3 replies to this topic

[OTHER]

Hello all, here John again.

Today I am gonna start my blog here of my oldest colony. My Messor barbarus.
I got this colony since 2014, in this post I will walk true the years. And post some pictures and videos.

So you know the background story!

 

 

So lets start off, started this colony in a simple test tube. The queen did not have workers and the first workers apeard begin 2015.

(I am rather new to making videos so excuse me for the bad quality!)

 

 

My Setup, i normally start colonies like this

 

 

 

#1. And my first video ever made

 

 

#2. Not much longer I captured the queen laying an egg, and needed to make a video out of it.

 

 

 

Then we had hibernation 2015 to 2016, the start of a sad year for my messor barbarus.
For some reason 90% of the workers died in hibernation, and i decided to move the colony out of a test tube setup to a soil setup.

 

This was the setup at the time

 

 

Mounted the nest and out world on the wall because of space reduction.

 

#3.The colony moved in the soil nest within the hour, and started digging.

 

 

After a while I spotted some of my errors, and needed to improve the setup.
I made a project, and claimed the room to be my Ant room.

 

The nest, coverd in a box for heating improvements.

 

 

Build in led lights for observation.

 

 

As a whole picture, my Ant of fame wall!

 

 

All went well, and this is how it looked.

 

And in total darkness.

 

 

#5. More digging!

 

 

 

 

Edited by OTHER, December 6 2016 - 2:43 AM.

[OTHER]

#5. After a while the next problem arrived, Parasitic mites.
Again I was losing ants, the colony had a rough year.

Scouting days on the internet for a way to get rid of the mites, I found dutchies.

 

 

#6. Later on we noticed a difference in activity, and we had troubles finding mites! Did we lose them?

 

 

#7. After that we had not a lot to update, no sign of the mites. And not a lot of dead ants.
I made a video of how I observe my colony! So you get the idee

 

 

And last just before hibernation the colony had an explosive growth, I planned on giving them a cold hibernation so if there are still mites, the cold should kill them off.

 

#8. A good closeup of the ants, and their numbers.

 

 

#9. And to stay in the winter mood, random nest activity!

 

 

For a more detailed blog and more pictures you can check: http://www.antforum....php?f=74&t=8135 (This is a dutch forum tough!)

 

 

Hope you liked our story, Checkout our YouTube channel, and give a like on our Facebook!

 

[Leo]

good for you. I like the nest

Edited by Leo, December 5 2016 - 1:37 AM.

[Alabama Anter]

That's amazing