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Andie: Acromyrmex octospinosus (8. Mär 2018 22:34)

Hi all been a while since iv'e been on any ant forum but this being the best i thought i'd share some pics of my Acromyrmex octospinosus that i have been keeping for nearly 2 years. There has been ups and downs with the colony, more so in the winter where adequate leaves are not so available and my ants seem particularly more fussy then other keepers i know. Anyway here are some pics. :)

https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2869/33377724250_5bff9bb56b_b.jpg 2 by Andy Johnson , on Flickr
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3855/33633267711_682a1c5ca6_b.jpg 3 by Andy Johnson , on Flickr
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4166/34734822596_39c9045452_b.jpg Acromyrmex octospinosus Queen by Andy Johnson , on Flickr
https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2942/33739347240_cae58fffa1_b.jpg Acromyrmex octospinosus by Andy Johnson , on Flickr
https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8648/27880410424_1855f8893b_b.jpg Acromyrmex octospinosus my pets by Andy Johnson , on Flickr

HarryAnt: Re: Acromyrmex octospinosus (9. Mär 2018 01:23)

Great pictures :ok: :-
What equipment u use for it ?

You have some pictures of the colony and so on ?
What size is the mushroom?

I have A. octospinosus for 11 months now.

Andie: Re: Acromyrmex octospinosus (9. Mär 2018 08:50)

Thanks, yes i use a canon 70D with a 100 mm macro plus the Raynox 250 added to the lense, brings the ants a bit closer. Also i use the canon MP-E 65mm.

I originally kept the cylinders in an insulated comparment and heat using a pulse thermstat. The smaller box at the front in the waste area. I have also moved the heat mat to the back wall as the heat underneath was causing condensation.

http://andysantblog.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/P1070107-768x432.jpg

I now have the fungus in a larger acrylic box, this has not been so successful. But this winter the ants have been very fussy as to what leaves they prefer. Blackberry being the favourite providing it's the right kind. They had a bit of a decline but are doing well again. The queen produces many alates of both sexes and i think this puts a demand on everything. There are many young queens helping to cut and carry, winged and non winged but i never see the males in the arena.

http://andysantblog.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/res-6-of-7-768x576.jpg

http://andysantblog.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/IMG_8784-768x565.jpg

Thanks for looking :)

HarryAnt: Re: Acromyrmex octospinosus (9. Mär 2018 11:57)

For a several weeks I also have a lot young queens, no males yet.
But my queens seems to be lazy - I never seen them cutting or carry yet :D

Here you find somce Pictures and Story of mine if you are interested:
https://www.ameisenforum.de/vorstellung-formica-acromyrmex-cf-octospinosus-bericht-t56029.html?hilit= acromyrmex

Andie: Re: Acromyrmex octospinosus (9. Mär 2018 19:48)

Interesting read :). Did you find out what that shrub was that looked like Privet ?

Be careful of temperatures over 30 c as this can lead to the queen becoming infertile if prolonged. Males have appeared about 14 months after the new queens and seem to die quickly. I'm not sure if they are being killed. The queens also are quite short lived. Not sure how long their lives are but there are both winged and non winged forms in the arena helping.

Queens helping to cut Peppers

http://andysantblog.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/on-pepper.jpg

Two males at the top and 2 queens lower down. The males are very similar in size except for their much smaller head.

http://andysantblog.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/males.jpg

You can see my blog here http://andysantblog.co.uk/