ANTSTORE World of Ants

[Andie]

No, not me.

[Ukantzz]

No, not me.

Oh sorry for getting you confused

Keep us updated and keep up the work

[Mads]

Awesome!!!! Yes you are correct, fish and tackle shops here don't sell maggots. It really does suck! I will PM you, thanks for the info!!

They do out here in Alberta. If you look around online a few of the reptile food suppliers have them as well.

Mads

[Andie]

The colony continues to grow and there are always new majors with their orange heads in the nest. There is much more activity in the arena at night with many more majors venturing outside. I tend to feed the protein at night so this is perhaps why, or simply that they may just feel safer.The temps in the arena are barely 72f and i’m not really heating it except for a power saving light above which gives off little heat. The nest is still heated from the bottom and the temps there is about 32 f and graduates lower towards the top. Most of the brood is kept at the bottom where it is much warmer.









I emptied a pile of dandelion seeds into the arena which were the last of what i had collected last year to start the colony off with, but these have been mostly ignored, perhaps they are not viable anymore or just dried up. Now the colony is pretty much established dandelions are more of a treat and its much easier to feed millets.

[bugsy]

Fantastic mate, they colony is looking impressive. It has grown quick, if you get time you should make video showing the setup and the nest. . Good work.

[Andie]

Cheers Bugsy. I already want to move them to a bigger nest as they have out grown it and i want my C.singularis to use it. Half the problem with nest size is room for their grain stores so i have a question. What do the workers do if you stop providing seeds for them ? they probably have enough to keep them going for months.

[bugsy]

I've stopped giving mine seeds for a month now. The reserves were huge, they love dandelion seeds too. I just pour in some finch feed as the main source of food, but to answer your question the seeds should last months without the need to keep putting more in. My Messor erectus I am happy to say successfully moved back to a test tube set up and are now thriving. I thought this colony was doomed but the queen started laying again, shows how important the nest environment is.

[Andie]

Yea i just wondered what they would do if i stopped feeding seeds for a while, wether they would have a purpose. I wondered about your M. erectus good to hear they are doing well now. Your right though about nest conditions, and messor species will vary from species to species as my M.arenarius are struggling too. I took out the cotton bung on the end and all the eggs and larvae just seemed to of dried up and thats with the water reserve still intact. She has yet another pile of eggs now and i'm keeping her sealed in.

[Andie]

Nearly forgot here's the set up Bugsy @ 15 months old. Nothing special but it works.

[bugsy]

Fantastic mate, I think all newbies who want to start with this species should use your setup as an example. Very scientific looking too. I'm going to try this setup when my colony of Messor gets large enough. I love it.

[bugsy]

Oh how do you keep the net moist, do you pour water on the top and let it soak through.

[Andie]

I don't, tis dry as a bone but being inside a plastic container it should be humid enough...i think Someone said on this thread that this species dosent need moisture so i have never bothered.

[bugsy]

Interesting you say that as I too thought the same, my Messor erectus originate from North Africa causing me to assume they would prefer it very dry as is the climate in that region. I moved them to a small y-tong with a small basin attached, they happily collected seeds and made bread, but the queen didn't lay and the 3 larvae that came with the colony never grew. 2 months later still no development and no further egg laying so I decided to moisten the nest. To my surprise the following morning a small batch of eggs had been laid, so following the success I tried to keep the nest as moist as possible but the y-tong design wasn't suited to this. After a further 2 months the eggs just didn't develop and the original larvae were now smaller. I decided to but a test tube with the usual cotton and half full of water in the basin and cover it up. Over night the whole colony moved, 1 month on the queen is laying furiously with many eggs, larvae and dolls of various sizes. So what I'm starting to conclude is that as a young small colony the queen needs it moist, but as the colony grows it becomes less important as the colony probably provides her with every thing she needs. I believe yours started life in a moist test tube too so maybe this is the case, as the workers increase they are able to ferry water to nest and create the conditions needed.
Just a thought.

[Andie]

Over the weekend i decided to give the ants a new nest. It was the one i had made for my Canponotus fellah as they are still living in their test tube. I wanted the old nest for my C. singularis as its nearly time for them to expand. I took the heat away and uncovered the old nest to encourage them to move. It took about 2 days for them to move out, taking with them all their stores.






It did’nt take long for the ants to spot the gap i had accidently left, and quickly moved into the space under the false floor. Grrrrrrr!!

[AntsNational]

Experience with ants has taught me that no gap should be left unchecked! You have your work cut out for you now if you wish to repair this.. I wish you luck!!!
Cheers,
Vasi