27 replies to this topic

[Saftron]

So when I checked in on my Tetramorium I saw a little green ball and saw it was some sort of fungus. Any idea's on what it is and how to get rid of it? I heat my Tetramorium until it gets dark and there is a lot of humidity so that could be a factor.

 

[Leo]

dangerous looking

something like that wiped one of my colonies out

[FSTP]

it looks super wet in there, I'd try reducing the relative humidity and water less frequently.

Edited by FSTP, December 19 2016 - 10:11 PM.

[Serafine]

Move the ants out, then purge the setup (hydrogen peroxide works best).

 

Also this setup is WAY too wet, with that humidity level you will always get mold quickly.

To further prevent stuff like this you should regularly clean the outworld from any leftovers - if there's nothing to feed on fungus of all kind will have a hard time growing.

[Batspiderfish]

Outworlds need to be dry.

[drtrmiller]

Keep in mind that fungus spores are everywhere—especially after an outbreak like this.  So as everyone has said, keep the formicarium better ventilated and drier in the future.

 

When fungus spreads to substrate and takes over a formicarium, you have a problem.  This is not a problem, but rather just a chunk of uneaten food that needs to be removed.  There's no need to evacuate the entire formicarium and disinfect/sterilize it just because a chunk of uneaten food has molded.

Edited by drtrmiller, December 20 2016 - 1:16 PM.

[Saftron]

Thanks, will stop heating them and will start cleaning the out world more regularly.

[dspdrew]

I think that is the same Aspergillus fungus a bunch of us have popping up all the time. If it is, It grows in fairly dry conditions, and springtails and other fungus-eating organisms don't seem to like it.

[Leo]

it killed my trap jaw queen =(

[Batspiderfish]

Has anybody proven that this is Aspergillus? From what I understand, Aspergillus mostly feeds on plant matter, and it would take more than a visual inspection to get a proper ID.

[Serafine]

Thanks, will stop heating them and will start cleaning the out world more regularly.

You don't need to stop heating. Mold fungus doesn't really care for temperature, in fact they usually grow better at lower temperatures (because lower temperatures usually mean more moisture and less drying-out - this is the reason why room walls never should go below 15°C).

 

But it's probably better to place them in a separate nest that is not incorporated in an outworld, so you can keep the nest wet without moisture spreading through the outworld.

 

 

Has anybody proven that this is Aspergillus? From what I understand, Aspergillus mostly feeds on plant matter, and it would take more than a visual inspection to get a proper ID.

Aspergillus is a very opportunistic mold that can grow on most decomposing matter. It is very toxic to a degree that even humans should not eat it, that's probably why booklice and other insects don't like it.

[Batspiderfish]

 

Has anybody proven that this is Aspergillus? From what I understand, Aspergillus mostly feeds on plant matter, and it would take more than a visual inspection to get a proper ID.

Aspergillus is a very opportunistic mold that can grow on most decomposing matter. It is very toxic to a degree that even humans should not eat it, that's probably why booklice and other insects don't like it.

 

 

My point is that we should at least take similar care naming our molds as we do naming our ants, and microorganisms are very rarely identifiable by just eyeballing them. Unless somebody looks at this mold under a microscope or runs chemical assays, we only know that it is mold.

Edited by Batspiderfish, December 21 2016 - 11:05 AM.

[benjiwuf]

You can control mold growth in many ways.

Temperature is one, as most molds grow in a rather warm range, 15 to 30 C. Cooling or heating outside that range would limit growth, but not prevent it (short of fatal temperatures to at least tropical ants).

Reducing availible moisture is another way to inhibit mold growth. Most molds are typically found where there is water in the air, or pooled up consistently. Bonding the availible water to things like salts, sugars, or starches will also reduce the availible water.

pH is another way to reduce the opportunity for mold growth. Most molds also prefer extremely acidic (pH a bit more than 4) to neutral, and even slightly alkaline.

Unfortunately, it would seem only reducing the moisture level would properly apply in food collection areas in ant keeping.

Also, Batspiderfish is absolutely right. There are so many types of molds out there that you couldn't possibly identify ANY single type without a complete lab analysis. Color, diet, and structure to the naked eye means about as much as coloring does in ant species.

Edited by benjiwuf, December 21 2016 - 11:19 AM.

[LC3]

 

 

Has anybody proven that this is Aspergillus? From what I understand, Aspergillus mostly feeds on plant matter, and it would take more than a visual inspection to get a proper ID.

Aspergillus is a very opportunistic mold that can grow on most decomposing matter. It is very toxic to a degree that even humans should not eat it, that's probably why booklice and other insects don't like it.

 

 

My point is that we should at least take similar care naming our molds as we do naming our ants, and microorganisms are very rarely identifiable by just eyeballing them. Unless somebody looks at this mold under a microscope or runs chemical assays, we only know that it is mold.

 

How this mold got its notorious reputation was because a few years back on this forum it ended up hitchhiking into drews (and other SoCal members') apartments/homes on Acromyrmex (Where it would sprout on dead ants). it eventually infested drew's apartment and he had some trouble dealing with it and brought it over to another forum to ID it (With pictures from a microscope). No one was able to ID it as far as I can remember but they agreed it was somewhat related to Aspergillus.

Edited by LC3, December 21 2016 - 11:52 AM.

[AntsMAN]

I had what looks like the same mold not to long ago. I soaked everything in peroxide for a day or so, and then another just to make sure. At the end I lost a 100+ worker Camponotus noveboracensis colony, they just kept piling dead onto it and carrying it to the new nests I connected.

Would it be expensive to have it sent away and tested?

 

 

[dspdrew]

 

 

 

Has anybody proven that this is Aspergillus? From what I understand, Aspergillus mostly feeds on plant matter, and it would take more than a visual inspection to get a proper ID.

Aspergillus is a very opportunistic mold that can grow on most decomposing matter. It is very toxic to a degree that even humans should not eat it, that's probably why booklice and other insects don't like it.

 

 

My point is that we should at least take similar care naming our molds as we do naming our ants, and microorganisms are very rarely identifiable by just eyeballing them. Unless somebody looks at this mold under a microscope or runs chemical assays, we only know that it is mold.

 

How this mold got its notorious reputation was because a few years back on this forum it ended up hitchhiking into drews (and other SoCal members') apartments/homes on Acromyrmex (Where it would sprout on dead ants). it eventually infested drew's apartment and he had some trouble dealing with it and brought it over to another forum to ID it (With pictures from a microscope). No one was able to ID it as far as I can remember but they agreed it was somewhat related to Aspergillus.

 

 

These were taken by Subverted and ID'd as Aspergillus elsewhere if I remember right.

 

http://www.formicult...s-ants/?p=26031

 

 

 

[Kevin]

Someone should make a post explaining how to handle mold, bacteria, and fungus and put it on the list of handy links.

[drtrmiller]

Someone should make a post explaining how to handle mold, bacteria, and fungus and put it on the list of handy links.

Just use latex or nitrile gloves.

[Kevin]

 

Someone should make a post explaining how to handle mold, bacteria, and fungus and put it on the list of handy links.

Just use latex or nitrile gloves.

 

As in manage it, not physically handle it. Like if you get mold in a colony, have a picture of acceptable mold, and examples of mold you need to move out of and how to do so. I think it would be silly to have a dedicated thread about how to hold mold, haha.

Edited by Kevin, December 21 2016 - 5:54 PM.

[Batspiderfish]

If the ants have substrate, they are usually able to just bury the mold or the molding object(s) until the problem subsides.