sbeone
Honey Pot Ant
Posts: 44
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Post by sbeone on Oct 14, 2013 17:41:30 GMT
Ah Ok thanks, think I'll just put my portable radiator closer to that area. Set it so that it keeps the winter temperature dropping no lower than 15 Celsius (about 60 Fahrenheit) which is sufficiently warm enough. If it drops a bit lower during very cold nights don't worry, as the ants can survive a few degrees drop to around 10C without coming to any harm as long as they warm up during the daytime. Thanks ^^ Just made a another shelf for the basin at the weekend will post a "from start --> finish" set up when I get round to sorting pics out
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sbeone
Honey Pot Ant
Posts: 44
Likes: 5
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Post by sbeone on Oct 14, 2013 5:11:34 GMT
Ah Ok thanks, think I'll just put my portable radiator closer to that area.
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sbeone
Honey Pot Ant
Posts: 44
Likes: 5
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Post by sbeone on Oct 13, 2013 14:15:30 GMT
Currently designing a set up for M. barbarus and had a few questions to make sure the set up is ideal.
1.is it necessary to use a heat mat/stone to heat the outworld area? 2. After looking at some other posts is it suggested to keep half the ytong nest humid and an area dry for seed storage?
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sbeone
Honey Pot Ant
Posts: 44
Likes: 5
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Post by sbeone on Oct 12, 2013 17:01:34 GMT
Picture of my queen running about . Will a staff member move this post into the journal section please Attachments:
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sbeone
Honey Pot Ant
Posts: 44
Likes: 5
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Post by sbeone on Oct 11, 2013 6:26:39 GMT
Are there no corpses sbeone? This morning queen was missing, checked the arena found her and the missing workers burrowed in a piece of wood. Carefully removed the Colony and other wood decor. Hopefully they will find the nest entrance. Is 1 inch of sand too deep? Don't want them burrowing in that.
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sbeone
Honey Pot Ant
Posts: 44
Likes: 5
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Post by sbeone on Oct 11, 2013 6:23:42 GMT
I'd probably hold the open end of the test tube to the nest entrance and do what Black Ant suggested. Went to check on her this morning and she has disappeared, found her and the missing workers burrowed into a piece of wood in the foraging area,!
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sbeone
Honey Pot Ant
Posts: 44
Likes: 5
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Post by sbeone on Oct 10, 2013 17:28:50 GMT
Is there any way of coaxing a queen (L.Niger) from a test tube into a nest entrance without stressing her too badly??
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sbeone
Honey Pot Ant
Posts: 44
Likes: 5
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Post by sbeone on Oct 10, 2013 16:38:33 GMT
My basins all have white as there medium. Just a thin layer, but I can watch them move about without squinting! Next year when the Manica come out of hibernation I will attach a basin for them to hunt. Yeah think next time I build a basin will use a coral sand mix
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sbeone
Honey Pot Ant
Posts: 44
Likes: 5
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Post by sbeone on Oct 10, 2013 11:50:20 GMT
I recently purchased a l. Niger queen with 0 brood, do you have to hibernate your Colony over winter? What happens if you keep them warm? If she has no brood it is unlikely she will lay eggs this late on in the year. Give her another month and if she is still without any brood then you can hibernate her. Is there a guide about ways to look after queens over the winter?
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sbeone
Honey Pot Ant
Posts: 44
Likes: 5
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Post by sbeone on Oct 10, 2013 11:47:44 GMT
As ants from colder climates go into a period of dormancy over the next 4 or 5 months, most ants which shut down for this time will not produce brood, even if the species keeps larvae over the winter. Ants from tropical countries will continue all year with brood, as their queens lay eggs for much longer time operiods. I would never try to force a native British ant to carry on during the winter, even though they tend to be more active kept indoors than the same species in the wild. I know some who would say it is safe to let a young queen and her colony to remain active during their first winter, but they should still be allowed a period of rest for the queen to live longer and remain healthy during her lifetime. Ok, thanks. While they are hibernating do you feed them less over winter?
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sbeone
Honey Pot Ant
Posts: 44
Likes: 5
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Post by sbeone on Oct 10, 2013 11:45:19 GMT
Are there no corpses sbeone? Couldn't find any but that is probably due to the massive basin I had with black sand, which I'm going to change this weekend.
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sbeone
Honey Pot Ant
Posts: 44
Likes: 5
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Post by sbeone on Oct 10, 2013 9:43:03 GMT
Is there some reason over winter that you can't start a new ant Colony? Or does it depend on the species of ant you choose to keep? Or is it the case that the Queen will choose not to lay any brood over the winter months? Any help would be appreciated, struggling to find a book with info on this.
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sbeone
Honey Pot Ant
Posts: 44
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Post by sbeone on Oct 10, 2013 9:39:18 GMT
Finally and 6 days before the hibernation cool-down, my Camponotus Laterallis has a worker!
I purchased the Camp Laterallis a bit too early (regarding my experience) and basically just 'dumped' her into the formicarium. This stressed her out a lot and she lost all her brood. So I spoke to the chap at CG Ants and he said place her back in the test tube (I did not purchase the CL from CG) and place her somewhere safe. SO I did. However no brood was laid. I remember reading about placing brood from another ant and she will take it as her own. So I placed some Camponotus Herc brood into her test tube then placed her in the dark for a week. When I removed her to check she had laid her own brood and the CH brood was still there. The CH brood has now developed into a small worker (I thought CH workers would be bigger)..
The other good news, my Messor Barbarus has got 1 super-major in there now! What an impressive ant that is!
Anyway 5 days and counting. till hibernation. The MB are not going to go with the other ants to hibernation, I am just going to switch the heat mat and the bulb off so they can hibernate and room temp.
When I have sorted my business I am going to start a journal, and hopefully get some snaps!
Stuart I had a similar situation with a L. niger queen I purchased from ant stores. She came with 5-7 workers and the next day all were 'missing' except one. Not sure what happened. Is this common?
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sbeone
Honey Pot Ant
Posts: 44
Likes: 5
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Post by sbeone on Oct 10, 2013 9:36:25 GMT
I recently purchased a l. Niger queen with 0 brood, do you have to hibernate your Colony over winter? What happens if you keep them warm?
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sbeone
Honey Pot Ant
Posts: 44
Likes: 5
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Post by sbeone on Oct 8, 2013 9:51:26 GMT
Sounds good, I suppose it's such a cheap food source that doesn't go off like insects etc so make an ideal species to keep in captivity. Only if moisture gets onto the seeds, as then they either germinate or bond together and grow a blue mould. Kept in a plastic pot or bottle cap seeds will keep fresh for about 3 weeks, so I give my Messors fresh dry seeds every 2 to 3 weeks to avoid the mould problem. Sounds good think I'll start working on my next ytong nest soon :-)
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