It's been a long time since I've updated here and a lot has happened. I'm not sure why I get into keeping a log and then not doing it.... I can only blame work for tiring me out and making it so I don't even want to look at the computer.
Since I've been online I've decided to keep all three of the colonies. I gave up on the idea of having contests between them and am focused on just letting them do their best. I've recently lost my phone, so my photos are limited, but I will try to include some as well.
The first colony started to do really really well. I decided against getting nests for the girls and just going with the outworld and tube combo even as they get bigger. At one point they were filling three tubes when I decided they needed a larger outworld. I thought myself very clever and got a round one so that they wouldn't have easy access to corners for escape. To help keep their natural instincts to explore I layered the bottom in spiral tubing and glued it all down. I moved the girls in and it seemed like they loved it.
Except, something went wrong. Within a few days there were literally hundreds of dead ants littering the bottom. They hadn't gone in the tubing at all, but all the bodies were falling to the bottom between the tubes. I'm not sure if the container had something in it, if the tubes did, or maybe the glue was deadly... or maybe even a cricket with some kind of disease... I still don't know. That's one of the sad parts of raising ants... sometimes there just isn't much in the way of closure.
I've moved them back down and they are in a single tube again. I've been watching and trying to spot if the queen is alive. There are new eggs, but that doesn't mean anything. I have to wait and either spot the queen or see if they keep growing. I'm super upset because I know that it's something I've done that led to this. I'm so sorry girls... but such is life. I also took away the sand they had because I honestly wasn't sure where the issue was... they have new sand but they don't seem to like it much. Before they would change their layout often, building new hills and such... now the sand just lays there. I think that they're in shock about how much of the colony they lost as well and are just focusing on staying in the tube and healing. Even fresh crickets can only coax a few out and they haven't had a frenzy since the loss.
I've been taking a lot of pictures of the tube in the hopes of spotting the queen. Let me know if you see her!
I am going to put a new tube in as well. Not because they need it but because the first one is totally dry. I hope they will choose to move on their own as they have set up a breeding chamber behind the cotton. I don't want to try and remove them from the tube as I don't think it'll be good for their stress levels, nor am I certain I can do it without squishing them. I've seen colonies refuse to move and just die in an empty tube though, so I hope they're not that sort of colony.
The second colony is doing well and has also been moved. I think they're so funny because they got all their sand together and made a little chamber over the heating cord. This is how they're trapping the heat and getting their brood to grow. Smart girls. I've limited the food intake for all three colonies over the winter, but I didn't hibernate them. Mostly because when I tried they wouldn't rest. They kept laying brood and moving and hunting unless I put them in a really cold place... but I think that they're just used to not needing it here in Virginia where hibernation probably isn't always needed. They weather is too mild. I let them alone this year, but next winter they need a break so I plan to put them in a cooler fridge. The one I have right now only has two settings... the first isn't cold enough and the second is too cold.
One thing I like about these girls is the way they frenzy. They make it impossible to clean things up because the moment I come near the tank they are everywhere! They swarm over food as soon as I put it in. I've attempted giving them smaller tubes to create satellite nests... but I find they dry out way too quickly. Their first tube is dry, but they have access to a second one. While they aren't nesting in it, I see them going in and playing with the cotton often.. so my thought is that they have enough moisture that they don't feel they have to move... they know about the new tube and are choosing not to go. Unlike the other colony I'm not worried they'll choose to stay even if it means their death. Unlike the other colony.. these girls have never tasted any sort of defeat or disaster to temper their enthusiasm and are still the sort of brave that comes with never having lost.
Finally, the third colony... I don't really know what's going on with these girls. They produce brood, but they eat them. Even with protein and sweets and water and all their needs being met they don't let many of them hatch. Maybe the queen is a bit defective? Maybe I should have hibernated her if no one else... I don't know. All I know is that I had to limit the food and heat intake on the other two until I could get larger outworlds... but these girls aren't really growing much. They aren't dying off, but they're not growing much either. It's like they want to stay in harmony with their environment and keep themselves smaller to be safe. I'm amused at the idea of a colony of hippy zen ants all working together to be one with their little plastic box.
Still, they're fun to watch. Unlike the first colony which is ignoring their sand... or the second colony which is using it to create an oven... the third colony has hills and valleys and all sorts of fun things going on with their sand. I really love seeing what they do. I think it's interesting that they change the landscape so often and I wonder why. Then I found out my husband has picked them up and put them back... which means they weren't on the same spot for the wire... so maybe they moved it to better suit their heating needs.
All in all, I love all three colonies and I am excited to see what this spring and summer will bring in terms of numbers. I plan to move the other two to larger outworlds.
They are currently eating whatever I happen to give them, as well as crickets. I cut the heads off the crickets so they can't feel anything before feeding them. This way they get warm food and I don't feel like a jerk for giving them crickets that can feel anything. They also really love the flightless fruit flies. I don't know how they're so good at catching them to be honest. I know they mostly hunt by scent, vibrations, and such... but the flies are fast and hop all over the place! Sometimes it is a numbers game. The fly is out numbered to the point that each jump brings them to another cluster of ants... but sometimes it's just a few girls out hunting and chasing them down. It's really interesting to watch. Especially because they jump on them and end up going for a ride sometimes as the fly jumps around.
I found these little nectar jelly pods at the pet store. They are meant for lizards that like nectar, but I got one to try with the girls. I'm still trying to figure out if they like them and are eating them, or just burying them with sand to get rid of it. The second and third colony have the little caps of jelly surrounded and put sand on it. The jelly is very moist so that doesn't surprise me. I just can't tell if they're actually eating it or not. The first colony isn't touching theirs.
I'm going to go hunting to see if I can find any pictures from earlier...
Edited by Lillyrose, February 19 2024 - 1:59 PM.
