8 replies to this topic

[electrodynamix]

my first ever ant colony!
these ants are tiny and quite impossible to see. they're in a test tube for now, and I've fed them a little and there seems to be some brood. the ants keep tugging at the cotton so i think i need to upgrade their living space. I was thinking of making a simple tubs and tubes setup as i don't think i can put them in any other form of setup and expect them to not escape, even as now I'm not sure what barriers would work, so its pretty much experimenting.

I've googled a lot and i think the species is Pheidole pieli, feel free to correct me. Feel free to give your suggestions for this colony too

some pictures. Hopefully my photography skillis improve.

[Artisan_Ants]

I believe the species might be Pheidole parva instead. In a way, it's more of a western or rather invasive version of its cousins in the Pheidole rinae complex (which include P. pieli). Means that's it's more abundant in India which is true as I myself have been there and found P. parva practically everywhere. 

 

As of their living space, I think adding a tubs and tubes setup would be perfect. All species like these tend to thrive in them from what I've seen. Anyways, good luck! Hope to see one of my favorite Indian ant species thrive!

Edited by Artisan_Ants, August 6 2025 - 12:48 PM.

[RushmoreAnts]

As of their living space, I think adding a tubs and tubes setup would be perfect. Small species like these tend to thrive in them from what I've seen. Anyways, good luck! Hope to see one of my favorite Indian ant species thrive!

You can delete the 'Sm' in 'small', as in my experience tubs and tubes setups always yield the best results regardless of species size, maybe behind naturalistic dirt formicaria, but as far as standard viewer-friendly formicaria go.

Edited by RushmoreAnts, August 5 2025 - 3:47 PM.

[electrodynamix]

so i got a fridge container thing. This should be big enough for quite some time, its about 2.5 litres and its food grade plastic. The only real problem is ventilation here. I'm not sure what barriers would work, so till i discover that i woukd like to have a removable escape proof lid, which owing to their small size, may be quite difficult. I burnt holes in the lid and taped a bit of cloth, but i don't think it will be enough ventilation. Any suggestions ?

[electrodynamix]

also , artisan ants, thanks for the more accurate ID. I do think this is pheidole parva after some googling, and these ants are very common around here.

[Artisan_Ants]

Instead of poking holes and then adding the cloth, I would suggest to remove a portion of the top (like cut a small rectangle/square out) and then add the cloth. That should provide more than enough ventilation. Until you get a barrier, I generally think opening the lid shouldn't be too hard, especially with a colony of this size (a real hassle would be prevalent if the colony is well over the 100s). If there are any workers near the sides, just gently move them down with cotton, and if on the lid just tap them down. 

[electrodynamix]

Update-20/8/2025

its pretty stupid i didn't think of that myself. Anyway, I've done moving the ants inside. I placed a sugar water test tube, their own test tube, and the bottom of a paper cup as a replaceable feeder. I even added some cotton to the rims of the box and an oil barrier to see if they can climb it. The ants mostly stick to staying inside the nest, i genuinely expected them to come pouring out when i opened the test tube. I added a mosquito on the feeder which they carried inside the test tube and once they finished eating whatever was worth eating they dumped the remains at the opening of the tes tube.the pictures i have attached probably conveys more information than this huge paragraph








their numbers are increasing and it makes me happy to see that. I doubt they discovered the sugar test tube, i havent seen a single one of them drinking from it.
some other observations:
- they don't seem to be affected by light
- they don't eat cheese
- they definitely don't eat oats

[electrodynamix]

update!
I havent updated in a long time, and I'm blaming exams for it.

The colony is doing well, i beleive. I fed them a couple small insects, but from now on i want to stop feeding them insects for two reasons:
-> i don't want them to get affected by pesticides
-> they keep moving parts of the insects into their testtube , causing mold.
I believed the ants did that because they felt the entrance of their test tube was too big, since they are very small.
This was validated when i microwave-d sand and added it to their tub, they moved it into their testube.

I also added a new testube. The ants would know if its too much mold right?? Hopefully the mold isn't too dangerous

Also , the ants accepted both raw and cooked chicken

Watching ants is just soo cool






not much images, but ill upload more soon! Any suggestions/feedback are welcome!

[electrodynamix]

the ants accept boiled egg. Their numbers are growing, and i see brood. This makes me happy, however I'm not sure if they eat their sugars properly. I have kept both a sugar water testube and honey in cotton in their setup, and i havent seen any of them drinking from it. It could be they don't need much sugar due to their size,but I'm not sure. Hopefully that's not a problem.

Also, i have to leave them for a week. Hopefully nothing bad happens

Pictures:
https://ibb.co/zVV3kCWb
https://ibb.co/Q7VcYc3B