ANTSTORE World of Ants

[akell]

Hi Jan and thanks,
Do you mean a 100x100x200 glass tank? Two cubic meters?

[donbilbo]

I keep those ants for 7 month now. I bought 4 queens and 150 ants and they exceeded 1000+ some weeks ago. I keep them in 2 80x35x40cm basins with a third one in planning. If you choose to start with such a huge colony from the beginning you wont have 4 queens, more like 40, could also be only 20 or 200 queens, thats the problem with Polyrhachis dives.

[akell]

So that would be about 2 1/4 cubic meters, is that right? geeze, that's big. I'll have to get another 50x50x50 and connect them up, I guess.
Little critters get expensive, don't they...
Thanks for the info, I appreciate it!

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That's a nice looking set up you have there. I am waiting for a dives colony, ordered it yesterday. 1000+. I got a 50x50x50 basin. A bit worried it wont be big enough. I might borrow your idea, Snide, and connect a second smaller basin to the main one for easier access, as you said, less of a hassle for all concerned! I agree with Steve, these ants are proper nice, I can't wait. My wife will flip out though, can't wait for that either...

[SteveUK28]

Akell... if you really want to do it properly.. then build yourself a very tall setup.. and place a high tree stump in there... that way you can see them up high... there are pics about of setups like that looks good.. if i had the cash id make a setup like that

[akell]

Hey Steve, how are ya?
I was just over at the Antstore here in Berlin talking to Martin. He said the same thing. I'm going for the 50x50x50 with a tree trunk in it and a coconut fiber floor with two lids, open and closed so I can see em however I want. Teach them tricks. Perch on my finger like a parakeet. If they work out to be a really big colony, Martin says he can build just about anything formicary-wise, so I'll put a potted ficus in there and double or triple the height. I've got to be real careful with containment bcause if my wife, God love her, sees any ants running around the appt. I think she might accidently-on -purpose windex the whole shooting match. But hey, she's a beautiful German ballerina, so I'm not complaining.I'm really happy with these ants, I gotta tell you. They're in a travel container now. I'm going to pick up the setup tomorrow, save the shipping you know. I tell you, if you're in Berlin you should go say hi to Martin at the store. He's really a good guy. You just want to hang out, have a beer and shoot the breeze with this guy, he's that cool. Seriously fellas, it's great to have all your advice and suggestions, I keep saying I appreciate it, and I do appreciate it! Take it easy, y'all, only four more days 'till Friday...

[JimmyVe]

You defiantly need to post some pictures if your setup is finished.

[SNiDE]

Sounds good Akell, my only advice would be as others have mentioned ensure you have plenty of space- as you said, connecting other basins are a good way of doing this (and make feeding and cleaning more manageable). You should also be aware (if Martin has not already told you) that a colony of this size will need lots of food; my colony is around 3000 workers and eats about 30 insects a day, including locusts, crickets, mealworms and moths. Sorry if I've stated the obvious to you, and I hope your colony does well in its new setup

[akell]

No Snide, I appreciate your help tremendously. I a little short on feeding insects, at least live ones, at the moment. My wife and daughters have a thing about keeping bugs and worms and maggots in the fridge, so I keep them out side wrapped in about 30 newspapers inside a box. The temperature dropped to -5 out where I am so...Bugscicles. Any how, I have to keep a few live ones for the H venators while I wait for a new shipment from Reptilkosmos.
I have been giving them canned tuna (in water), and dog food which they seem to eat readily enough, but I believe healthy live insects, or freshly slaughtered insects would be best for them, do you agree?
They are not interested in sweets at the moment, except apifonda. I hope that means they have a lot of larvae to care for.
They have been in the new basin for two days now and it is huge. I mean 50x50x50 is not big, but when there are branches and twigs to walk on, I mean it's half a cubic meter! I was quite worries about the size until the nest went in, but all seems to be well(knock on wood).
I have a lot of workers carrying casualties around. They seem not to know what to do with their departed nest mates but I am sure it is all part of the Big Plan.
At Martin's suggestion I broke open the nest. I then sawed a log available at the store in hlf lengthwise, and fastened it in the vertical position to the basin wall. They have abandoned the original nest and have swarmed around the log. There is a perimeter of picket ants set up some distance from the main swarm, but no building activity yet. They are eating a lot of tuna fish though.
PLEASE KEEP SENDING ME YOUR SUGGESTIONS GUYS, caps lock is now off, you are all a great help.
Thanks,
Andrew

[akell]

Sounds good Akell, my only advice would be as others have mentioned ensure you have plenty of space- as you said, connecting other basins are a good way of doing this (and make feeding and cleaning more manageable). You should also be aware (if Martin has not already told you) that a colony of this size will need lots of food; my colony is around 3000 workers and eats about 30 insects a day, including locusts, crickets, mealworms and moths. Sorry if I've stated the obvious to you, and I hope your colony does well in its new setup

Hi SNiDE, hello all,
My dives are doing well, I connected a 40x30 to the 50x50 with a 1 meter tube, but they don't use the smaller basin at all yet. They do use the tube, and I get a great view of the nurse ants caring for the broods.
After some days they began enlarging the main nest. It started with a mass of ants clustering along the top of the nest, several layers deep, and so thick I could not see what was happening. Preparation of some sort. Then some would beak off from the cluster and climb to the bottom of the basin and pick up litter to bring back to the cluster on the nest. These ants with the litter moved through the cluster, sometimes disappearing inside the layers of ants. This went on for four, maybe five days. Then some ants carrying the large larvae made their way through the tube, always in the evening, and the other ants would make a lane for them to pass. In five or six days the main nest has grown about 2cm along an appox. 11 cm line on the top of the nest.
I have been giving them well rinsed canned tuna, cut up grasshoppers(they were BIG grasshoppers), apifonda, and a little brown sugar. They are not inerested in honey right now, funny... The way they use the larvae to glue all the litter together is amazing to see.