281 replies to this topic

[Locness]

glad to see this journal is still active, @Ernteameise!

Oh, I just ordered an expensive custom nest from TarHeel Ants, so I hope these girls (and this journal) will be around for a while.

Which one did you order?

[Ernteameise]

 

 

glad to see this journal is still active, @Ernteameise!

Oh, I just ordered an expensive custom nest from TarHeel Ants, so I hope these girls (and this journal) will be around for a while.

Which one did you order?

 

Scroll up a bit.

[Yourbasicantkeeper]

 

glad to see this journal is still active, @Ernteameise!

Oh, I just ordered an expensive custom nest from TarHeel Ants, so I hope these girls (and this journal) will be around for a while.

 

Awesome!        

[Ernteameise]

Right.

I have now tried Dubia roaches with this colony.

With all my colonies.

Big, fat, juicy Dubia Roaches, prepared with care and poached only slightly for a few seconds.

I can now say with confidence:

Dubia roaches are a big, fat NO. Completely ignored.

 

The only insects my colony ate with enthusiasm so far are crickets.

And only crickets.

They try a few bites of grasshoppers, but crickets are the insects that get carried into the nest.

No flies, no wasps (there is a nest of yellowjackets under my roof and I have an endless supply), no mealworms, no superworms, .....

 

These ants really are as fussy as cats.

 

But this is what happens when I feed crickets.

They get dragged into the nest, and in the food preparation area, they are chopped up and then fed to the kids.

All nicely organized.

 

 

 

Edited by Ernteameise, August 17 2023 - 11:16 AM.

[ANTdrew]

Interesting because all my ants adore dubia roaches.

[Rrar]

Where do you get them?

I live in Canada, and I can't find them on sale.

[Ernteameise]

Interesting because all my ants adore dubia roaches.

Mine are just spoiled brats.

Where do you get them?

I live in Canada, and I can't find them on sale.

I got them from a private trader on a German trading website. I am from Germany. I am VERY happy with this purchase, very healthy (if fussy) colony.

[Ernteameise]

The girls continue to be very much into their crickets. These are chopped up with a lot of enthusiasm.

 

 

They also have now started to use the Digfix nest at the back of the Antcube as a seed stash. At least the dug out bottom bit.

I have noticed that everywhere they stash seed, they also are quite quick with the faeces smear / scent marks.

This appears to be important- I have seen several theories about this in ant books, someone was even suspecting that since this faeces is quite oily, it might protect the walls of the seed stash in the nest from water damage. Or maybe it is just a way of making sure everybody knows that these seed are taken and will be defended.

 

 

With all that activity, a lot of workers were up and about in the outworld, and I of course let some of them run up my fingers.

I am not quite sure how this is supposed to be an effective defense, since the workers do not bite (and they do not have a stinger).

They just run up my fingers and then stop and wonder what they are actually doing there and what to do next.

 

 

[100lols]

They just want a smell of those hands haha! They look great

[Jonathan5608]

Still love those majors

[Ernteameise]

Some foracious eaters!

Hot summer weather in the past week and the colony is in full activity mode.

And they just love their crickets.

 

 

 

And here we have a valiant defender!

Hear me roar!

 

[Ernteameise]

On the German Messor Facebook Group (yes, this is indeed a thing, Messor ants are very popular over here) I have seen that one member had fed hazelnuts to their Messor.

The ants drilled holes into the nuts and harvested the nuts themselves!

I thought I try this out, too, worst that could happen would be some enrichment in the outworld.

Together with their cricket, they got a hazelnut without shell, and one in a shell (but I made a cut into it, to show them where the good bits are hiding).

 

I will see how this will progress...

 

[Ernteameise]

Just a little photo-shoot with one of my beautiful majors.

I just love these girls.

 

 

 

 

[100lols]

It’s the red head for me! Gorgeous. Can’t wait to see what they do with that nut lol.

[Propo.Fol]

Love this journal.  Your journal was the first I read when I discovered this site, and I just re-read the whole thing a second time with the context of a little more basic knowledge.  Have to say I especially appreciate getting to learn about some of the European species, and am jealous we can't get these here!  

 

I really appreciate how the antcube portion of the nest allows observation of tunneling and seed storage behavior in an aesthetically pleasing way while the ants are actually living in the much more practical acrylic nest.  I don't know if that was the plan all along but it certainly works.  Can't wait to see the custom tarheels nest when it comes in.

