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Post by TenebrousNova on Jul 15, 2011 13:10:58 GMT
(Log 23)The Pheidole seem settled in, I can see no further chambers apart from the one I described earlier, which no longer contains the brood. I can assume that they've been moved further in. However, they seem to drag prey food into it before giving it to the larvae- a few days ago I saw a spider in there. The workers are not always on the surface, they soon emerge after I open the container. Today, I have given them a housefly, and a worker quickly found it. I looked some minutes later to find exactly 10 workers swarming around it in the most ravenous manner I have seen yet. The lid was off at this point, and one worker charged up at me, so I had to brush her back down. I also placed a tiny drop of honey on a side, and the same worker began drinking from it after the fly had been taken. I looked later to see about three workers drinking together. I have still seen no sign of the queen, but that's to be expected as most of the colony seems to be further into the container and not near the sides. The workers have never let her out of sight while they lived in the old box and during their move, so I guess she's happy and safe. I think as a new food to test, I might consider using Jenant's tactics and offering them some cake.
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Post by TenebrousNova on Jul 17, 2011 21:50:37 GMT
(Log 24)I gave my Pheidole a quick check just now this evening, and found several workers looking for food. I then gave them a cricket and a little bit of honey which they eagerly went for. But, for anyone else who keeps Pheidole or wants to keep them, remember! Never take your eyes off them when the lid is off, not for one moment! My back was turned for literally ten seconds and when I looked back, a Pheidole worker was sitting on the surface of my cabinet, giving me what I believe was a mocking look. She almost got out of sight as I picked her up and put her back, just as a few more workers were sidling out of the container. Luckily there were no more escapees, but I was paranoid for a few minutes after shutting the lid, suspecting more gleeful workers to be watching me from elsewhere in my room. I think I've rounded them all up. There were around 10 workers on the surface during this time, so they must be content to be sending up foragers. No doubt they will attempt to carry out another of their nefarious plans when I next feed them. Wood was correct at the beginning of this journal: They are very entertaining. ;D
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Post by TenebrousNova on Jul 20, 2011 16:11:22 GMT
(Log 25)These little monsters are still eating everything that I give them. I've still seen none of the 'inner workings' of this colony (Such as brood and queen), or any more tunnels/chambers. But several workers still come enthusiastically to the surface each time I open the lid to feed them.
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Post by TenebrousNova on Aug 2, 2011 15:54:59 GMT
(Log 26)As always I have no clue as to how well the colony is doing brood-wise and the queen's health, but at least five workers emerge right after I lift the lid off to feed them. I've given them a few flies over the last few days, and old wings/legs always end up in a midden corner- workers do not eat insects to my knowledge, so there must be larvae in there that are munching on whatever I put in there. They've been drinking honey as always. But the strange thing that happened today? While I was feeding them, I noticed a worker with a very big head briefly poke her head out before withdrawing. When I first got this colony, there was only one major that died a few weeks later of natural causes. Who knows what could be going on in there.
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Post by TenebrousNova on Aug 5, 2011 9:20:23 GMT
(Log 27)There seems to be one main corner that they inhabit, at least from the limited view that I have of them. Any workers always emerge from the one corner, where there's about three small holes that workers sometimes poke their heads out of. To check to see if they need feeding, I look for foraging workers on the surface and they're usually happy to accept the usual fly and bit of honey. If there's no workers on the surface (Like yesterday), they can tell the lid has come off and send 2-5 workers to the surface to investigate, spreading out to search the entire set up. I like to place insect food close to their nest entrance. Yesterday I put a fly right by the hole, and suddenly the fly was yanked from behind and tugged into the hole- by one tiny worker. ;D I still don't have a good idea of the nest population but like I said, there should be hungry larvae and a hungry queen since random insect body parts turn up in the midden the next day. I'm sure workers don't generally eat solid food, so it must be a sign of life under there. And I swear there was a younger worker among the foragers yesterday, well, she was pale compared to the others. Today, three workers were sent out so that they could get the honey I had just put out for them. It's at times like this that I wish I had one of those fibre-optic cameras that they use to film wild colonies.
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Post by TenebrousNova on Aug 13, 2011 9:55:06 GMT
(Log 28)Because I'm going to spend the next week at my Nan's and I'm leaving today, I'm feeding all colonies who need it. I was surprised to see at least 10 workers running around on the surface, looking for their meal. ;D That's the most that's been out before. They took their honey, and I gave them one small fly and a spider. They have taken both into the nest, should last them until I get back. One of the workers managed to sneak out when I wasn't looking, and trying to gently pick up a worker without hurting her is a very delicate process. But she is now safely in the nest, enjoying the meal with the others.
