471 replies to this topic

[dspdrew]

Eventually I want to live in Colorado which is touching Texas where there are Atta sp. Do you think I could find them in Colorado? (I know they would be invasive but I still would like to keep them).

 

I don't know much about Atta.

[Kalidas]

I have heard Atta are a LOT more difficult to care for and Acromyrmex Versicolor are pretty difficult already.

[charliebynar]

My Attas are not doing well!  My other colonies are fine, but I don't think I had any Attas with their fungus pellets. 

[FSTP]

I have heard Atta are a LOT more difficult to care for and Acromyrmex Versicolor are pretty difficult already.

 

Really? What make them so much more difficult? It seems a lot of people in germany keep Atta with a fair mount of success.

[Kaelwizard]

 

Eventually I want to live in Colorado which is touching Texas where there are Atta sp. Do you think I could find them in Colorado? (I know they would be invasive but I still would like to keep them).

 

I don't know much about Atta.

 

Some site said some species extend as far as Colorado so I don't know.

[Kalidas]

I have heard Atta are a LOT more difficult to care for and Acromyrmex Versicolor are pretty difficult already.

 
Really? What make them so much more difficult? It seems a lot of people in germany keep Atta with a fair mount of success.

http://www.leafcutti.../article01.html I read here that it is the case. Also the occasional comment on YouTube. I mean sure there is no garuntee it's true for sure... It's just what I have heard or read. It could be utter malarkey...

[AntsCalifornia]

I guess Californians suck when it comes to leafcutters then.

I think drew should try some setups they explained and see if they work better.

Edited by AntsCalifornia, October 24 2018 - 5:02 PM.

[Kalidas]

I guess Californians suck when it comes to leafcutters then.
I think drew should try some setups they explained and see if they work better.

Which designs? And who explained?

Honestly most people suck at keeping leaf cutters... They are nigh impossible. Hell leaf cutter Queens have less then 1% chance at survival in the wild... They suck at taking care of themselves

[AntsCalifornia]

No, I was just kidding, we have like 1 person who has tried to keep them (drew), and I was talking about the website. Said something about being exactly 30C and a clear box with peat or sand. I think drew has only tried one sand setup, and they were forced against the walls if I remember right.

[Kalidas]

Well I know you're supposed to add some substrate because they are digging ants, it's in their nature

[dspdrew]

Update 10-27-2018

The colonies are all doing well so far. I only found about 2 dead this last time I checked. At that time there were a total of 19 colonies in formicariums, and 10 in test tubes with foraging containers. This is after I sold three colonies to friends of mine.
 
Three of my colonies are doing extremely well, with the largest having over 30 workers already. Here are some pictures of their fungus gardens.
 

 

 

 
 
Here are some close-up shots of the largest colony.
 

 

 

 

 
 
I was able to pull enough small pieces of fungus off these three largest colonies to get another 10 test tube/foraging container queens started and another 18 queens in formicariums. The ones in the formicariums were the queens I already had setup from my latest trip in hopes that they would start their own fungus gardens. I just gave them all pea-sized or smaller pieces of fungus. Now I have a total of 37 queens/colonies in formicariums, and 20 in test tube/foraging containers.

[Rstheant]

Do you have any videos?

[dspdrew]

Do you have any videos?

 

No videos of my current colonies.

[Rstheant]

Update 1-31-2015
 
All five healthy colonies are still doing great. All the fungus gardens are slowly growing bigger and bigger all the time. The reject queen is still just sitting there with nothing because I refuse to waste anymore fungus or pupae on her.
 
Two colonies now have fungus hanging from the lid, one being the colony that recovered after ripping apart and destroying their entire fungus garden a while back.
 
Here's pictures of the recovered colony with the fungus hanging from the lid.
 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
Today I moved the smallest colony into a new nest with a cement floor instead of the Hydrostone, as a test to see if it's safe for them. Hopefully everything turns out okay, because I'm running out of ideas for an alternative to the problematic (for this particular setup) Hydrostone.
 
Aside from a few of the problems I had, taking care of these in general has been really easy and very little work. I actually haven't had to give them any more food or substrate since moving them into these formicariums. Today however, I decided to dump in more of the substrate mix I fixed up a while back just to make it a bit deeper and to give them a little more of a choice. I by no means needed to do this, as there was plenty in there still for them to continue to fertilize their garden for many more months.

The ultimate tower of fungus!!

[charliebynar]

Drew, ok so I logged in and there is a photo of you.....OMG, I am not use to this.   Sort of crazy, but there you are. Ok on to other matters. It sounds like I need to make the formicarium have a higher humidity so I can do that but my queen is in a test tube with a small fungal garden and I mean small, but it is white and fuzzy. Will she relocate if I provide her to a better option or is this a relocate the queen kind of thing? Did you move yours to this other set up? Thanks. 

Update 9-24-2018

I've lost about 11 queens since the last update. Right now I have 16 in test tubes and 32 in formicariums. I'll probably move a few more into the vacant formicariums when I get a chance.
 
About half of all of them have fungus that is slowly growing, while the rest are either not growing or shrinking. About half of them have visible brood as well. There's about 10 or so that seem to be doing fairly well. A lot of them have pupae now, and one queen even got her first worker yesterday.
 

 

[charliebynar]

Ok, here is the link good to know. I ordered some that were organic hoping they didn't use any pesticides. https://www.amazon.c... & Petals Whole

 

The hardest part is getting a queen that starts a fungus garden, but I don't have to worry about that now, because I have plenty of the fungus.

 

BTW, this is where I got my rose petals.

 

http://www.amazon.co...duct/B0012LWWSE

[Kalidas]

I wonder if flower shops would sell their trimmings to you?

[Ferox_Formicae]

Reading this journal has made me excited, and yet very nervous to keep the related species, Trachymyrmex septentrionalis. Maybe I can try and see if Cyphomyrmex rimosus is easier to care for. It'll be a lot easier to care for their fungus as they farm straight up yeast, and if it dies, I know where to get some.

[charliebynar]

I am afraid they would have pesticides that is why I ordered organic via Amazon, but thanks.

I wonder if flower shops would sell their trimmings to you?

[Kalidas]

I am afraid they would have pesticides that is why I ordered organic via Amazon, but thanks.

I wonder if flower shops would sell their trimmings to you?

Oh damn you're right... That sucks. Could you wash it off?