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Post by Kyle on Sept 15, 2011 2:29:02 GMT
It can depend on the ant that is being kept, as my Myrmica rubra will walk over Vaseline like its nothing, where as the Pheidole pallidula and Acromyrmex octospinosus, will not even try and cross it, so much so that I'm happy most the time to leave the lids off. So Vaseline is a good idea, but of course a good fitting lid is normally the best solution, or with smaller species you can use both the lid and Vaseline.
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Post by Kyle on Sept 11, 2011 1:14:50 GMT
This is copied directly from the game antzzz. 02:30:45 Emperor_of_Rome_Constantine: Or, if you wish to be brutal, use the digging method. I dig for 3 inches then flood. The workers will flee carrying their precious brood&queen. I just grab them 02:35:48 Overlord56: oh my lord I'm doing the flood thing right now 02:37:20 Emperor_of_Rome_Constantine: Have you found queen? What species, by the way 02:38:39 Pxelsam_mk_II: What?, you plan on digging then flooding a nest? 02:41:54 Emperor_of_Rome_Constantine: That's how I get ant queens the brutal way 02:42:26 Pxelsam_mk_II: and does it actually work? 02:43:47 Veliptor..: I never seen the queen and brood flee from the nest 02:44:05 Emperor_of_Rome_Constantine: It works. I have seen it happen 02:44:16 Pxelsam_mk_II: Nor me, as normally they will just go deeper into the nest. 02:45:01 Pxelsam_mk_II: what species do you use that with? 02:45:24 Emperor_of_Rome_Constantine: @pxelsam That's why you continually flood until they come. A nest can only hold so much. 02:45:48 Emperor_of_Rome_Constantine: @pxelsam I use Tetramorium caespitun 02:45:59 Emperor_of_Rome_Constantine: Well, actually Tetramorium sp. E 02:46:26 Pxelsam_mk_II: No, I've never flooded a nest, as a largo proportion of the nest could be killed in doing so. 02:46:45 Emperor_of_Rome_Constantine: Unfortunately that is true 02:47:20 Emperor_of_Rome_Constantine: That is why I don't do it often. I usually use smoke to flush out or dig or wait for nuptial flights 02:48:22 Pxelsam_mk_II: Waiting for a nuptial flight is normally the best option. I really can't believe that he uses that as a valid way of getting queens, more so that he actually suggested it to someone else , then just say as if it's nothing, that he normally smokes them out I truly cannot believe it. Then a bit later this "I will kill as many [nests] as it takes to get a queen", the ignorance of some people is unbelievable, as even when I offer help, he blatantly ignored it .
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Post by Kyle on Aug 30, 2011 13:19:38 GMT
Ouch that does sound painful, and being with the eyes makes it even worse in my opinion, hope you getter better soon
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Post by Kyle on Aug 25, 2011 14:45:43 GMT
How is it you keep the water in the test tube? Is there not a chance of them drowning? There shouldn't really be any chance of drowning, all you do is get a test tube fill completely with water then just bung with cotton wool, as they can still get to the water via the wool, and if they do chew through the cotton wool it shouldn't really be that much of an issue. (but that depends where you have the Test tube.)
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Post by Kyle on Aug 24, 2011 23:04:08 GMT
I've used them, in fact still do, but never really had any ant species use them, altho feeding them to live food, I.e cockroaches works very well, I always use a small test tube filled with water so the ants can just drink from that, as the crystals tend to become a mess which can then be a pain to clear out, more so with lots of angry Myrmica running around
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Ytong
Aug 24, 2011 0:00:54 GMT
Post by Kyle on Aug 24, 2011 0:00:54 GMT
Carefully, the number of times I've got half way or more, and I've broken it in half , Personally though I use a dremel with a cutting tool, but I've seen others use screwdrivers, chisels, so you can use more or less what ever you want. It's said that some strong jawed ants (I.e Messor) can chew through it, but I've never seen it, altho I don't doubt that they couldn't. but as long as they are not over crowded, they shouldn't have any reason to try digging.
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Post by Kyle on Aug 19, 2011 23:23:35 GMT
Another quick update. Due to thinking the colony had shrunk when I last posted, I decided to remove an upside down pot that I thought might help them (this was placed in while I was away), and as I'd seen very little activity coming or going from that entrance hole I decided to have a look, and what a surprise I found; The tub was more or less filled to the brim with fungus as well as countless amounts of pupa sitting on top of the fungus, as of now I have placed another tub almost twice the size now, so I'll see how things go, as so far it seems they prefer the tank cut up in to smaller sections .
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Post by Kyle on Aug 18, 2011 0:53:13 GMT
Something that has really been bugging me for the last week since coming back home, is trying to get back in to a normal routine of sleeping during the night and being awake during the day, instead of sleeping from 0500 till 1300 at which point I get woken up. angelicdefender: you say PvZ, I have to ask but are you refering to a computer game?
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Post by Kyle on Aug 17, 2011 20:05:26 GMT
Workers without a queen will just die off given time, they may dig a nest but they'll have no brood of there own. Normally if you give pupa/ cocoons to a queen she will raise them as her own. No, I think the workers would kill the queen, although the name ring a bell as being a slave maker ant .
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Post by Kyle on Aug 17, 2011 16:15:01 GMT
Queens are easily recognisable compare to there workers, and they are very shy to light, and can be very quick to disappear. Picture of queen with workers
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Post by Kyle on Aug 16, 2011 22:32:40 GMT
For the placement of heat mats I'd put them on either the side or on top of the tank/farm, as ants in the wild when it gets too hot retreat further deeper underground to escape the heat.
Normally the smaller (in size) the heat mat the hotter they tend to be E.g. I have a small 10.2 x 12.7 CM 4 Watt mat and that's one of the hottest I've got, but it can only really be used to produce a "hot spot" rather than warming the whole tank, so really it depends if you want a "hot spot" or to heat the whole tank.
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Post by Kyle on Aug 16, 2011 0:55:54 GMT
Biggest problem is we are too soft, I mean whats the charge for murder now, 30 years? or 15 if your good, who on earth thought that people (that must have done something wrong to get put in prison in the first place) should then be let out early if they're good, and our country is too concerned with all that human rights stuff, I'm a firm believer of bringing back corporal and capital punishment, if they want to learn, they should learn the hard way, instead of filling up our prisons and wasting our money on them . OK rant over.
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Post by Kyle on Aug 14, 2011 19:35:44 GMT
All the Myrmica nests near where I live are completely empty of alates (apart from the odd male), which is kinda annoying if I have missed it, but may still get lucky as they could have been below the surface, but that's more wishful thinking than anything else, although a few Lasius nigers still have alates, but I'm still doubtful .
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Post by Kyle on Aug 14, 2011 19:25:29 GMT
Indeed very odd.
I've had her for about 3 years, so I'd say shes about 4 years old, unfortunately some things you never know the answer to, and this looks to be one of them, as there are no signs of mites of mould or anything in fact which could have cause it to happen.
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Post by Kyle on Aug 14, 2011 1:37:56 GMT
Yesterday (Saturday) morning I woke up to find my Messor barbarus Queen and half her workers dead, which was quite a shock really as she seemed fine the night before, and her gaster was slightly extended so she must have been well fed, same with most of the workers, and the colony was at about 100 workers including majors.
So I am completely puzzled by her sudden death, and rather gutted due to how well she was doing, even after the stupid mistakes I made in the past (forgetting to supply water after moving them to a new nest from a test tube, she started over 3 times).
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