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Post by occultus on Feb 16, 2017 17:23:34 GMT
Hi guys, I've been inspired to go back into soil Formicaria in a big way(must be getting old lol). The Camponotus sericeus colony has been under my care for a year and they arrived with just 3 workers. It pleases me greatly to see they've grown so much and have overcome a few set backs. I've treated the colony to decked out soil nest as a thank you I'm sure they will enjoy it.
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Post by occultus on Jan 11, 2017 0:11:10 GMT
Hi mate, what temperatures are you keeping the Solenopsis geminata at? They are most productive at 28 Celsius. Try to have fresh protein inside the outworld at all times like a cut in half cricket. The sheer abundance of food makes these girls overly produce and they enjoy drinking the fresh fluids from prey.
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Post by occultus on Dec 16, 2016 11:47:13 GMT
I'm keeping them inside a tiny grout nest for the moment, test-tubes provide the humidity. Temperature is between 23c-26c at all times.
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Post by occultus on Dec 14, 2016 6:21:45 GMT
Now the elegant Camponotus sericeus colony are getting rather large in number. I discovered that there are two rather large majors inside the nest. They are inside a new nest that is more appropriate for their size and I can observe them easily.
They are very peaceful ants however they spring into action when food has been discovered.
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Post by occultus on Nov 25, 2016 18:46:01 GMT
Good luck with your future Empire mate. They are a challenging species but also very rewarding.
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Post by occultus on Nov 7, 2016 0:08:38 GMT
Looks like the whole colony is on the surface, queen included. How warm do you have to keep this African species occultus ? I keep them at 30 degrees Celsius usually with a bone dry nest. They've only just moved into this nest so the chambers were a little cool and the arena is the warmest part of their enclosure.. They do love the heat that's for sure. The Queen has now moved into the chambers. The interesting thing with this species is that they constantly maintain around 50% presence in the arena.
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Post by occultus on Nov 6, 2016 23:57:06 GMT
wow amazing! How come they are standing around in the foraging area? Nice looking set up by the way, what sort of lamp do you provide them with? Just an LED light Jeoff, the heat comes from the inbuilt heating that's underneath the arena. They were only recently added to the black nest. The arena was the hottest spot so the ants were comfortable on the surface.
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Post by occultus on Nov 6, 2016 15:59:03 GMT
I've given the Black nest to the Fulvo Tribe.
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Post by occultus on Oct 29, 2016 5:14:09 GMT
The queen has laid a lovely batch of eggs. The Bull sisters are protecting their future. Despite their fearsome appearance, It's amazing to see how gentle and attentive they are whilst caring for the young. Funnily enough, the queen is on the opposite side of the nest as if she wants nothing to do with her eggs...as far as she is concerned, her work is done ha ha! 29.10.16 1 queen 7 workers 10 eggs
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Post by occultus on Oct 19, 2016 21:23:49 GMT
I'm housing them inside a custom built nest made predominately from grout. It has built-in heating and hydration system.
Myrmecia pavida are classed as easy to care for. They come from Southern Australia so they can handle a dry nest. They can handle lower temperatures such as 15c but they do develop faster in warmers conditions. I keep their nest between 19-24c and the arena 23-28c
P.S Here is an overview of the nest.
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Post by occultus on Oct 19, 2016 19:08:30 GMT
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Post by occultus on Sept 30, 2016 16:22:38 GMT
I must say wonderful photo. The colour contrast of the cherry red head looks brilliant.
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Post by occultus on Sept 16, 2016 20:16:43 GMT
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Post by occultus on Sept 16, 2016 19:48:26 GMT
Camponotus vagus continue to be one of my most favourite ant species. Nothing phases them. The heating has been turned off for the remainder of this year. Hibernation will simply be me keeping the colony in an unheated room until late February. 2016-09-16_08-26-16 by che hawkins, on Flickr
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Post by occultus on Sept 16, 2016 19:09:20 GMT
My Polyergus queen has stopped all egg production. The slaves are actively foraging and looking after the daily needs of the whole colony. The Polyergus workers just stay still all day getting fed by the fusca's...Lazy ants indeed. They live only to slave raid. Hibernation must start early with this species. Next update will likely be in spring time next year.
Here is a video of the colony that was recorded last month.
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