10 replies to this topic

[Mettcollsuss]

A couple weeks ago I moved my 2yr old Aphaenogaster rudis colony of about 70-80 workers from their old, dirty Mini Hearth into an AntsAustralia Ytong nest. It took them a few days to move in. During which, a few ants died but I wasn't too alarmed as I assumed that they were either just old or maybe the stress of the move had gotten to them.

 

Once they fully moved in, I noticed a few more dead ants in the outworld, but once again, it didn't raise any bells for me. Today, looking into the nest, I saw that they had no brood left (I assume it all died or they ate it) and almost all the ants were dead except for the queen and maybe a dozen workers. I quickly moved the remaining ants to a test tube.

 

I'm now pretty sure something in the nest killed them. I'm wondering if it might be something like what happened to Tar Heel Ants type II batch a year ago. The dead/dying ants have those droopy/curled antennae that the THA poisoned ants do. The nest does also have a particularly strong odor to it. Does anyone know anything about something like this happening with AntsAustralia?

 

Also, this is a pretty slow-growing species; it took them two years to get to just under 100 workers. I don't want to have lost two years worth of progress with this colony, as they're now basically back to square 1. Is there anything I can do to extra-accelerate their growth?

 

Any help/tips/suggestions will be much appreciated!

Edited by Mettcollsuss, November 26 2018 - 6:43 AM.

[YsTheAnt]

Aphaenogaster love mild warmth, and will grow fastest if fed every 2 days, lots of protein. I'm unaware of any problems with AA nests, but I hope your colony makes a full recovery!

[Mettcollsuss]

UPDATE:

The colony has moved fully into the test tube, but they seem to have dragged in a lot of the dead members. I assume this is because they still smell like the colony, and they will be removed once they start to decay.

 

I'm wondering if the outworld could have had anything to do with this. It's an AntTopia Large outworld with a thin layer of plaster of Paris at the bottom and decorated with a few stones and twigs and fake leaves (they were all sanitized before being put in). It's unlikely, as I haven't had any problem with these materials before, but could it be a possibility? Should I keep the tube connected to the outworld?

[LearningAntz]

A couple weeks ago I moved my 2yr old Aphaenogaster rudis colony of about 70-80 workers from their old, dirty Mini Hearth into an AntsAustralia Ytong nest. It took them a few days to move in. During which, a few ants died but I wasn't too alarmed as I assumed that they were either just old or maybe the stress of the move had gotten to them.

Once they fully moved in, I noticed a few more dead ants in the outworld, but once again, it didn't raise any bells for me. Today, looking into the nest, I saw that they had no brood left (I assume it all died or they ate it) and almost all the ants were dead except for the queen and maybe a dozen workers. I quickly moved the remaining ants to a test tube.

I'm now pretty sure something in the nest killed them. I'm wondering if it might be something like what happened to Tar Heel Ants type II batch a year ago. The dead/dying ants have those droopy/curled antennae that the THA poisoned ants do. The nest does also have a particularly strong odor to it. Does anyone know anything about something like this happening with AntsAustralia?

Also, this is a pretty slow-growing species; it took them two years to get to just under 100 workers. I don't want to have lost two years worth of progress with this colony, as they're now basically back to square 1. Is there anything I can do to extra-accelerate their growth?

Any help/tips/suggestions will be much appreciated!

You could brood boost them if you don’t want to wait for their growth and want to increase colony size quickly.

[Mettcollsuss]

UPDATE:

It looks like they still have a few mid-size larvae left.

[Derpy]

Maybe try rinsing out the formicarium and outworld with some water and letting it dry?

[Hunter]

last time I had Aphaenogaster i had to make more ventilation, because they were gassing them selves with formic acid and dying.

[nurbs]

Was the nest painted? Did you give it a sniff?

 

This should be obvious, but asking anyway, but was the nest properly hydrated? Some species will dessicate quickly if there is not enough moisture. Mini hearths hold humidity well, so the change to Ytong may have jolted them.

Edited by nurbs, November 29 2018 - 3:41 PM.

[Rstheant]

I keep my 3 queen aphaenogaster in a test tube, in a nurbs Formicarium 2.0.

[Mettcollsuss]

last time I had Aphaenogaster i had to make more ventilation, because they were gassing them selves with formic acid and dying.

Ytong has good ventilation, so I don't think that's the problem. Also, I don't think Aphaenogaster spray formic acid.

 

Was the nest painted? Did you give it a sniff?

 

This should be obvious, but asking anyway, but was the nest properly hydrated? Some species will dessicate quickly if there is not enough moisture. Mini hearths hold humidity well, so the change to Ytong may have jolted them.

It was painted. I did notice the smell, but only after they had been moved in. I had also had the nest for a month before I moved them in, so I assumed that was enough time for anything to dissipate. It was well watered, though it's true that the sudden change might have been a factor.

[Rstheant]

Update?