74 replies to this topic

[BeginnerAntKeeper]

Your colonies are doing so well! I’ve had my Tetramorium Walshi for I believe about a year and it still only has 1 worker and 3 unhatching eggs...

[ANTdrew]

Update 6-29-2019
I guess I’m a confirmed insect nerd now, but I’m really excited about the growing number of springtails I’m seeing in the Tetrararium recently. They are tiny whitish ones that I see down in the gravel drainage layer zipping about. I just found these in my compost bin and dumped them in when I first set up the tank. I had feared that all the decomposers had been annihilated, but thankfully that is not the case!

Edited by ANTdrew, June 29 2019 - 5:21 PM.

[Scherme]

Very nice. 

 

A vivarium/paludarium is definitely a long term goal for me.

 

Do you have a light setup for it?

 

Are you still watering with the cup?

Edited by Scherme, July 1 2019 - 10:36 AM.

[ANTdrew]

Thank you, Scherme. It’s a fun way to keep ants in my opinion.
The betta tank actually came with a light. I have the tank on a lazy susan base, though, so I never set it up because the cord would get in the way.
I am hydrating the thing every three days or so with the drippy cup. I also use a plastic syringe to shoot water direct on the plants.

[ANTdrew]

Update 7-3-2019

This colony continues to thrive. One thing I'm appreciating about this dirt terrarium approach is that no trash is left above ground. I assume the ants have dug out a dedicated trash chamber as their instinct dictates, and happily the springtail population is blossoming to deal with this subterranean waste. I realize most of my photos in this journal have been basically shots of brown clay without much of the Tetras themselves, so I thought I would post of few of the actual stars.

 

Here is a Tetra happy hour after I refilled their byFormica feeder with Sunburst. Dang!

 

That same night I gave them a big meal worm protein dump:

 

In other news, my only 2019 queen has a big pile of eggs now. I'm naming her after Hel, the half monster daughter of Loki and Angroboda. I chose this name because my queen, Angrboda, was found on the exact same day last year, and Hel was the goddess of the underworld like these subterranean marauders. It's been really nostalgic going down this road with a new queen. I'll max her out with heat and protein!

 

[RushmoreAnts]

How appropriate for such an aggressive species.

[ANTdrew]

You mean the name??

[Will230145]

I’m glad this colony is thriving! I heard they don’t need to hibernate the first year, is that correct?

Edited by Will230145, July 3 2019 - 8:36 AM.

[TennesseeAnts]

They don't need to hibernate any year. They can grow all year round. You can benefit from hibernation, but the ants can do fine without. Just like Solenopsis invicta and Tapinoma sessile.

[Will230145]

Ok, thanks!

Edited by Will230145, July 3 2019 - 8:39 AM.

[ANTdrew]

They could get away with not hibernating, but I highly recommend it because it’s a lot of work keeping up with a ravenous colony like this. These girls will be hibernating from October until April this year, for sure.

[RushmoreAnts]

You mean the name??

Yes.

[ANTdrew]

Update 7-19-2019

This colony continues to do great, so much so that I'm running into a new problem. They've excavated so much soil that they've completely covered the huge rock I put in initially. Now they form tunnels and stash brood in the soil above the rock. The issue is that when I water the tank, these tunnels collapse. Does any one have any ideas on how to deal with this? It would be nice if I could start removing soil they excavate, but hundreds of ants are mixed up in it.

In better news, the spring tail population down in the nether regions of the tank is exploding here is a photo of one of them. They are so tiny and fast that it is hard to get any good shots.

[Skwiggledork]

Any idea how large the colony is? I've had my Tetramorium immigrans queen about as long, but it looks like based on your pictures you have WAY more workers than me. Maybe I need to feed them more, but it doesn't look like the crickets I give them are really fully eaten before I replace them.

[ANTdrew]

Any idea how large the colony is? I've had my Tetramorium immigrans queen about as long, but it looks like based on your pictures you have WAY more workers than me. Maybe I need to feed them more, but it doesn't look like the crickets I give them are really fully eaten before I replace them.

Man, there’s no telling at this point, but I think they’re in the low thousands. I just keep throwing food at them and keep them really warm. Today was Christmas in July when I cut open a cicada for them.

[ANTdrew]

Update 7-30-2019

I love this colony. They are huge, suck at escaping, and only provide fun observing them demolish any food I throw at them. The other day I heard the tell-tale loud rattling of a cicada landing in my native plant garden. I froze her and sliced her open a few hours later for Sif to devour. It took them awhile, but they skeletonized it and have hence buried all remainders.

 

My new 2019 queen, Hel, is doing great in my sub-tropical kitchen. She has over 10 workers and is feeding nicely in her tube. I'll move her into a mini-hearth today. What can be cuter than a tiny Tetra nanitic? Haters can go on hating on this species, but why not keep an ant that is actually suited for captivity and provides a positive experience to the keeper?

 

Edited by ANTdrew, July 30 2019 - 7:47 AM.

[TennesseeAnts]

2017-2019
Mr. cicada

[ANTdrew]

It was Thanksgiving in July for them, for real.

[TennesseeAnts]

My Crematogaster cerasi colony is doing ok now. They have 70 ish workers with 200 brood in all stages. However, they don't seem to take anything into the nest protein wise. They eat it in the outworld...

[Acutus]

Definitely not a species I'm into but you're rockin' it for sure!   

 

Best thing for the excavated dirt would have been to remove it as it's piled too late for that though. The way it is now I'd pick a section and vacuum it out with an aspirator it'll be tedious but maybe yu can get it to a point where you can then keep up on it. I had a similar problem with colony trash in most of my formicariums. I was able little by little to remove the trash section by section and the aspirator allowed me to release any ants I accidentally sucked up.

 

Good Luck!