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[AntsCzech]

AntsCzech's Journal

 

I'll be posting random notes starting now. For colonies or species where it's worth, I'll make Journals for each.


2025/10/18
At the time of writing I have most probably 61 colonies.
It takes about half a day to take care of them if I don't laze around looking at them or by taking pictures. 
Most of them are in test tubes, some medium sized are in simple arenas inside ttubes or small nests. Some colonies are big or living in naturalistic setups (Camponotus singularis, Odontomachus rixosus, Lasius niger).
 
I make my own "simple&cheap arenas" that I'm planning to offer. So far I'm testing several prototypes.

Edited by AntsCzech, October 18 2025 - 2:10 PM.

[AntsCzech]

2025/10/12

 

I put ants in test tubes in lower temps, Oct. 19 I also put most of the medium colonies in formicaria, prep for hibernation begins!

 

2025/10/19

 

Dolichoderus quadripunctatus #4 2025

One worker has randomly died, down to a single worker. 

 

Cardiocondyla dalmatica 2025 

from Hungary, 12w, one w died

 

Messor structor #2 

has about 50 workers, from Czechia, rare species

 

C. dalmatica picture:

[AntsCzech]

2025/10/27

 

Pre-hibernation in full swing.

Cleaned the enclosure for Camponotus ligniperda 2018 colony called Drevokocúři (Wood-cats) and 2020 colony called Dvakocúři (Two-cats). I put some crushed beech wood in there, we'll see how it works as a substrate 😄

 

I have to go buy some fly larvae at the fishing store and try feeding them to the ants. It's very cheap food, and ants really like flies. Their cuticle is thin, and there's a lot to eat in them.

More pictures here: https://imgur.com/a/p41Ejle

Not organized, but it needs to stay like this just for a few weeks for pre-hibernation (lowering temps)



The 2020 C. ligniperda colony

And the outworld

[AntsCzech]

2025/11/02

Tetramorium bicarinatum
I got this colony gifted back in middle July. They arrived with 5Q and 20w. 

Currently the colony has over 200 workers and will have even more soon. They could have even more than that, but I didn't put them on a heat cable. For easier feeding and waste cleaning, I put their test tube into a 1.3L simple outworld I showed earlier. As a substrate I used just sand, no plaster since I ran out recently. The new workers are visibly smaller than the old 20w because they came as a fission of a larger colony that produced alates. Alate production starts with a few thousand workers, afaik. Then they inbreed with males and the colony can grow even faster. 

For counting ants I use my own counter on https://pocitadlo-fo...ika.zombeek.cz/ It is available with multiple languages and I've just added Picture Editing. If you come across any problems, don't hesitate to tell me
 

Edited by AntsCzech, November 3 2025 - 9:03 AM.

[AntsCzech]

2025/11/16
Messor ibericus 2024
Colony before shipping to its new owner in the Formika S1 prototype nest (S1.2.5). The new S prototype nests have proven themselves so far, with larger humidification chambers and magnet compatibility. The colony has a few Messor barbarus broodboosted workers living with the colony, coexisting fine with their nestmates for months since they eclosed from pupae.

 

More pictures here: https://imgur.com/a/fQt4fuq