102 replies to this topic

[sirjordanncurtis]

What are your thoughts on dirt box substrate mixtures if I don’t really have access to the dirt mixture if their natural habitat

[YsTheAnt]

If my queen stopped laying eggs will a dirt setup help her start up again?

[dspdrew]

If my queen stopped laying eggs will a dirt setup help her start up again?

 

Maybe. I know I've had queens of quite a few different species not doing very well, but after putting them in dirt, they started doing much better. I've had some that didn't do any better after being put in dirt too.

[dspdrew]

Update 12-8-2018
 
This colony is up to probably around 500 workers now, and they still haven't moved into the larger Dirt Box. I'm going to have to force them soon.

[FSTP]

Update 12-8-2018
 
This colony is up to probably around 500 workers now, and they still haven't moved into the larger Dirt Box. I'm going to have to force them soon.

 

 

 

How do you go about forcing them? also how do the repletes move over ? 

[dspdrew]

I dump them out. Most of the repletes will probably die.

[FSTP]

I dump them out. Most of the repletes will probably die.

 

 

 

If that's the case, don't let them go to waste have them as a nice little snack. Or feed them to your other colonies.

[Kalidas]

I dump them out. Most of the repletes will probably die.

 
 
 
If that's the case, don't let them go to waste have them as a nice little snack. Or feed them to your other colonies.

This is a good idea actually

[Wa.Va]

Can't u move them by making the new nest more approachable, and the other one full light and open. So they will eventually move out of themself?

[dspdrew]

Can't u move them by making the new nest more approachable, and the other one full light and open. So they will eventually move out of themself?

 

Most honeypot ant colonies of any significant size won't move no matter what, in my experience.

[nurbs]

True to a certain extant. A colony of M. mexicanus in a Tar Heel Ants Fortress with about 500 workers took a month to move into a THA Casita. I let the Fortress naturally dry out and kept the Casita warmer and humid.

 

They left the repletes, which I manually moved over with a qtip.

 

Had some casualties   

https://www.instagra.../p/BqLFHNAFDtg/

 

 

 

Can't u move them by making the new nest more approachable, and the other one full light and open. So they will eventually move out of themself?

 

Most honeypot ant colonies of any significant size won't move no matter what, in my experience.

 

 

[Rstheant]

Ouch....
Hate too see such fat repletes die. How you guys so casual about accidentally killing some repletes?

[FSTP]

 

True to a certain extant. A colony of M. mexicanus in a Tar Heel Ants Fortress with about 500 workers took a month to move into a THA Casita. I let the Fortress naturally dry out and kept the Casita warmer and humid.

 

They left the repletes, which I manually moved over with a qtip.

 

Had some casualties   

https://www.instagra.../p/BqLFHNAFDtg/

 

 

 

 

 

I just picture those repletes crying out "My goooooo!"

 

[dspdrew]

 

True to a certain extant. A colony of M. mexicanus in a Tar Heel Ants Fortress with about 500 workers took a month to move into a THA Casita. I let the Fortress naturally dry out and kept the Casita warmer and humid.

 

They left the repletes, which I manually moved over with a qtip.

 

Had some casualties   

https://www.instagra.../p/BqLFHNAFDtg/

 

 

 

Can't u move them by making the new nest more approachable, and the other one full light and open. So they will eventually move out of themself?

 

Most honeypot ant colonies of any significant size won't move no matter what, in my experience.

 

 

 

If they have to dig a new nest, I'll bet you they won't move. I've had them sit there in their old nest until it was completely dry and they were all dead.

[dspdrew]

Update 1-15-2019
 
I finally had to forcefully move this colony. It's up to around 550 workers now, which is too big to just dump into the large Dirt Box formicarium. I would never be able to get them all in at once. If I waited for the first group to dig a new nest before moving the next group in, it's always possible they might fight if it's been too long.
 
I did the usual, and dumped them into a Fluon-coated tub, then put a test tube in there so they would pile all their brood in it. Unfortunately quite a few repletes died during this process, but there isn't much you can do.
 

 
 
Once the majority of them were in the test tube along with most of their brood, I dumped them into the Dirt Box, and placed it inside the tub as well. I then pulled the plug out of the bottom. This way once they make it down to the bottom, the others can enter the nest and continue digging, hopefully carrying some of the dirt out of the formicarium so I don't have to move as much out later.
 

 

 

 

[dspdrew]

Update 1-22-2019
 
The colony is fully moved into their new Dirt Box now.
 

 
 
You can see they have been using the bottom hole as their main nest entrance, and have deposited quite a bit of dirt outside of it.
 

 
 
They dug out the entire bottom of the formicarium, and another level above that, all the way around.
 

 
 
I think this formicarium should last them another couple years.

[FSTP]

that's great. Were losses minimal ?

[dspdrew]

thats great. Were losses minimal ?

 

Yeah, they're already making new repletes.

[Rstheant]

Still alive and healthy right?

[FSTP]

update?