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It's the first time I upload pictures . How can I do to upload more than 1 picture per post ?
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The ants in the "reconstitute stone" nest with the tank under were not doing well , there were few larvae and very few nymphs.
I could not regulate the humidity level so the nest became damp and took very long to dry .
Two days ago I connected the arena bassin to the tank with vertical plaster nest (occupied before by the Pheidole colony that escaped) after thorough cleaning and using the excellent repulsive anti escape . The ants moved so yesterday I removed the old nest from the arena. Immediately the ants became more active again and more interested in preys.
Last Thursday I started to give the Tetramoriums wax worms : It is the caterpillar of the moth that is the scourge of beehives and is sold in the reptile shop, the ants of the bigger colony like it so much that they recruit in mass, attack and pursue there prey like small scale army ants.
I will soon post pictures of the new accommodation .
Yesterday I also added a small acrylics tank arena to the largest colony.
The small colony had a high larvae and pupae dead rate .I think the to high humidity was cause of pathogenes proliferation
that killed most of the brood to a much lesser extend I had the same problem with the Myrmica colony that occupied the nest
previously . Now that they are in the other nest the dead of LARGE larvae continue (I think they were already infected )but the new brood seems to do better .
The larger colony is growing fast and the nest is becoming a bit to small . The 4 to5 mm thick dry sand-loam in the main arena is pierced by 3 axes of galleries , 1 attain the entrance of the tube going to the arena box . The roof crumble at many places but the ants used these galleries to move to and from different places of these arenas ,these galleries contain no brood but apparently only foragers . When I give a wax worm they recruit directly from the openings of these galleries .
Following what I did read and observed it seems that the system of foraging tunnels is an adaptation to limit to a minimum exposure to predators like birds or lizards wile foraging to the surface and having at the same time many workers ready to be recruited near the food sources .
As I observed in India with an other specie of Tetramorium , Tetramorium caespitum don't even try to capture any fast moving prey (at least above ground) , if they attack spiders or other predators it is as enemy not preys . There favorite preys are eggs, larvae like beetle grubs or caterpilars that they attack in group and pupae that they detect better than will other ants .
They are first of all scavengers of small dead animals and seeds collectors and to a much lesser degree attend root plant bugs. Tetramorium caespitum forage on the ground and climb rarely on the vegetation (or on the windows of their tank).
they move to foraging areas in foraging tunnels or at least in cra
Sorry I just touch the key board by accident .
Tetramorium caespitum move to foraging area in foraging tunnels or at least in cracks or spaces in pavements so this add to slow movement and dull color make them inconspicuous despite there number and activity.
A few days ago I connected a tank with a large plaster nest to the fast expending T.c. colony so the T.c. colony occupy now both nests (photo or film will follow soon )