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Post by TenebrousNova on Aug 20, 2011 15:28:31 GMT
(Log 29)The Pheidole remain secretive, so I haven't seen what goes on beyond those tiny entrance holes. However, they retain a voracious appetite and eagerly come to the surface whenever I decide to feed them. Usually when I open the lid there's about two or three workers looking around the surface, but when I gave them a small garden spider this morning, an additional three emerged to drag it into the nest. I decided to treat them today, and gave them another spider. By the time I got back, there was at least eight workers looking around for more food and the spider had vanished. I put in the second spider and seconds later, it was dragged under by an unseen force. Since there's about eight workers on the surface during feeding time, that means there's more down below...right? I'm really not sure what's going on with this colony, as I only see the foragers and I haven't seen the brood and queen since I moved the colony.
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Post by TenebrousNova on Sept 6, 2011 11:34:58 GMT
(Log 30)[/u] The Pheidole cannot believe their luck today, as I lavished upon them some crumbs from my homemade cheese straws. There were only 2 workers foraging at first, and now there's over 8 excitedly bringing the crumbs in. I can also, at last, make out the tunnel they take it down, with lots of workers running up and down it. The set up looks quite lifeless on the surface, but there is definitely a colony under there.
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Post by TenebrousNova on Sept 9, 2011 9:02:35 GMT
(Log 31)Close disaster! I looked this morning and discovered a huge fungal growth right over the nest. So I removed the infected soil and then noticed a callow Pheidole worker standing in the middle of a tunnel right next to a chamber. I briefly saw a big larva being carried around, lots of workers and then I saw Queen Omicron looking rather bewildered before retreating further into the nest. Well. At least I know that there's a sign of life in there now, I think I'll leave them for a few days. No sign of major workers, as I imagine that they would have been among the first to investigate the disturbance. I imagine that the fungus was caused by those cheese straw crumbs. I won't be so excessive next time. The workers are currently keeping watch by the chamber entrance and tentatively feeling a fresh dead spider. Maybe this peace offering will help them out. The lack of majors is probably a good thing, as they're mainly born when the colony feels threatened.
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Post by TenebrousNova on Sept 11, 2011 13:58:46 GMT
(Log 32)The colony is settled down again and still taking food when supplied. I had a pleasant surprise though, when I found that they've moved their brood next to the sides. The brood consists of plenty of eggs and larvae, and maybe I saw some pupae. I didn't see the queen, maybe there is more brood kept in another chamber.
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Post by TenebrousNova on Sept 13, 2011 16:32:07 GMT
(Log 33)The Pheidole have revealed to me their more developed brood- plenty of pupae in various stages. I can't see the eggs and larvae that I saw before, so they'll be kept somewhere else along with the queen.
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Post by TenebrousNova on Sept 17, 2011 13:23:56 GMT
(Log 34)The Pheidole and Messors are currently on my heat mat to give them a treat. In response, both colonies have moved all brood to the heat source: This means that I can see all of the Pheidole brood. There's about 50 pupae and larvae in one big pile, in different stages. I can also see some callow workers. At one point, I saw Queen Omicron herself as she entered the brood chamber to join the others. She is shy though, and didn't stay in sight for long. The colony still takes in any offered food.
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Post by TenebrousNova on Sept 19, 2011 8:30:04 GMT
(Log 35)The population of this Pheidole pallidula colony is starting to rise, with all the pupae and a few eclosing every few days. Workers seem to come from two other chambers that I can't see, and Queen Omicron seems to spend much of her time in them as well. Presumably there are eggs inside, although I can't be sure. Yesterday I was pleasantly surprised to see a major/soldier in the brood chamber. She looks quite recent.
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Post by TenebrousNova on Sept 25, 2011 9:13:16 GMT
(Log 36)This morning I've been doing a usual checkup of all colonies, and fed them. As I put the last Lasius niger colony back, I saw a brief flicker of movement in the big plastic container that I keep my colonies in. Investigating closer, I found it- a Pheidole pallidula worker, who was enjoying her unescorted, unauthorized and unsettling trip. ;D I managed to catch her and put her back, then immediately checked for other signs of Pheidole activity. Then I found two dead workers neatly arranged next to each other, near the Messor barbarus container. It turns out that the Pheidole are actually taking out their dead and putting it outside. I'm impressed by their intelligence, but one thing bothers me- if they can get out of their specially prepared container through the already tiny air holes, they might be able to get into the other ant's containers. I may have to keep the Pheidole in a different part of the room to prevent them from attacking other colonies. I'm surprised that they haven't managed this before, and I don't mind the occasional worker taking a trip- there is no way the queen can get out, so the colony can't escape- but I don't want them waging war on my Lasius and Messors.
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Post by TenebrousNova on Oct 1, 2011 9:48:18 GMT
(Log 37)I can expect to see a lot of new workers in the next few weeks, because a lot of the pupae are now brown or turning brown. Indeed, I have seen some callows today.
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