Slovakia greetings

[Skippy]

Hello,

I do not speak Deutch or another language you talking here , but it just show you that this forum is up to very well quality and it is pleasure to sometimes look here for what is new by google translator

We in Central Europe only now starting to keep ants aswell , but me is keeping for several years. I am specializing on keeping Ponerinae or similar ants (Ponera , Myrmecina , Proceratium ...) , and now I am working on my own ant-shop , what will be opened probably at the start of next year for whole Europe

of course , this is me , young keeper and hunter , photo taken in Krka natonal park (Croatia)



And some pics from my formicaries ...

Messor arenarius ratus
http://forum.mravce.info/download/file.php?id=192
http://forum.mravce.info/download/file.php?id=190
http://forum.mravce.info/download/file.php?id=188
http://forum.mravce.info/download/file.php?id=191

Camponotus nigriceps:
http://forum.mravce.info/download/file.php?id=199
a bit wet there fresh made formicary at taking photo
http://forum.mravce.info/download/file.php?id=197
http://forum.mravce.info/download/file.php?id=198

Pachycondyla rufipes:
http://forum.mravce.info/download/file.php?id=195
http://forum.mravce.info/download/file.php?id=194

... and more , wish many happy visitors here

Adrian

[Floris]

Welcome to Antforum.nl, Adrian!
It is good to see foreigners on the forum, thanks for introducing yourself.

[XToF]

Hi Adrian,

Nice to see you here! Thanks for your compliments .

[mpower000]

Welcome to this forum Adrian!
Thanks for the pictures and good luck with your ant-shop!

[McK]

Hey, welcome to the forum!

And you are right, the C. nigriceps nest is way to moist, I have a colony myself and they don't like that at all!

[Skippy]

yes , because i used there one plaster/ytong combination mechanise to moisture and I was just testing it - I was not think that it will works so good heh + heating on it = drops on glass. But after some days it became okay. Nigriceps were only for testing and now I am using this nest on exhebitions. Next version of same type is a bit updated , useful for Camponotus ligniperda or similar. It is easy to regulate moisture effect during making this nest , so by specie what somebody wants to keep there is possible to make this formicary prepared to image climate (better to say humidity..) where that specie live. For example dry ytong with moderate air in ... , wet ytong on bottom with moderate humidity , all wet ytong with moderate humidity , up to wet ytong and wet air (but this variation is dangerous because of mold infections for ants - RIP Odontoponera - low ventilation effect). But I´ve got idea how to do ventilation also for very wet types , need build and ask pachycondyla what she says
- it means , that you can moisture how much you can (give water to special tank in formicary) , but it always will be fo.ex. wet ytong at bottom + moderate air ... , only for longer time

[Everio]

Welcome!

Good to see foreigners! Nice seeing you already have experience with keeping ants!

[semar]

Welcome Ardian. sukses with youre ants.

[Everio]

I do not speak Deutch or another language you talking here

Well we speak Dutch here, not Deutch (Also called German. )

[semar]

Sorry, welcome here Adrian, sukses with youre ants

Friendley greatings
Semar(Dominique)

[Skippy]

Well we speak Dutch here, not Deutch (Also called German. )

agghhh my mistake in spelling

[Floris]

Well, actually it's more a 'mistake' in the English language. ;)

[Skippy]

Messor arenarius
http://forum.mravce.info/download/file.php?id=262
http://forum.mravce.info/download/file.php?id=261
http://forum.mravce.info/download/file.php?id=260

Pachycondyla rufipes
http://forum.mravce.info/download/file.php?id=259
http://forum.mravce.info/download/file.php?id=258
http://forum.mravce.info/download/file.php?id=257

[Everio]

Very nice!

your Pachycondyla rufipes, there is alot of dirt on the glass? Is your outside world on top of the nest with dirt on the glass? So when you want to look in the nest itself you move a side the dirt?

[Skippy]

yes , I used this:


(without glass arena)

and I put it in aquarium ... covered with coconut wood pulp also known as lignocel. It keeps humid very well.


Aswell Pachycondyla rufipes is underground specie , you need to make or soil nest , or half-soil nest. Another types are not much possible/effective , because it is ponerinae ant which like to hunt in substrate many kind of insects.

So in ytong is one bigger enter , and all covered with lignocel , when I want see ants inside I just uncover these 3-4 cm of substrate to see how are they. On substrate is also tropical moss , but I have not photo of all formicary at the moment - it is just for better view.

http://forum.mravce.info/download/file.php?id=39
http://forum.mravce.info/download/file.php?id=40

There are always 1-2 workers digging in soil ... but not stable holes only trying to find insects I put there. In nature you can find also many holes with diameter 5m , but in fact it is mostly hunting area not a nest.

There is cca 25 cocoons and 20 larvae now , but I can´t see new eggs. Now I am not sure , if period of gamergate is so long (7-8 weeks+ ? ) , or if it was one of 4 workers which were died.

[ProXi]

Are you from Antstore ?
I have seen this nickname before