ANTSTORE World of Ants

[Gubbtjuven]

Hello everybody, as the topic says am I having problems with my Polyrhachis dives kolony.

I'v got it about 6 months ago, it contained about 15 queens and 40 workers.
The problem is that since i'v got it, there has died more ants that there have bin born

I keep it in a 30*20*20 basin. Befor i used a lamp to heat it, but then i could only heat them at day. I have bought them a 7W heatman now so they are having a constant temperature of 25 C. I don't use the lamp anymore so there are very much condence, but would this not just be good for the ants?

The ohnly thing they have weawed is a plugg for the tubeopening.
I don't really know what to use for buildingmaterial, leaves, chopped moss?

Im going to move them to a bigger tank (35*20*35), any suggestions on how to decorate it and that material i should use?

Please someone; could you give me a hint of what im doing wrong and how to make them start building their nest?

/Alfred
Sorry for my bad english

[JimmyVe]

I think Miszt can help you out with it, he has experience with these ants, i don't.

All i can say is, 15 queens and only 40 workers, i think the workers have to much work keeping the queens fed.

[Gubbtjuven]

Yea, I think that starange with so many queens. Whats even more troblesome is that they don't eat much at all, I'v tried a lot of things for food.

[wanderameise]

I got 3 Queens and 50 workers....
but I had the same problems. when I got them a few month ago, I lost about 15 workers!! I still don´t know the reason, but after improving the air circulation and keeping the temp about 28° constantly, they felt quite better.
Considering the space they need: I guess 30 cm are enough for them!

[SteveUK28]

Just wondering but do you have the mat underneath the tank or on the side? an perhaps you could still use the lamp during the daytime!

[Gubbtjuven]

I got 3 Queens and 50 workers....
but I had the same problems. when I got them a few month ago, I lost about 15 workers!! I still don´t know the reason, but after improving the air circulation and keeping the temp about 28° constantly, they felt quite better.

Do you have some sort of fan, or just holes for ventilation?

Just wondering but do you have the mat underneath the tank or on the side?

Underneath, do you think thats a problem?

[wanderameise]

no problem. heat from bottom is ok, but during the day try to use ur lamp also!maybe 28° then they should be more active!
I dont use any fan, just a small gap for fresh air!
humidity is not a problem with this species. I used to keep it at 40% but sometimes I let it rain and it raises to 70% for a few hours!

[JimmyVe]

Underneath isn't a big problem, still it is better to warm the farm up from the side or from above.

[miszt]

I had the same problem when I first recieved my colony, infact I think that almost all the original workers have now died, as I only have much smaller workers out foraging, I'm sure why, but many of the Queens where killed, they seem to be stablizing now, but I cant be sure as their nest is inaccesable, however there are not so many dead workers being carried about now.

I would recomend you feed them lots of wingless fruits flys (freeze them first) as that will give the queens an easy source of protien, and will hopefully build the colony up again fast enough you can buy fruit fly cultures on ebay pretty cheap

Make sure they have plenty of water, good ventilation and dont make it to hot, I keep myne at 26C, humidity isnt a major issue


They build nests using anything they can find, I have a layer of spagnum moss on the base of my formicarium, which they build the nest with, bear in mind, that they cannot build a nest without Larvae, which they use to spin the silk, so give them some kind of enclousure they cant setup with, and then build a bigger nest as time goes by and the coloyn regains strength

[akell]

Hi Miszt,
How big an enclosure are you using for how big a colony?

[SteveUK28]

Miszt no longer has his dives.

[akell]

That's a cryin' shame, What happened?