Leaf Cutting Ant Forum

Jackie62 wrote:I'll do my best Andy, but I have a responsibility to the University to contain the colony. I've discussed sending out queens on here before, but it would need proper coordination.

Yes, I'm sure that if the person you were sending them too proved they could contain a mature colony without escapees it should be ok? But I don't know The rules of your job.

Would love to see some videos of the colony now though

I will try and take some footage tomorrow or Thursday...hopefully be able to film the males as well as young queens.

Hello all, here are some videos of our colony. You can see some males and young queens around. Apologies for the talking on one of them, but someone came into the lab when I was filming! And apologies for the quality of video...sometimes not very good!

https://youtu.be/38MTl03Ia7Q

https://youtu.be/V7TtnkV8gRk

Great set up Jackie, so what will happen to all those queens ?

Well Andy, they normally just die off after a while. They had been helping out in the colony with moving leaves and working in the dump tank, but not so much now. I'm half expecting a nuptial flight....so will have to encase the tank in fine mesh until it stops. I then have the sad task of removing all the dead bodies after a few days. It may not happen though and I kind if hope that it won't.

By the way, I love your webcam, was it easy to set up? And do I see a small dish of water in the tank with what looked like an any drinking from it just now? Do they take water from it?

Great videos Jackie, so is there no soil in any if your fungus tanks? Couldn't watch the full 15 minutes :/ funny in big colonies as you can see a lot if ants doing nothing but standing about.
What ventilation do you have in the fungus tanks?

I wondered why some just stand about and why do some make the long journey to the food source just to turn around and go back empty handed. Skulkers perhaps that should be given an industrial warning......

Personally I think the standers arounders and the skulkers are part of the residual latency capability of the colony, the ability of the colony to respond to need or crisis. So in a well balanced colony, the requirement for effort will be below the available work force. In times of need, be it defence or a food source which is further away, more resources can be deployed. I am unsure if these 'waiters' take their turn or are, perhaps, older or younger, (there is a definite change in duties as ants mature and age), so these may be older ants which have taken up guard duties. Interesting stuff.

Deansie26 wrote:Great videos Jackie, so is there no soil in any if your fungus tanks? Couldn't watch the full 15 minutes :/ funny in big colonies as you can see a lot if ants doing nothing but standing about.
What ventilation do you have in the fungus tanks?

No soil in any of the tanks, never had the need to put any in. The colony seems to prefer it that way and they form their own material out of leaves etc I guess. I did once put soil in and it got ignored, save for a bit every now and then carried elsewhere.
Ventilation is just the windows in the lab. Its a large lab with windows all around. I keep a couple of these open according to weather conditions. The main tank has a metal, raised lid, which allows air to flow in and around it, the other tanks only have plastic tubing and no other ventilation. The metal lid has a light attached to it and lights up the main tank. This is controlled by a timer, so the colony spends night time in total darkness.