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Post by Joona on Jan 10, 2015 18:46:55 GMT
Thanks Raj. I need to preserve the queen now lol and hopefully get her mounted or set in something. Gotta have a read up how to do it before she goes mouldy lol
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Post by Joona on Jan 10, 2015 18:43:11 GMT
Thanks, but it wasnt a good win lol. Three points is three points so take that anyway, but they have to buy at least two strikers this month, according to the baby anyway lol.
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Post by Joona on Jan 10, 2015 16:33:00 GMT
Thanks guys, it was a normal birth there were one or two complications but due to younger members I will not go into detail lol!
She's sitting on me right now watching West Bromwich Albion lol
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Post by Joona on Jan 10, 2015 11:54:44 GMT
Well on the 6th of January at 00:44 my beautiful daughter was born, weighing in a 7lb 3oz! She doesn't do much aside sleep and eat and cry but she is great! My two older sons love her to bits. Bit strange going through the whole baby thing again as we haven't done it for a few years, with our youngest being 4 and eldest is 6, so a bit of a shock to the system especially the no sleep lol. The day Lisa had her we were both awake 39 hours straight, I tried for 48 but couldn't do it lol.
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Post by Joona on Jan 10, 2015 11:45:50 GMT
Ah well they had a good go at a come back, but sadly the queen has died, after all they had been through I really wanted them to come back strong, but you cannot win them all! I might try again nearer my birthday and get around to building that big tank for the new colony but I'm unsure at the minute. Thanks for all the help and suggestions all the way through my experience with these amazing creatures, especially Adam who I cannot thank enough.
I'll leave the journal open in case anyone has any questions after reading through it all.
Thanks again Mark.
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Post by Joona on Dec 20, 2014 18:42:32 GMT
The fungus has stared to grow again which is a great relief, I keep kicking my self for not putting a second heater in there just incase. But its looking better then it was a week ago and that one little patch of grey fungus is now spreading. cannot belive these things have escaped death twice now! Albeit this time its a little more serious. They look just as small as when I got them now though.
The queen has moved to the back of the tub so I cannot see her so much now, but all the dead fungus is being dumped slowly in to there leaf container so I'll have to find there other box out.
Hopefully in a few months they'll be back in business!
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Post by Joona on Dec 13, 2014 10:15:44 GMT
Its not so much getting the fungus, they only need a pinch to start a new garden, its getting the fungus to me, with the drop in temperature at night and the fungus sat in a freezing cold warehouse over night or longer with all the Christmas mail I fear that it will end up like mine by the tine it reached me.
They have now chopped all the rose leafs and put them by the fungus that remains and there slowly going down. The yellow fungus is dead but the black / grey clumps continue to spread albeit very slowly.
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Post by Joona on Dec 11, 2014 20:29:45 GMT
I will add some tomorrow, the used to swarm rose lol
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Post by Joona on Dec 11, 2014 20:12:42 GMT
I don't think its warm enough to send now, plus your colony is very young so they need their fungus, but thank you very much for the offer There are maybe 100 workers and the queen now. Gutted man I keep checking but nothing changes lol. This is what my once mighty army have become.
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Post by Joona on Dec 11, 2014 19:33:05 GMT
Me too RJ, but I honestly think I was too late. If the do fail I may try again next summer, but fingers crossed they make it.
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Post by Joona on Dec 11, 2014 17:28:05 GMT
Hey guys, sorry for the lack of updates but with the baby coming very soon and christmas just around the corner things a little mad here lol.
Well the new set up worked great and the fungus grew very rapidly, my ants were in the thousands yet again! Until they started escaping again, sadly one got on to my youngest son and bit him, I know they hurt and that's when I expect to be bit, sadly the realisation came in that I can no longer have these in my living room (although every single person sits there watching them) with a new born if there gonna go all the great escape style.
I moved my leopard gecko from the conservatory in to the living room and the ants to the gecko's old spot. The temps were fine and lots of activity day and night. Until monday, at 5am whilst getting my crash helmet and boots I noticed around 20 dead workers on the leaf tray, I then noticed the temperature was on 4'c, the fish tank heater had blown its fuse and sadly that was that. I franticly ripped the fungus apart and the dead workers were everywhere right near the bottom I found the queen and a few eggs and larvae I raced to get a tub to put her in and scooped some fresh fungus in too but I had my doubts although she wasn't dead she wasn't very active, I saw a leg twitch here and there, I put her tub in an old viv I had and although now she is moving and the few ants I managed to scrape together I think the fungus is dead. Its yellow in places and fresh leaves have been added but its not taking to it, there is some grey that seems to be slowly growing but I have my doubts. I promise to report the out come of them no matter what. Mark
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Post by Joona on Sept 30, 2014 15:20:36 GMT
Looking good mate!
Once they have that second garden started all hell will break loose lol
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Post by Joona on Sept 15, 2014 11:53:03 GMT
Just a dead branch lol, something to make it look more natural. Not an actual tree lol.
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Post by Joona on Sept 15, 2014 5:09:46 GMT
I planned to use a tree, although the vine will have to do for a while lol
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Post by Joona on Sept 14, 2014 20:30:14 GMT
Yeah its in the living room matey, the plugs and stuff arent there now lol. My next set up is going to be bigger but with a big filter and heated water so I do not have to clean it every week. This is what I'm going for:
But with out the moss stuff on the sides.
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