84 replies to this topic

[Ernteameise]

Right, so today I took a few more pictures.

I get the impression the colony becomes more relaxed when I clean and feed them, as well as when I try to take pictures.

So here are is a picture of the girls foraging. Only the normal workers forage, the majors only come out at exceptional circumstances.

 

 

And here are pictures of them taking care of the brood.

You can see that they chop up the tubifex worms into small pieces and then place these on top of the larvae.

 

 

 

Her majesty is also well, you can see her at around 3 o'clock on this picture, right next to a major.

 

 

I really have to say that I love these girls.

When I got them, someone told me that these girls were "boring" and nothing much happening and the other person gave their colony away in the end because of that.

I do not share this experience.

Yes, these ants are more shy then some of my other ants.

But if you have some patience, they are just a joy to observe.

[OwlThatLikesAnts]

Right, so today I took a few more pictures.

I get the impression the colony becomes more relaxed when I clean and feed them, as well as when I try to take pictures.

So here are is a picture of the girls foraging. Only the normal workers forage, the majors only come out at exceptional circumstances.

 

And here are pictures of them taking care of the brood.

You can see that they chop up the tubifex worms into small pieces and then place these on top of the larvae.

 

Her majesty is also well, you can see her at around 3 o'clock on this picture, right next to a major.

 

I really have to say that I love these girls.

When I got them, someone told me that these girls were "boring" and nothing much happening and the other person gave their colony away in the end because of that.

I do not share this experience.

Yes, these ants are more shy then some of my other ants.

But if you have some patience, they are just a joy to observe.

I agree with this statement, even thought cryptic/small species are more calm, they also are more enjoyable because of their calm nature, like how In one of the posts/updates where you upgraded their nest, the ants were so chill that you did not even realise that the nest did not have a cover

 

I also enjoy how they pick their food and their feeding habits compared to a ravenous mob that wants Food + one of your fingers

Edited by OwlThatLikesAnts, December 7 2024 - 5:22 PM.

[antsriondel]

Right, so today I took a few more pictures.

I get the impression the colony becomes more relaxed when I clean and feed them, as well as when I try to take pictures.

So here are is a picture of the girls foraging. Only the normal workers forage, the majors only come out at exceptional circumstances.

 

 

And here are pictures of them taking care of the brood.

You can see that they chop up the tubifex worms into small pieces and then place these on top of the larvae.

 

 

 

Her majesty is also well, you can see her at around 3 o'clock on this picture, right next to a major.

 

 

I really have to say that I love these girls.

When I got them, someone told me that these girls were "boring" and nothing much happening and the other person gave their colony away in the end because of that.

I do not share this experience.

Yes, these ants are more shy then some of my other ants.

But if you have some patience, they are just a joy to observe.

I've always wanted those ants since I saw them featured in an Ant Holleufer video. They look really good, I'm excited to watch their growth!

[Ernteameise]

 

 

I agree with this statement, even thought cryptic/small species are more calm, they also are more enjoyable because of their calm nature, like how In one of the posts/updates where you upgraded their nest, the ants were so chill that you did not even realise that the nest did not have a cover

 

I also enjoy how they pick their food and their feeding habits compared to a ravenous mob that wants Food + one of your fingers

 

Yes, I am with you on that. Watching these small, slower and shyer ants is very rewarding.

I know that some people only like their ant colonies when they have explosive growth, are voracious eaters and enjoy the excitement of having a 100 aggressive escapees during feeding and cleaning...

But there is something very zen about watching these small colonies going about their business, carefully chopping up food and caring for the larvae.

It is also great that the defense mechanism of this species is not attack or running away, but forming a ball of ants, so I can open up the nest without any issues and do some spot cleaning.

They are just chill.

[Ernteameise]

 

 

I've always wanted those ants since I saw them featured in an Ant Holleufer video. They look really good, I'm excited to watch their growth!

 

In my book, these are a really great rewarding species. They are very fascinating to watch, the size differences between the different castes are amazing and they are really easy to care for.

Yes, they are not the most flashy species, they are a bit shy and nocturnal, but if you take your time observing them, there is a lot to discover.

Plus, I still cannot get over the fact that in this species, the majors keep their ovaries and they are used as battery hens to feed the colony when food outside is scarce.

What an interesting adaptation!

I personally have not observed this behavior yet (I might also feed them too well), but it is good to know that I could leave this colony alone during a holiday period without any issues.