comes for sure,
Deansie
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Post by deansie on Sept 8, 2014 19:45:36 GMT
I'll be doing a modification to my new Atta island after what's happened to you mate so something's been learned something from your sad loss.
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Post by Miles on Sept 9, 2014 3:28:52 GMT
I am very sorry to have read this. I know how it feels to lose a queen in her prime. Hang in there man.
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Post by Joona on Sept 9, 2014 15:46:24 GMT
Ok bit of an odd update, after I found the queen I put her in a small tub with a little fungus garden where the ants swarmed her, I left them to mourn there loss and set about my business killing off the big garden and have some fun with the soldiers ( I let one bite be and oh my lord it hurts!)
Any way my wife was watching the ants behaviour towards the queen when I heard a scream from her saying it moved, and true as I'm sitting here the queen was moving a leg, a few mins later she was up and walking around, sadly by that time the ants in the main garden were on ice and not moving so I had no choice but to do some emergency housing. I put her and the smaller garden in a tank and now there taking leaves back to it and the queen is standing on the side like nothing has happened. I have even seen workers taking eggs from her so fingers crossed all is well. I have no idea how long she was in there but smaller ants that fall in sometimes wonder around after a few mins so I'm guessing not long. I'll keep you updated but I'm over the moon even if I have lost well over 5000 ants the main one is still alive.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 9, 2014 15:50:57 GMT
Great news!!!! To be honest, if I was in your position, I wouldn't have ended the other ants' lives so urgently. But that is very, very odd? I suppose the Queen could have fallen into the moat by accident. Though I think you should get rid of the moat as it is not a very safe idea with the drama that has just occurred!!!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 9, 2014 15:58:48 GMT
Gah! I was going to say to you not to lose hope and that she may come round when I first saw your post, but I didn't get round to it and now I wish I had.
I have had many worker ants fall into water and appear drowned only to "come back to life" sometime later.
Fortunately everything seems to have worked out for you, and I wish you all the best with them.
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