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Post by TenebrousNova on Nov 9, 2018 15:33:28 GMT
I've always dreamed of one day keeping leafcutter ants and although Acromyrmex octospinosus is supposed to be a bit easier to look after, they're not as big as Atta. So, here we are! I got this colony from Chris of Antsrus, who has been a godsend to me and helped convince me to give it a go. First of all, I should make it clear that this colony arrived on the 3rd and I hadn't started a journal until now because I didn't want people getting excited over it if they were going to die during their first week. Please forgive me for that! The set up consists of three tanks. The larger two are linked together by plastic tubing and the smallest is inside the largest just in case they want to use it for their trash. Each tank has a layer of plaster of Paris on the bottom, a layer of clay balls and a layer of coconut fibre over that to keep humidity up. The ants themselves aren't too bothered about those conditions, but their special fungus depends on certain conditions in order to thrive and can quickly die off otherwise. Atta cephalotes colonies can reach over five million workers so eventually I'll have to either expand the set up or move the colony. These photos were taken on the first day, when the colony arrived! The queen is ENORMOUS. Absolutely gargantuan, definitely larger than a Carebara diversa queen. I'm sure you guys will know that already, but you actually have to see one in the flesh to really appreciate her size, because even though I had a good idea of what to expect I was taken aback when I beheld her for the first time. Despite her fierce and powerful appearance, she is actually a very slow and calm ant who barely moves unless she has to. She is covered in tiny workers at all times who attend to her every need. She's also covered in thick hairs that shine bright gold in the light. The media worker on the left was the biggest worker at the time. I put the colony into their set up (I hadn't thought of adding the coconut fibre then, probably a mistake) and the workers soon started hauling bits of old and dead fungus, weakened from the journey, to the top of the pot and dropping it off the edge. Media worker exploring the tank: Queen with workers: Part of the brood pile: Queen on the edge of the pot. To highlight the dramatic differences in size, you can see a tiny minim worker right under her antenna.
The next day, I discovered that far more of the fungus had turned orange and died. They had been shipped from Trinidad to Antsrus and then to me, so it must've been too much for it, plus the lack of the coconut fibre meant it was TOO humid. Sadly the entire fungus garden died within the next few days although the ants themselves were fine. I got in contact with Chris, who was very helpful and found someone willing to give me some fungus from their own A. cephalotes colony to replace it. All I had to do was hold out for another few days.
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Post by TenebrousNova on Nov 9, 2018 15:39:48 GMT
Fast forward to today, when the new fungus arrived! Lots of it was in the pot as well as some Atta brood. It also arrived with many very disgruntled ants who were looking after the garden and brood. I was initially worried about them but Chris suggested adding some of the smaller castes into the tank to see if my colony would accept them, and they did! I was able to add all of them and the colony grew about five times larger. The queen's workers soon sprung to life when I gave them the first bit of new fungus, immediately fussing over it and starting to move it around. The pot with fungus: The fungus has bits of chewed up leaf interspersed among it, so I know it's been growing. The queen has been sitting on the surface in the corner, apparently unconcerned by all the new activity that's been going on. I was very chuffed to see that a soldier pupa was included with the new fungus. During the transfer I was bitten quite a lot by the minor and media workers and it's like they've got tiny razor blades for jaws. Quite unpleasant. Hopefully I never find myself on the receiving end of this big girl's bite when she one day ecloses. A few hours later, they've been busy piecing the fungus together into a more recognisable shape. They will likely do this over the next day or so before they start cutting their first leaves. When that happens, I'll be sure to get more photos. In the queen's corner they've been digging into the coconut fibre and moving brood and bits of fungus down there. One day the fungus will form a royal chamber that the queen will stay inside, so I've been appreciating her and getting photos whilst I still can. They've also been moving fungus from the main pile to the queen. Hope you guys enjoyed. As always, feel free to comment. I'm so nervous and excited about this colony. Definitely my biggest undertaking yet.
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Post by Wood~Ant on Nov 9, 2018 17:06:12 GMT
Wow, fabulous photos of a lovely colony. Hope they do well and thrive.
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Post by Jenny on Nov 9, 2018 17:43:47 GMT
Wow Jake, you have excelled on those photos I feel a change of banner might be good to reflect what this forum is offering Hope they do well for you, but can't imagine where you are going to keep them all with your current colonies needing space
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Post by TenebrousNova on Nov 9, 2018 17:51:13 GMT
I'm flattered, Jen! I'm selling the marine tank so I should have space soon enough to build a bigger storage unit for my ants. The Atta queen has finally roused herself today. She is inspecting her new garden! They literally don't need anything else, not even dead insects for protein. The fungus feeds the queen, larvae and workers. The symbiosis is fascinating, I wonder if it was the ant that first approached the fungus or the other way around? There's even termites that cultivate fungus in a similar manner. The introduced ants that came with the fungus have still shown no aggressive behaviour towards the others, leading me to wonder if either they came from a related queen to mine or if orphaned Atta can simply join a new colony.
Update: More and more fungus is being moved to the queen's corner. She was perched right on top of the pile earlier.
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Post by TenebrousNova on Nov 10, 2018 12:07:40 GMT
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Post by Wood~Ant on Nov 10, 2018 14:18:23 GMT
Any idea what plant leaves you'll use for the fungus garden during winter?