 

Have you had any issues with seeds sprouting in the dirt part of the nest?  For that matter, how have you been managing humidity in that section?  If at all given they're not actively living there.

[Ernteameise]

Love this journal.  Your journal was the first I read when I discovered this site, and I just re-read the whole thing a second time with the context of a little more basic knowledge.  Have to say I especially appreciate getting to learn about some of the European species, and am jealous we can't get these here!  

 

I really appreciate how the antcube portion of the nest allows observation of tunneling and seed storage behavior in an aesthetically pleasing way while the ants are actually living in the much more practical acrylic nest.  I don't know if that was the plan all along but it certainly works.  Can't wait to see the custom tarheels nest when it comes in.

 

Have you had any issues with seeds sprouting in the dirt part of the nest?  For that matter, how have you been managing humidity in that section?  If at all given they're not actively living there.

Haha, nah, the actual plan was for the colony to move out and into the ant cube. The acrylic nest was just the "starter" nest. For some reason, they girls just never moved out.

I have been told they know best....

 

These Messors are VERY aware of humidity and react to it accordingly.

I think the issues with seed sprouting might be mainly in smaller colonies?

I once made the mistake of watering the Ant Cube nest (I now keep it dry because of the seed storage). The ants had seed stored in there.

They were pretty quick rescuing the seed and stashing it in the out- world. Most likely swearing at me.

This is natural behaviour (according to one of my ant books).

After a rain, Messor bring their seed outside and let it dry out.

I can observe this very well with my girls- they pretty much re-organize their seed after disturbances and even after I fed new seed of different sizes.

Then everything has to be brought outside, re-shuffled, re-sorted and then brought back inside.

 

Also a big plus is that Messor can regulate the humidity in their nest themselves. At least larger colonies can do this. I can see this working in the acrylic nest (as you have seen, the humidifyer is broken), the ants drink a lot and carry the water into the nest. My colony is thriving.

So I can keep the seed storage nest dry, and if they ever wanted, they could moisten it themselves.

I also asked Mack from THA to only add ONE water tower to the custom nest. The internal caves will be lined with vermiculite, so the ants can regulate the humidity themselves by moistening the walls as they like it.

I am pretty paranoid about mold and the seed sprouting issue (even if I have seen that they have the seed rescue operation under control).

 

I think I made a good decision in getting this species.

They are pretty cool and very forgiving to mistakes.

[Ernteameise]

It’s the red head for me! Gorgeous. Can’t wait to see what they do with that nut lol.

So far, they have only nibbled on that nut.

No idea why it is not more popular.....

[Ernteameise]

I have not seen many people on here documenting and describing "comfort behaviour" in their ants.

Well, my Messor barbarus are on a strict daily schedule.

They are most active in the late afternoon and evening (on warm days till after midnight)- this is when the most activity is happening in the outworld- and especially in late evening, one should not try and clean the outworld since they will just swarm you.

However, in the mornings, there is nothing happening in the outworld.

But that does not mean nothing is happening in the colony!

Far from it.

In the morning, the ants are "busy" doing their comfort behaviours.

Meaning:

- Sleeping (and yes, ants do sleep)

- personal hygiene (cleaning themselves and others)

- going to the toilet

I can observe this especially well, since they have declared the small "outworld" that is part of the acrylic nest as "part of the nest".

In the mornings, half of the colony is coming together there, they drink, they sleep, they clean each other.

This is actually also pretty interesting and awesome to watch.

 

I tried to take pictures, however, apologies, these are NOT good pictures.

Reason-

if I would have opened the lid to take better pictures, I would have disturbed and woken up the girls, and I wanted to take pictures of them sleeping.

They just sit there, quietly, and doze.

 

And yes, I am aware they have now declared all the walls as "toilet space"- but since I have a new custom nest incoming and if I cleaned now, it would again look like this 3 days later, they will just have to deal with it.

I did some reading up and I have seen that their faecal matter does not actually harm them and in nature, they actually also use their oily faeces to insulate their tunnels and seed storage against moisture.

 

 

 

 

Even my small Rescue Colony (also Messor) show a similar daily routine, and this is them dozing and cleaning each other:

 

Edited by Ernteameise, August 26 2023 - 1:50 AM.

[ANTdrew]

Self care is colony care!

[100lols]

Very interesting! The Messors have many parallels with our harvester ants here in California. You’re so attentive and detailed, and I love it!