Yesterday I went to Gent-Sint-Pieters to pick up the colonie. There I received the colonie from Xtof.
A harvesting ant species from North-Amerika, wich lives in the southwest,(Arizona).
The sting of this red-brown coloured ants should be 4 times more painful as the sting of wasp and the pain should persist for 24 houres.
The colonie counts approximately 30 workers, it isn't very easy to count ants in a soil nest.
I have seen 2 larvae, but I guess there are more, deeper in the nest.
The nest is in a round plastic box, wich has a diameter of 8/9cm.
The lid contains a hole coverd with a grid, this is for ventilation.
The subsoil consists of a mix of sand, gravel and lanigera sand.
Yesterday I offered them a Thermobia domestica but they didn't accept it, they didn't even looked at it. Today I tryed offering a cricket, the ants bit off the legs and took them to the nest. The ants drink the amino acid dissolution rather swiftly.
A worker who's exploring the outside world, you can see the offered Thermobia domestica.
A few pictures from a worker in a test-tube, this way I can take better pictures.
Today I measured the workers and came to the conclusion that they are around 5mm big.
Today the ants have also been digging, the outside world was full of piles of sand.
The colonie is very active in the outsid world, I often see about 10 workers running around.
They react very agressive when I open the lid
I can see them running around with their jaws wide open.
They also slip very easy, but that's because they don't have a good grip on plain walls.
When they run against a pile of sand with their heads, you can see that the sand sticks to the head. The worker removes the sand by washing herself
Anti-mite prevention, through stick two sided tape on the edge of the plastic box.
Re: Pogonomyrmex occidentalis (mn) (English)
Geplaatst: 20 mar 2010, 15:02
door mn
Three workers died, the reason I don't know.
Further it goes wel.
Re: Pogonomyrmex occidentalis (mn) (English)
Geplaatst: 26 mar 2010, 22:26
door mn
Pogonomyrmex by offering a cricket and a Thermobia domestica. By the cricket you also see that the legs bite off by the ants and they take them to the nest.
I am also worried because what I've changed on the setup. The whole place was evaporated. And I found some drowned workers in the condensation on the lid.
After a few problems with the nest. I decided too re-install te whole nest. (New glassplate, new sand...)
As Anti-outbreak prevention I have take tacl. Normally is it not necessary because the workers cant walk on plastic or glass.
Some pictures of the set-up
I have the old outside world overturned in the news outside world (that wasn't my intention...).
But the ants are al okay. I have seen some larvae, pupea, some eggs, and some new workers.
The last 4 days I haven't see any workers in the outside world. But there were no problems in the nest.
The workers also have crushed some seeds.
Re: Pogonomyrmex occidentalis (mn) (English)
Geplaatst: 01 mei 2010, 21:37
door mn
Much seeds are crushed, through the seeds there is enough food in the nest, so I think thats the reason of the low activity. I have only see 1-2 workers in the outside world the last days. I also have placed a lamp above the outside world, so it's warmer.
The ants drink the amino acid rather swiftly. Crickets, Thermobia domestica and fruit flies are the only insects I have given them. But through the seeds they didn't accept it.
There are 5-6 pupae, 5-7 big larvae, a 20-25 smal larvae/eggs.
2 pictures, not the best quality...
Some workers with seeds, you see a small larvae and a pupae.
There are around the 15 to 20 pupae in the nest, some big larvae (5-7). I haven't seen any eggs or small larvae.
Big activity today, a big cricket and some fruit flies are been eating.
I also like the way they run around the outside world, it is getting finer to see them them busy!
The colony does it great! There are more than 20 pupea, some larvea, and there are new eggs!
A bad picture of the brood, all in one chamber. You also see that the chamber is made bigger. (In comparison whit the photo of the previous update.)
Again a bad picture, this time of the nest, sorry for bad quality. I think this is only 50% of the whole nest, the other 50% is in the sand of the outside world. There are also much tunnels in the outside world. But I can't see what is going on there.
Accidentally I have drop some hamster poop in the outside world of this ants. Apparently they like it!
Because the central of the nest has been dehydrated, that part was collapsed. No problems so far. But now I can't see anymore what is going on in the nest.
Re: Pogonomyrmex occidentalis (mn) (English)
Geplaatst: 01 jun 2010, 18:41
door mn
Yesterday, I have take a look again. I have seen a 20/30 pupae, larvae and a 10 new workers. This was a fast look, after a couple seconds the nest was again collapsed. I wil try to make new pictures.
Re: Pogonomyrmex occidentalis (mn) (English)
Geplaatst: 03 jun 2010, 18:33
door mn
Some pictures. This are the 2 chambers with brood, and a picture of the queen.
You see the calcification on the window. Thats because I use water with calcium. I want to move them to a new nest. Than I only gonna use water with no calc.
The new formicarium! It is the same concept Like the formicarium where they are in now, but only bigger. Size is 100 x 30 x 40. (LxHxW).
The place where the nest needs to come, is 2 Centimeters wide, between the glassplate that I just have placed. Maybe later I will add a lampshade.
Yesterday I have added a small glassplate, so there is no movement of the big glassplate anymore. That's safer for the ants and for me. If i haven't do that, the sand wil not be stable anymore. And than there is a risk that the nest will sag and be destroyed. Also It's possible the glassplate will sag.
Today I have worked farther on the new nest.
This time I added the sand in the nest and the outside world, and I added some grasses.
The soil consists of a mix of sand, gravel and Chinchilla bad-sand.
Than mix it together.
Added the first sand in the outside world.
Than added sand in to the nest.
And than I added some grasses, if that's oke I will add much more of them.
Now I only need to make the heatmat and the lampschade.
The most dangerous enemies of this ants are lizards and spiders.
See this picture of lizard poop, you see al the dead ants:
A jumping spider catch a Pogonomyrex sp. male.
Pictures are from that site.
Re: Pogonomyrmex occidentalis (mn) (English)
Geplaatst: 17 jun 2010, 14:19
door mn
There is almost no activity in the outside world, I don't now what's the reason. There are around the 40 pupae and larvae, also a couple eggs.
Re: Pogonomyrmex occidentalis (mn) (English)
Geplaatst: 19 jun 2010, 13:29
door mn
Re: Pogonomyrmex occidentalis (mn) (English)
Geplaatst: 23 jun 2010, 16:42
door mn
Some seeds in the nest are started to germinate:
I also think that the ant can't see red light. I think that because they covered the glas with sand, and the light that comes true the sand gets red, and thats no problem for the ants, others they put more sand on it, so there comes no light true it.
The colony is going wel! There are more and more ants active in the outside world.
I give flies and small crickets, they start with accepting it. There are mostly 15 ants active if there is food.
I think the reason that they are back active is that there now is a lamp that lights the whole place, and not only the outside world.
Re: Pogonomyrmex occidentalis (mn) (English)
Geplaatst: 10 jul 2010, 16:54
door mn
Good day,
The colony is going great! There always up to 15 workers active, and when I feed them there are sometimes up to 30 workers active.
Today some video's of the outside activity's. You also see that the ants lay the gravel around the nest entrance.