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Post by Zarbi on Jun 10, 2015 14:42:17 GMT
I see you've been busy with videoing your ants Wood. Love the 4 new ones on your journals, they are looking very healthy especially the sabs with all their brood.
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Post by Wood~Ant on Jun 10, 2015 15:51:12 GMT
Yes, I find I can get closer and keep it steadier than using a camera. I let Jen take the photos as she is so much better than me at close up shots.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2015 7:05:50 GMT
Sorry to hear about your Pheidole colonies ![:'(](http://www.cosgan.de/images/more/bigs/c021.gif) Any ideas on what could have caused the workers deaths?
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Post by Wood~Ant on Jun 30, 2015 7:13:50 GMT
Sorry to hear about your Pheidole colonies ![:'(](http://www.cosgan.de/images/more/bigs/c021.gif) Any ideas on what could have caused the workers deaths? No idea at all, it is just a complete mystery. I am sure tiny workers probably have a short life span anyway and die off fairly fast, but usually in small numbers and not as many have had died over the last 3 days. Not one of the young callow ants have died, so it must be more age related.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2015 7:18:27 GMT
As long as the Queens are okay, the colony should make a recovery.
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Post by Wood~Ant on Jun 30, 2015 7:27:57 GMT
Yes, all the brood is fine and oddly this has not happened in the Snooker Table colony, yet they keep the inside of their nest really dirty with some chambers full of rubbish (bits of dead flies mostly), yet they are thriving well so far.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2015 9:10:04 GMT
I have tried to keep Pheidole on a number of occasions but they always suddenly die out. ![:(](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/sad.png)
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Post by Wood~Ant on Jun 30, 2015 10:23:51 GMT
I have tried to keep Pheidole on a number of occasions but they always suddenly die out. ![:(](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/sad.png) About 4 or maybe 5 years ago we had a colony that lasted for 3 and a half years in a soil nest box, but this species didn't live long kept in an Ant World before that. All 3 of my current colonies are in acrylic nests, but like you say they are not a strong ant to keep. Odd really as some ants take to being in captivity like a duck to water, as some of mine such as my silver tank Messor barbarus have been with me for around 8 years now and are still going strong.
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Post by Thebugman on Jul 20, 2015 14:47:45 GMT
My pheidole pallidula colony with multiple queens have the same problem as yours, half of the workers die before eclosing, they are also in an acrylic nest; I am going to move them into something more suitable soon. My colony in the ytong nest is thriving, perhaps you could use one of Willows nests? I may buy one for my other colony.
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Post by Wood~Ant on Jul 22, 2015 13:03:19 GMT
Sadly the west wing Pheidole queen died today, and there were only 4 workers left so the journal is now gone. I think the east colony may well end up the same as there is no longer any brood, but the workers and soldiers are still feeding and the queen is fine.
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Post by Thebugman on Jul 22, 2015 13:52:56 GMT
Do you want me to send you some brood from my colony? They can quite easily spare some. I'm sorry to hear about the loss of your colony.
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Post by Wood~Ant on Jul 22, 2015 16:23:32 GMT
Do you want me to send you some brood from my colony? They can quite easily spare some. I'm sorry to hear about the loss of your colony. Thank you for the very kind offer, but as the colony is now mainly soldiers which don't forage every day the brood would probably be left to die in the foraging arena. The colony tends to stay deep in the nest most days.
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Post by Thebugman on Jul 22, 2015 17:15:09 GMT
Send me a pm if you want any, its easy to get the brood out of the nest, no harm done to my colony, hope the state of your colony improves.
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Post by Wood~Ant on Jul 25, 2015 7:56:02 GMT
I decided to give my snooker table top nest + colony to a 5 year old boy who is getting fascinated by ants. He lives with his mum and she was talking to me about ants the other day, so I thought this would be educational for him.
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Post by Phasenp on Jul 25, 2015 9:07:19 GMT
That's very kind of you Wood! I hope they come to you for questions :-)
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