ANTSTORE World of Ants

[badman]

A week ago I found a workers body in the feeding area, the next day a worker kept climbing the glass, but falling down very quickly, and doing this over and over again for hours (usually they can climb the glass easily), so I removed it and destroyed it.

Then a few days later in the tube connecting their farm to the feeding area a worker kept running back and forth very quickly, another worker came out and the crazy one attacked it, the other one just defended itself but didn't really fight back. Another worker joined htem and eventually they just stayed motionless in the tube as if guarding it.

The next day no bodies, but no activity either. This was about 5 days ago, I haven't seen a single ant from this colony come out, no food has been touched either. They are usually active and have a guard in the tube at most times.

Anyone have any idea what might have caused this?

[JimmyVe]

Maybe some kind of sickness. Everything is possible. Can you look into the tube ? Is the queen still alive and how about the brood ? Workers ?

[ashhad1]

this happened exactly to one of my ants from the old colony in my new colony...
The old queens worker at first was normal but soon somehow injured its leg and never went back to the nest and kept trying to get up the glass but kept falling and did it over and over again.

I suspect thats its a kind of disease or virus that makes the ants 'mentally ill'
so i left the worker and well it died the next morning. thats how i lost the last 2 workers from the old colony i added to this new colony of ligniperda (ul understand more by reading my journal)

But the workers from my current queen are all totally fine.
I think that behavior should be taken more serious and taken under study by ant scientists

All i can say dude is cross ur fingers and hope the queens all good >.<

[KiamCameron]

Interesting same happened to one of my workers he kept trying to climb up and kept falling and when i put her back in the nest she kept running then i got her in and she ended up dieing...

[badman]

Jimmy - the tube I mentioned is a connecting tube between the farm and feeding area, not a test tube, the ants live in the farm under loam so I can't see anything, but still no activity.

Ther colony was doing well until this happened. When I first got them 5 workers died in the first week, but since then no problems.

One of my herculaneus workers died last week too. Maybe a coincidence, but I do feed them the same foods.

[highered]

What food do you feed them?

[ashhad1]

Yes i forgot tomention that when i added the 'crazy' ant backto the nest she calmed down but when she went backout side (like 1 hourlater) she did the same thingagain and then next day she was dead...

[badman]

mostly preserved mealworms and honey. Also fruit if I have any. And they seem to like mushrooms

[kashmir79]

leave them alone. wait for a bit, Camponotous can stress/ attack easily. even the slightest breeze of air can upset them.

[ashhad1]

you right kashmir when i just open up the out world were my ytong is inside with my camponotus and i just breath alittle they sometimes go crazy and round around a lilttle lol

[badman]

well like I said, my ligniperda aren't shy at all, the herculaneus are, but the ligniperda are usualy very active and post guards too. Still no signs of life.

[kashmir79]

how many do you have in this colony. because young colonies hardly venture outside for the first few weeks

[badman]

This is not a new colony there were 8 workers when I received them nearly a year ago and have 15-20 now. To be honest I have not found this colony to be scared by anything, they are more likely to act aggressively to anything unusual. until this incident they were digging new chambers to the nest, and loam was be deposited above ground. This activity has stopped as well.

Time to write this one off.

[gabranth]

15-20 workers = young colony

[badman]

Yes I know it is a young colony, but he asked if they were new, as in a few weeks old. I have had them much longer.

But to me this seems totally unlike their usual behaviour. The ligniperda are usually aggressive and they will be eating food 2 minutes after I place it in their basin. not seeing them for this long is worrying. I am concerned about the conditions of my farm too, It's possibly too wet.