ANTSTORE World of Ants

[jeffrey432]

Haha i've seen the video i loved it

[Mikey_Bustos]

Here is a crazy video of my Mymica rubras annihilating a beetle larva... The video is in two parts (The footage of Part 2 is my favourite) and is a single shot, and has honestly got to be some of the most surprising video footage I've ever taken of my rubra colony. The ants come pouring in from everywhere! lol! So for those of you who like to see ants in the heat of their aggression killing prey, hope you enjoy this video!

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Also, guys, for all those on Facebook, be sure to join the Ants & Myrmecology Facebook Group to connect with other Ant-lovers from around the world: Hyperlinks sind nur für registrierte Nutzer sichtbar

[jeffrey432]

haha seen it already and i already joined your group

Love your colony how is it going now?
And thanks for the advise with giving more food and heat its really working !!

[SteveUK28]

Hiya Mikey, how are they doing now? In hibernation im guessing??

[Mikey_Bustos]

Yup, they're definitely hibernating now. They've slowed down enormously and their appetites have decreased. Thank goodness! Also, I have found that many have died suddenly right before hibernation. The colony is now down to just 30% of the original colony, but all the queens still seem to be alive, and there is still brood, eggs, and larvae.

[jeffrey432]

Wow 30% is pretty much!
Can't wait to see new videos of your colony
When they get out hibernation again im going to search for nests and queen i want a huge colony like yours

[SteveUK28]

A fair few of mine die off too Mikey.. must be what they do.. second year they have done it for me now.. Next year il be moving them to a shed and letting them have a hunt outside

[Mikey_Bustos]

Exciting times!

So, as some of you may know I opened up my own ants store selling our original Stone formicaria, and launched our superior formicaria we call Habitat Nests. Feel free to check them out! They truly create the perfect naturalistic environments for ants without sacrificing visibility. http://www.mikeybustos.ca/antscanadastore.asp#formicaria



Anyway, I have begun waking up my Myrmica rubra colony from hibernation and their egg production has begun like crazy once again. I've connected their grout nest to one of our Habitat Nests to induce a move. The habitat nests are superior in moisture retention and feel the Myrmica rubras will be much more comfortable in one of our Habitat Nests.



The rubras back in the grout nest... the first batch of eggs for the year







And here's the connection from the grout nest into their new home, the Habitat Nest...





And finally photos of the gradual move...

























The first queen to move in...









They've even begun moving the pupae into the new home...





I'm so pleased with these ants, and though they reduced in colony size before and during the winter, I have a feeling they will become huge again like they were last summer!

[jeffrey432]

Haha, alot of eggs already!
I dont even have so much eggs!
Really awesome to see!
Can't wait for new video's of it!

[Mikey_Bustos]

Yeah they're so productive and they've always been a strong colony! The funny part is they're still hibernating. I will definitely create some great videos this year on them.

The colony begins to move in slowly into the Habitat Nest as their grout nest gets drier. Two queens have moved in now, as well as some eggs and larvae. (One of the queens has a puncture... poor her)











UPDATE: Just checked and a third queen has officially moved in.

[JimmyVe]

Great pictures, colony is doing great i see.

[Mikey_Bustos]

Thanks, JimmyVe!

The ants have fully moved in now. I am detaching them from the old grout nest and am going to wash it out. Excited about their new home!

Here are the photos of the colony in their new place.

[Krabbie]

Beautifull pictures!
I hope my rubras will grow that big

[Eretikas]

Nice job, and a lot of pictures, as always

[Mikey_Bustos]

I got this colony to move into a new smaller Habitat Nest, and wow, the visibility was great for photography!





Lots of brood to start off the season!