ANTSTORE World of Ants

[Andie]

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.

Hyperlinks sind nur für registrierte Nutzer sichtbarHyperlinks sind nur für registrierte Nutzer sichtbar by Hyperlinks sind nur für registrierte Nutzer sichtbar, on Flickr
Hyperlinks sind nur für registrierte Nutzer sichtbarHyperlinks sind nur für registrierte Nutzer sichtbar by Hyperlinks sind nur für registrierte Nutzer sichtbar, on Flickr
Hyperlinks sind nur für registrierte Nutzer sichtbarHyperlinks sind nur für registrierte Nutzer sichtbar by Hyperlinks sind nur für registrierte Nutzer sichtbar, on Flickr
Hyperlinks sind nur für registrierte Nutzer sichtbarHyperlinks sind nur für registrierte Nutzer sichtbar by Hyperlinks sind nur für registrierte Nutzer sichtbar, on Flickr
Hyperlinks sind nur für registrierte Nutzer sichtbarHyperlinks sind nur für registrierte Nutzer sichtbar by Hyperlinks sind nur für registrierte Nutzer sichtbar, on Flickr

[HarryAnt]

Great pictures
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]

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.



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.





Thanks for looking

[HarryAnt]

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

Here you find somce Pictures and Story of mine if you are interested:
https://www.ameisenforum.de/vorstellung ... tml?hilit= acromyrmex

[Andie]

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




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



You can see my blog here Hyperlinks sind nur für registrierte Nutzer sichtbar