2 replies to this topic

[AntaholicAnonymous]

As the title suggests I'm not quite certain why my ants act like they do.
Let me explain.

I have spent a lot of time studying the bahavior of my Manica Rubida colony (about 200-250 workers) in their big "natural" setup.
They have their main nest which is in one corner of the tank. Besides it being way bigger than they need it's nothing out of the ordinary.

What confuses me is what they are doing about 1,6 meters across the tank in the opposite corner.
On that side of the tank there's a mossy, very humid enclosed cave against the glass for optimal viewing.
During the daytime there's a consistent amount of 4 to 5 ants (never more or less I'll mark them in the future to see if it's the same ones) building and foraging at that area but more so patrolling.
They barely kill the any of the large amount of insects that live in there and besides water and springtails both of which are abundant everywhere in the tank there's not much they can get there.

A satellite nest seems obvious.
Since they build up to the glass I can see what's happening underground and they don't use that nest for anything at all.
They expand it daily, hang out in the area but don't store food, brood or anything there.

On top of that in the night they return to the main nest and let the isopods, millipedes, small bettles and woodlice sleep in there.
It's jam packed in the night.
As soon as daylight breaks all the other critters evacuate and the ants return.
Either its just an outpost, a plan B nest in case of emergency or made for the other critters which they allow in the tunnels by the way.
They treat them like they want them there.

Maybe someone has an idea I just wanted to share that observation since many don't have the option to replicate those natural behaviors.

[Kaelwizard]

Maybe they are renting it out... Jokes aside they could be waiting until they finish it so It is perfect when they move in, but I don't know how likely that is. I know ants have to construct their nests so that it is the right temperature and has the right amount of ventilation, so it may have to due with that. It could also be a place for them to rest while foraging.

Edited by Kaelwizard, March 12 2021 - 6:20 AM.

[AntaholicAnonymous]

They are still working 24/7 on their main nest and the conditions are more optimal there so I doubt they'll ever abandon that spot.

Renting it out makes a lot of sense tho. Haha
They don't collect money but the isopods thoroughly clean inside their tunnels and pretty much the whole tank so they are a part of the ants workforce in a way.
The ants treat them with care and the isopods seem to feel protected around them.
For the lack of a better comparison it might be the janitors room.
They create random tunnel systems where the isopods live and then abandon it for all the other critters to use it.
Maybe they're upgrading their surrounding eco system. They definitely do but maybe that's the intention as well and that's super interesting to me.