66 replies to this topic

[ANTdrew]

That’s great news! Best of luck with the living room colony.

[rptraut]

Update 11JA25

 

XLTetramorium Colony - Are These Majors?

 

This colony was living in a flowerpot in my workshop when I found them in 2023.   I call them the XLTetramorium colony because from the start I noticed that some workers were significantly bigger than the others - extra-large.   This colony's grown since I found them, but very slowly.    I suspected at one point that they might have lost some brood from flooding or some other problem which accounted for their slow growth.  Late last season I brood boosted them with about sixty workers and colony activity picked up markedly.   Since Christmas I've had this colony on my plant stand where they get heat from the lights below.   Temperatures fluctuate between 18 C (64 F) at night to 24 C (75 F) during the daytime. They've grown nicely on a diet of flies, crickets, bees, sow bugs and meat products like chicken, liver and egg yolk while I've had the pleasure of watching them.   See the video below to see what I mean.   

 

 

 

 

Since my other colonies are in winter storage, I'll update this colony as winter progresses.

RPT

 

 

 

[rptraut]

Hello Everyone;

 

Even though winter is still firmly in control outside, I brought some of my colonies out of the root cellar on Feb. 22, 2025.  It's taken them the better part of a week to liven up and start taking water, sugar/water and protein.    The video below shows the activity of my largest Crematogaster colony on Mar 1, 2025.

 

 

 

 

As you can see in the video, condensation has become a problem and any suggestions as to how I might get rid of it, or indeed if it even is a problem, will be appreciated.   

 

The other colonies I took out of the root cellar include a founding Lasius queen, a founding Lasius neoniger colony, and a founding Lasius brevicornis colony.   They can all use the head start on the coming season.

 

While observing my XLTetramorium colony this winter, I've noticed something interesting.   These ants are very tidy and often bring their trash and refuse to the feeding tray.   They'll often bring a large number of larval fecal pellets that were expelled as part of the pupation process, signaling the change of a large number of larvae into pupae.    This is usually followed by a slowdown in foraging and protein feeding.   This happened about a week ago and the colony is only now starting to forage and take protein again in response to larvae from the next batch of eggs eclosing (hatching), growing, and requiring protein.   

RPT 

[rptraut]

Update 03MR25

 

Crematogaster Colony Cr3 Update

 

In the previous video there was an obvious condensation problem.    I've been keeping this colony on top of my plant lights for heat.   I was able to reduce the condensation by moving the incubator, a lidded plastic box I keep them in, to a cooler part of the plant lights.   Previously, when placed in the warmer area of the lights, daytime temperatures in the incubator rose to 25C (77F) which was too high for the ambient temperature of the rest of the room, therefore condensation which was dripping on the colony.   As well as moving them to a cooler area, I removed the lid of the incubator to allow for more evaporation of excess water.   Daytime temperatures now range to 22C (72F) which is still warmer than the 18C (65F) temperature of the room.  There's still a small amount of condensation on the top of the tube, but it isn't dripping.   

 

 

 

I've been feeding this Crematogaster colony crickets, flies, sow bugs, drone bee pupae, chicken - meat and liver, turkey and raw ground pork.   The queen looks to have settled down to the business of laying eggs.   

RPT

 

 

 

[rptraut]

03MR25

 

I hope you don't mind if I stray from entries that are strictly ant keeping and tell some stories from my life that might help you.   Call it the musings of an old man, if you like, my students used to call it "Story Time with Uncle Bob".

 

How I Learned How to Learn

 

Speed Reading

 

Being able to read textbooks and articles quickly, in school and in life, made learning easier for me.   When I was in high school an extra course was offered for anyone wanting to learn how to speed read.    My fellow students couldn't understand why anyone would want to take an extra course that wasn't required.   I was already an avid reader, but I reasoned that if I intended to go to University or College, being able to speed read would help me get through the texts and readings that I would, no doubt, be required to read.   I took the course which started out using a computer screen that revealed a story or text line by line.   The idea was to start out reading each line slowly, and as the course progressed, the advancing lines would be speeded up.    Before moving up to a faster speed, a comprehension test had to be passed to show you had not only read the lines, but that you had understood what you had read.   

 

Once I got good at reading single lines, it was increased to two lines at a time with the intention that we were to read the first line forwards and the second line backwards.   Reading the key words that were fundamental to the content of the text and skipping past the unimportant connecting words and "fluff" was the key to speed reading.   Also, in most cases a good writer will tell you about the important points in the introductory paragraph or two and then summarize the key points in the final few paragraphs.   Many times, the content of an article will expand on important points or factors that support the premise of the text and speed reading allowed me to understand those points without reading every word.  I could slow down my reading for complicated sections and speed up through simpler sections.  Speed reading, at whatever speed you're capable of, might help you get through that stack of texts or books from the library or internet, get the point of each paragraph, and move on.  

 

 

Study Sheets

 

I found the best way to learn a subject was to understand it.    I took many courses dealing with chemistry, mathematics, biology etc. and the key to learning them, I found, was to understand the connections, the reasons why things happen the way they do, and these usually follow the logical and understandable rules of the natural world.   

 

To study for tests or exams, I would review my notes and readings.    I made "Study Sheets" for the points of a subject that I might need a memory freshener before going in to write an exam.    I knew the things I understood, these didn't need to be written down, I understood them.   The things I'd put on a study sheet were formulas, lists, details, or any points I felt I'd need to see one last time before writing the exam.   I'd often write complicated formulas or details on my test paper as soon as I sat down, no worries about last minute memory loss.   I saved these sheets through the term, and they made studying for a final exam much easier.   I had all the things I needed to remember, summarized.

 

 

Developing a Photographic Memory 

 

In college, I realized I was able to visualize these study sheets, during a test, and actually read the things I had written down, in my mind, a sort of photographic memory.    I didn't need to memorize each point; I could see them written on the page.   Try it yourself and see if you can develop this skill.   Start slowly by visualizing something like your car license plate.    Any time you think of it, picture the license plate in your mind, and what it has written on it.    When you feel ready you can move on to a section of your notes or study sheet.   Look at the material and try to duplicate it on a separate piece of paper, from what you see in your mind.   Like any skill, you'll get better at it with practice.   I found that reviewing my course material while doing this was a great way to study.  

 

 

Study Your Weak Subjects More 

 

In college we were graded on the GPA (Grade Point Average) system.   The highest GPA you could achieve was a 4.0, which meant you had achieved a grade of 80% and above.   It took me a while to figure out that as long as I felt I could achieve 80% or greater in a subject, there was really no need to study extensively for those tests.    I was better off to spend my time studying subjects that I needed to get the marks up to 80% or higher.   By spending more time studying my weaker subjects I got a 4.0 GPA and received the award for "Highest Academic Achievement" in my final term of Agricultural Business Management.   

 

My hope is that some of these techniques will be of benefit to you in your studies and life.    They worked for me and, with practice, might work for you too.

RPT

 

 

 

 

[Ants_Dakota]

RPT, life lessons from older generations are far to rare in this world; your musing are always welcome in my opinion! Have you by chance read "How to read a book" by Mortimer J Adler? Some of your musings sound similar to his argument about inspectional reading.

[rptraut]

Hello Ants_Dakota;

 

If I can help only one person find success or avoid the pitfalls by reading some of my experiences, I'll be pleased.    

 

I gave Adler's "How to Read a Book" a speed read, and the principles are very much like what I talked about, in more detail.   The key is to understand what you've read, no matter how fast you read.   

RPT 

Edited by rptraut, March 5 2025 - 4:45 PM.