9 replies to this topic

[Ernteameise]

This question goes to all the keepers with different kinds of harvester ants out there.

So I have been keeping Messor barbarus, and they are very good at separating different areas of the nest depending on heat and humidity. So for example, they have a place that is dryer where they store the seed, a moist place for the larvae and a warmer place for the puppae.

This is what I am used to seeing, as far away from the water source as possible:

 

 

 

I know that small Messor colonies cannot do this, and people raising young founding colonies often have the problem of seed sprouting in the nest. This also happened to me:

 

 

Now I have got a new colony, a very small species of tropical harvester ants. They come from the tropical rainforest of Thailand and nest in rotten wood and leaf litter on the ground.

At first I thought they would keep the seed in the dry area of the nest and live with their larvae on top of the water tower.

But no!

They have now moved the seed stash on top of the water tower.

 

 

How do your harvester ants handle this?

Have you observed similar behaviors?

Do your ants discriminate between "wet" and "dry" areas?

Or do you have to clean after them when the seed are sprouting?

 

I would love to hear your experiences and stories.

[The_Gaming-gate]

I’m no help down in Florida, Pogonomyrmex wants to be a no-show.

Edited by The_Gaming-gate, April 22 2024 - 11:23 AM.

[bmb1bee]

A theory, but maybe they place the seeds close to water so that they are easier to crack open and eat once they begin to sprout.

[Ernteameise]

A theory, but maybe they place the seeds close to water so that they are easier to crack open and eat once they begin to sprout.

This is exactly what I thought.

I could actually observe the majors walking around with seed that had just sprouted and they were working on them.

In nature, this is actually a good strategy- why spend all that energy on cracking a seed that will crack itself when it sprouts?

But for ants in a artificial environment, this is a real hassle for the ant keeper.

Some people on the ant Facebook group gave me the advice to pre-crack the seed for the ants- this will avoid the sprouting and will also make it easier for the ants.

I will have to see how they go with that.

 

This is actually how the whole story went today (I am not going to re-post it here), it can be found in my journal on these ants.

I started the journal for exactly that reason- so that there is a resource on this forum and the net about all that can go wrong and about all that I learned and observed.

It might help other people.

 

https://www.formicul...e-2#entry239045

[TacticalHandleGaming]

I'm never had any issues with sprouting seeds, but I have heard of it happening. If It happened in my larger Pogonomyrmex colony... It would be a big task to remove them. I'd have to remove the nest glass, and that's a lot of angry stinging ants to deal with.

[Full_Frontal_Yeti]

No sprouts with mine yet. They keep the seeds in the drier areas, but they bring some of them from the larder to the humid areas when they want to open them later.
They do use the moisture to soften up the seeds for sure.

I let mine keep a fairly deep larder no issues so far. But i suppose if they were keeping them in more sprout friendly conditions, i'd not let them keep as many either.

 

I do notice when i give them the seed medley, they feed the brood the cracked hemp seeds immeditly. It is the one seed in the medley already opened.

[SHmealer]

I’m no help down in Florida, Pogonomyrmex wants to be a no-show.

badius is extremely common in florida, just go to the proper habitat.

[The_Gaming-gate]

I’m no help down in Florida, Pogonomyrmex wants to be a no-show.

badius is extremely common in florida, just go to the proper habitat.

What would that be? I’m stuck in Orange County where everything may as well be made of plastic.

[SHmealer]

Scrub or sand hill or any sandy habitat

[The_Gaming-gate]

Thanks! I always wanted some Pogonomyrmex.