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Hey Guys my colony have been doing rather well, the fungus garden is growing nicely and now is joined by a sister fungus garden in the next acrylic sphere. The ants were slow starting of this fungus garden and destroyed it twice before rebuilding it the third time and letting it grow. The queen is doing fine and as far as I can tell is still laying well. I haven't seen a lot of the brood recently but with the two fungus gardens and large size of the one there are now plenty cavity's for the brood to be stored out of sight.
Here's a few pics and another video , its rather short as there isn't a lot happening that hasn't happened in previous videos at the moment. Just wait until spring arrives and the lush green leaves outside should give my colony a well needed boost.
Just to note aswell , there has been a marked change in foraging behaviour, before the workers would run away at the slightest disturbance to the foraging area, but now they rush towards the danger and the few soldiers that are there join the ranks, also there are a lot more ants foraging now which is a great sign of colony population increase.
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The workers collect fragments of leaves and lay a thin layer on the floor of the acrylic sphere, slowly more and more workers add leaf fragments, in time workers collect tufts of white fungus from the parent garden and as they add it to the fragments of leaves a second fungus garden is born.
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Two to three weeks after the first fragments of leaves have been brought together the fungus garden looks remarkably different and has increased vastly in size.
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Heres a short video update :P
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Will update soon
Adam :grin:
Well not alot to say I'm afraid but there is a little. The colony is still doing great. The two fungus gardens are doing great. the first is now filling yp its sphere apart from a smal section where the queen resides. The second has now towered up and has reached the top of its sphere, the workers will now build it out and in a month or twos time a third fungus garden will no doubt appear.
Due to the size of the colony and increasing work force I have been able to connect there foraging tube up to there permanant tank. Its decorated like the tropical rain forest and I feel suits them well. :grin:
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Just behind the branch is the nest entrance, around this the workers are piling up the dead fungus and waste material from the colony.
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Heres anouther video of my colony :grin:
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Will update soon guys
Adam 8)
very nice pictures =D>
looking forward to the new pictures :D
Hello Mate , cheers , :grin:
Adam
Well Hello guys, I thought it about time I update my Atta's as they are doing rather well. :(
The fungus gardens continued to grow and filled there acrylic spheres, I took a spoon and gently carved a quarter off both and placed the pieces in the third acrylic sphere. The workers quickly settled back down and merged the two quarters into one garden. Three gardens now reside in my setup each tended to in its own acrylic sphere :D
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It has been great to see the new fresh growth from the spring budding of plants and trees being accepted by the Atta workers. Hopefully this new food source will fuel the expansion of even more fungus gardens. :grin:
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The Queen was unfazed by the slight dividing of her garden on its sister and eggs were seen being laid mere minutes later. :P
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Due to the potential size of the colony in future months and the complications with filming my ants that a glass tank possesses I decided to increase the space of foraging and build my own acrylic tank. Took me a few days to construct with the help of a friend but I think is rather fitting for them to forage around in.
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The workers scurry busily up and down the main branch to there foraging platform. A simple cork bark tube with a hidden plastic jar inside that conceals the water which keep the Atta's stems of leaves as fresh and alive as possible 8)
Here's a video update guys :P
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Bye for now :mrgreen:
Regards
Adam
Great setup you have there! Keep on posting photos!
Cheers,
Martin
Cheers Martin , I will indeed :grin:
regards
Adam
Beautiful!
I have some questions, what is the diameter of the plastic tubes you are using?
And how did you create such nice entree to the nest in your terrarium?
And where did you buy your plastic boxes?
And where did you buy your A tta colonie?
[EDIT:Mod]
Hello Floris , the tube measurements are 19mm out side diameter and 13 mm inside diameter, I then bought some 25 outside diameter by 19 inside diameter so the tubes would slot together nicely.
here's where I get my acrylic tubing from
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/6mm-40mm-Diameter-500mm-lengths-Clear-Acrylic-Tube-Perspex-Plastic-Pipe-/300845368714?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&var=&hash=item8bb78404d8
The nest entrance was made with some moistened soil that I moulded the ant entrance with and let it dry then placed it over the tube to the nest. the ants do the rest and modified it themselves :D
The acrylic spheres are from this place
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Craft-Wise-Ltd/Glass-Painting-/_i.html?_fsub=3&_sid=211330296&_trksid=p4634.c0.m322
I use the 8cm spheres. :grin:
My Atta colony I got from a friend , here's his website , it has his number on and he sells leaf cutting ants.
http://www.leafcuttingant.com/
hope that answers your questions mate :)
regards
Adam :mrgreen:
The Colony are going from strength to strength. More soldiers are appearing and there are many piles of brood in the fungus combs. There appears to be hundreds in these brood piles and the colony are cutting leaves well. The queen has been active among two of the gardens and moving to and fro between them guarded by a mass of workers and soldiers in tow. :D
The fungus count is going up and two new gardens have been constructed, that means the colony now has 7 fungus gardens. One of them was built in a empty sphere and the other was built in the foraging tube. I have added two new spheres and transferred the small garden out of the tube and into one of these where it is now being tended by workers. The colony is now approx. several thousand in size :P
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My setup with 7 fungus gardens now supporting my colony. More will soon be built :P
Here my newest video :grin:
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Regards
Adam :mrgreen: