44 replies to this topic

[Etherwulf]

I finally settled in my Odontomachus simillimus into her new home after she rejected the test-tube.

 

Thanks to drtmiller, Mercutia and Gregory2445 for the helpful advice. I created this set-up for semi-claustral queens after testing several others. If anyone is interested in the details, I'm willing to share them 

 

I went with sand for better contrast and it definitely paid off.

 

 

 

 

 

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P.S I do think that my choice of a heart-shaped box would be excellent for gifting ants 

P.S.S I recommend this as a marvelous anniversary/date present for your significant other. (Results may vary  )

Edited by Etherwulf, February 25 2015 - 3:32 AM.

[dean_k]

You know, I thought the substrate was cooked rice and the whole thing was a lunch box only to realize immediately that I am browsing an ant forum.

[dspdrew]

I thought that thing was shaped, but wasn't sure if it was just distortion in the pictures.

[Mercutia]

YEAH! When I first saw it I thought it was cooked brown rice with seaweed. xD

[DesertAntz]

Odontomachus should be a really fun journal to read. Good luck. 

[Servercheck]

Good luck! I'll pray for your success!

[Miles]

Please keep us updated with this colony. I am keeping Odontomachus clarus with some difficulty, and it's nice to see that others are keeping this genus too.

[drtrmiller]

The ones I kept became very nervous when there were vibrations or the air was disturbed. Any foragers would make a beeline back to the nest, and cower in fear until the environment became still again.

 

I honestly would have used a more earthy substrate, because sand doesn't really absorb or hold onto water very well.  But it's better than nothing, I suppose.

 

Be as careful as you can when removing the lid.

[Etherwulf]

The Odontomachus queen has since laid 5 eggs. The sand has been swapped out for earth. She has been responding well to food and has taken my version of the Bhatkar-Whitcomb diet supplemented by insects. I've added additional protein to mine so I shall observe if it is possible to eliminate the need for insects completely.

 

In this picture, you can see her clasping her clutch of eggs which she laid over a 24 hour period.

 

Edited by Etherwulf, February 25 2015 - 3:26 AM.

[AntsAreUs]

I really need to move south west!

[Jonathan21700]

Nice queen and good luck with her!

[Etherwulf]

She has taken quite well to my version of the Bhatkar-Whitcomb diet which has added protein and sodium benzoate as an antifungal preservative. The added protein has allowed me to reduce feeding insects and I believe that it might be possible to eliminate it completely.

 

I added excess water to the side of the container to encourage her to move out of the bark which was starting to mould. However, my worries were unfounded as she removed the mould and deposited it on the side, allowing me to remove it easily.

 

O. simillimus is a prolific egg layer and digger for a Ponerine ant. She has laid 7 eggs in all and has started to build a small mound at the more humid side of the container as picture below. The food and sugar water I gave has been covered by her in soil, probably for storage purposes.

 

 

The setup before the mound:

 

 

 

Also, I've since caught more Odontomachus. This one shed her wings immediately after I caught her. For the record, she fell down from the ceiling of my house when I was doing the dishes. 

 

 

I've placed one in an experimental setup below. The agar does not have anything added besides sodium benzoate. I colored it pink to differentiate it from the food I give. Note that the function of the agar is to provide less moisture than a conventional cotton set-up as Odontomachus nest in less humid environments and might fare better in a less humid artificial one.

 

Edited by Etherwulf, February 25 2015 - 3:27 AM.

[dean_k]

 

Also, I've since caught more Odontomachus. This one shed her wings immediately after I caught her. For the record, she fell down from the ceiling of my house when I was doing the dishes. 

 

 

[Etherwulf]

Agar test tube:

 

She has laid a nice clutch of eggs which she keeps in a hole that she dug near the agar.

 

 

 

Also, she has created an entrance by blocking up the entrance. This has made it remarkably easier for to feed her without disturbing her too much. O. simillimus are generally very sensitive to environmental changes despite their appearances. Hence, I've wrapped up her nest portion with aluminium foil which she accesses via this entrance.

 

 

 

'Heart box' :

 

 

This one has reinforced her mound with bits of jelly that I've fed her. She currently keeps her larvae by the side of the container, making it easy for me to spot them.

 

Edited by Etherwulf, February 25 2015 - 3:28 AM.

[dean_k]

The larvae do look quite different.

[drtrmiller]

Indeed, Odontomachus larvae are fuzzy.  I only ever saw one, first instar larvae with my colony.  Mine didn't do well, obviously.

[Jonathan21700]

Nice!

[Jonathan21700]

Cool looking larvae!

Edited by Jonathan21700, February 6 2015 - 11:30 AM.

[Servercheck]

Congratulations! It's been a while since I've seen those kind larvae! I'm getting excited too haha!

[Etherwulf]

I have exciting news. I managed to catch a larvae feeding on video!

 

Test-tube:

 

I switched her over to a clean test-tube with soil after the old one got covered in mold. This was my fault because I fed her Green V1 (no preservatives) despite knowing that Odontomachus have a penchant for breaking food up to carry back to their colonies. Thankfully, she has taken to the move quite well. Already, she has 6 eggs and 3 larvae. I've have been feeding her on Orange V3 and Green V2 mostly to provide protein for egg laying and sugar for energy respectively.

 

 

However, today I decided to feed her a live mosquito which she killed quickly in 3 'snaps'. They are fascinating hunters and their hunting behaviour alone more than makes up for the difficulty in raising them as compared to generalist species. Sadly I was too enthralled by her hunting the mosquito that I forgot to turn the camera on. 

 

I suppose this will have to suffice. She stored the mosquito up quickly in a hole and butchered it within 1 hour to feed her 3 larvae.

 

 

Here's the video:

 

 

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'Heart' box:

 

I counted 4 small larvae and 6 eggs. 

 

Meanwhile, she has established a dump site at the side of the box, piling up moldy food at the side. Also, she has used bits of agar to reinforce the mound so I suppose my food doubles as building material   . 

 

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I don't know how many clips of Odontomachus larvae feeding there are but I do hope these will be of interest to any prospective keepers of Odontomachus. Odontomachus do not have social stomachs and rely on carrying food to the larvae to feed them as shown in the video. The queen gently prys the mosquito from the large larvae at one point to feed another larvae, thus ensuring that all the larvae are fed. She herself has fed as can be seen from her enlarged gastor

 

So far, I think the test tube setup is very feasible as long as one makes a few tweaks to it. For starters, soil is a must as the larvae require it in order to spin cocoons. Secondly,try feeding non-molding food as much as possible to reduce mold build-up.Insects are fine and should be fed to ensure sufficient protein for larvae growth but remove uneaten food within a day. Also, try to keep part of the test tube covered with aluminium foil as they are very sensitive to light. .

Edited by Etherwulf, March 8 2015 - 4:35 AM.