10 replies to this topic

[farazsonic101]

Album: test

1 images

0 comments

Above is my setup it is 30cmx19cm and about 6 cm of dirt height, with a baby powder barrier. In the bottom right corner you will see a hole, that is where the ants and the queen have moved in.

So I have got a carebara diversa colony one queen approx maybe 30-40 workers, recently from a friend (that currently I cannot talk to), and I need some help on their care.

I keep them in a soil nest and have a heat mat and thermostat, but I don't know what temp or where to put it, and I wanted to know what humidity they need and how to make that happen.

In their soil nest setup they have made a nest but lots of workers and a few majors are coming to the surface, I put food but none of them are eating it, (cockroaches, honey, flies) so I was wondering what I could do and why they are doing this, they also constantly bring dead bodies up from their nest and I don't know why.

If anybody is willing could you please help me answer these questions.

What do they eat, I heard they eat seeds but what type, and what insects, do they sugary things?

Where do I put my heat mat, at the side, underneath, and how hot should it be?

What humidity do they like and how can I make this happen?

I just need some general help on the care of these ants and would be extremely grateful to anyone that could help me. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this.  

Edited by farazsonic101, December 21 2017 - 4:47 PM.

[MegaMyrmex]

Marauder ants are very difficult to keep alive. They could be having trouble acclimating to their new environment and it might just be the stress. Offer them some sort of sugary food, this seems to calm down most of my volonies. Also, check for any parasitic nematodes or mites or phorid flies. For most colonies putting a heat mat right under tgeir nesting site is a big no-no, this will easily cook the entire colony. Put it off to the far side and only put the nest on a small corner of the heat mat(between 1.5 x 1.5 cm or 2 cm x 2 cm). If they like the heat they woll move towards it if they want to. Hope this helps! Pics of the setup would be nice!

[Leo]

Let them settle. Then offer them a cut-open cockroach. They like assorted seeds and need a pretty humid nest overall. I'll ask my friend for some info, he has a 20 queen 4000 worker colony, it's quite impressive.

[farazsonic101]

Can you ask your friend the questions that I asked. Thanks

[Martialis]

No clue how you've got both Myrmica rubra and Carebara diversa, and unless you're in Europe or Asia, the Carebara are illegal to keep.  

 

I would just let them settle, and makes sure it doesn't drop below 50% RH and go above ~70%. These are just a couple educated guesses, but they work for most ants.

[Ants_Texas]

I could be wrong, but that setup looks WAY too moist.

[Martialis]

I could be wrong, but that setup looks WAY too moist.

I agree with you. I've lost many insects to over hydrated enclosures.

[farazsonic101]

I live in the UK so it is not illegal here to keep both these species.

[Martialis]

I live in the UK so it is not illegal here to keep both these species.

Alright. I'm sorry for seeming presumptuous. 

 

Good luck with those colonies!

[Carebaradivesa]

I’ve written a blog about the detailed care and husbandry of Carebara diversa based on my personal experiences. Pls see https://carebaradivesa.com

[CoolColJ]

tropical species, so temps around 30 degrees C seem about right

Edited by CoolColJ, July 20 2018 - 12:46 AM.