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Post by TenebrousNova on Nov 10, 2018 14:26:18 GMT
Any idea what plant leaves you'll use for the fungus garden during winter? Bramble is always an option. So are petals from flowers got from the florists and bits of apple. You're supposed to give them a rotation of food so they don't get bored of it.
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Post by jeoff82 on Nov 10, 2018 21:33:24 GMT
So cool, id love to keep this species but I think they need space and high maintenance. Does the temperature and humidity have to be spot on 24/7? How are you keeping the temperature right? Also I think the jaws of the biggest workers can easily chew through your flesh so beware!
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Post by TenebrousNova on Nov 10, 2018 21:59:07 GMT
So cool, id love to keep this species but I think they need space and high maintenance. Does the temperature and humidity have to be spot on 24/7? How are you keeping the temperature right? Also I think the jaws of the biggest workers can easily chew through your flesh so beware! The temperature doesn't need to be as high as I initially thought. 25 degrees Celsius is actually just fine for them, higher than 30 can apparently kill off the sperm stored by the queen and render her infertile. Humidity should be about 80-90%. It isn't so much for the ant's benefit, but you're more looking after the fungus's needs than the colony itself. The fungus also produces waste heat and CO2 as it grows so in the wild, Atta colonies have cavernous nest entrances that act like vents and help bring oxygen in. If the fungus is kept happy then the colony will thrive with it. Outside the nest in the foraging and trash areas, I don't think the conditions need to be as controlled. And yeah, even the smaller workers have very sharp jaws (As I learned the hard way yesterday!). Hopefully the soldiers, when they eclose, won't ever get hold of me. This video by Brave Wilderness demonstrates what a leafcutter soldier can do to you if you provoke them (And yes, there is blood). In fact, I was recently reading this study into A. cephalotes leaf processing habits that found that the youngest workers have the sharpest jaws and stay in the nest to process the leaves whilst the older ones do all the carrying when their jaws become worn and blunter. I remember reading Kyle's old Acromyrmex octospinosus journal here from years ago. Once, they managed to chew a hole clean through the plastic tubing he was using in their set up!
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Post by TenebrousNova on Nov 11, 2018 0:02:21 GMT
I haven't actually seen any signs of them cutting the leaves I gave them, but just now I saw them putting this fragment on their garden!
Edit: Just caught this media worker hard at work with cutting up a leaf! For this photo I very slowly picked up the leaf so I could get a better angle. She was almost done by then, so I put the leaf back to avoid putting her off. Interesting the way she plants her feet to keep herself anchored and get more leverage.
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shane
Ant Photographer
Ant Species Image Gatherer
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Post by shane on Nov 11, 2018 17:32:30 GMT
Grats , All your time will be court up watching them . I do wonder with the queen been as bit as a tarantula spider, That the workers one by one feed her 24 7 around clock. Also if there in your bed room don't become lunch for them as there will easy cut through anything even plastic tubes as I seen on some youtube channels with room ending up been a foraging ground. Love the photos of the queen. Better take photos now before her colony grows and her daughter ants cover her fully or she vanishes in her heart of her fungus garden .
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Post by Wood~Ant on Nov 12, 2018 8:55:07 GMT
I would love to keep Leaf Cutter ants, but sadly lack the room living in a flat. Not sure what the housing association would say, as I doubt they allow ants as pets. If I had a house that I owned it would be fine, but as I am very unlikely to ever keep Acromyrmex or Atta I shall follow this journal with avid interest. Loving the photos and updates TenebrousNova absolutely stunning macro shots.
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Post by TenebrousNova on Nov 12, 2018 13:18:23 GMT
Thanks guys! Today I noticed some more chunks had been taken out of the fresh leaves I put in yesterday but couldn't see any signs of the cut fragments. Then I looked closer at the fungus and it dawned on me that it has already grown rapidly over them! You can see parts of the leaves are covered in the fluffy looking fungal filaments. The whole garden is looking good, not at all orange and crumbly like their original one was before it died. The queen seems to be in a different part of the garden each time I check although she's just as slow and calm as always. I wonder if she lays her eggs in the hollows of the garden, much like how a bee queen lays her eggs in the cells of her nest? The only problem is that it's hard to see just how much brood there is since it's hidden away most of the time, although I can see one of those soldier pupae is getting dark now. I certainly look forward to seeing that monster when she's on her feet!
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Post by TenebrousNova on Nov 12, 2018 18:45:46 GMT
I checked the colony just in time to see them starting to cut up the almond flakes that Chris supplied. Until now they weren't showing any interest in them. Straight to the garden! To answer my previous question, I'm told that the queen will lay eggs all over the fungus (Until her royal chamber is built). Workers then pick them up and place them in the optimal spot. Part of the reason the fungus is structured the way it is is to provide more surface area for the eggs and brood as the colony grows. It'll be quite some time until there's enough fungus for the queen to hide away within, but the more leaves you give leafcutters, the faster they tend to grow.
Update: More photos! Media cutting a leaf: Callow media among the pupae. Behind her you can see a soldier pupa, which looks like it might eclose before long. Queen being groomed by her tiny attendants: New bits of leaves being added to the edges of the fungus:
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