Leaf Cutting Ant room

[Acromyrmexbob]

Was looking for an excuse to have my own journal but don't have a personal colony so was feeling left out. Then I had a brain wave and thought 'I'll do a journal of all the colonies in the ant room!!
So here....




I will update how the colonies look in the room over time. Now I've got a journal page I feel normal!!

[Formica123]

Andrew you should keep a personal colony too

[Britishants.com]

I'm in heaven!

[Deansie26]

Its definitely not something you will see very often, an amazing sight for sure but can see the work keeping all them going!

[Acromyrmexbob]

One of the problems I am encountering, and always have to deal with at this stage, is that because there are so many colonies of ants in the room (190) when a leaf or a stem falls into the water and becomes wedged between the tubs there are generally disasterous raids where one colony strips the other. The frustrating (and really interesting) thing is that the raided colony does not offer any resistance. There is not a big fight. In Atta the queen is generally killed and everything, including the ants, is taken. In Acromyrmex the queen is also taken sometimes. One of the strategies I employ to try to limit this is to alternate the colonies, Atta Acro Atta etc. Whilst this makes management more difficult it means that a bridge between two colonies generally will not result in a raid. The only problem is a bridge between the colony and the side which causes the colony to go looking for another colony that can be reached. Here's an interesting thing. It appears the ants can smell the colony across a gap. They will often stop adjacent to a colony and then try to reach it. Sometimes its simply a case of enough ants at the same point and by climbing onto each other they can span the gap. Even although the water is flowing, this is my main problem until colonies start to go out next week and it wont be so much of an issue

[Formica123]

One of the problems I am encountering, and always have to deal with at this stage, is that because there are so many colonies of ants in the room (190) when a leaf or a stem falls into the water and becomes wedged between the tubs there are generally disasterous raids where one colony strips the other. The frustrating (and really interesting) thing is that the raided colony does not offer any resistance. There is not a big fight. In Atta the queen is generally killed and everything, including the ants, is taken. In Acromyrmex the queen is also taken sometimes. One of the strategies I employ to try to limit this is to alternate the colonies, Atta Acro Atta etc. Whilst this makes management more difficult it means that a bridge between two colonies generally will not result in a raid. The only problem is a bridge between the colony and the side which causes the colony to go looking for another colony that can be reached. Here's an interesting thing. It appears the ants can smell the colony across a gap. They will often stop adjacent to a colony and then try to reach it. Sometimes its simply a case of enough ants at the same point and by climbing onto each other they can span the gap. Even although the water is flowing, this is my main problem until colonies start to go out next week and it wont be so much of an issue

Why don't you create mini cubicles on the shelves so there's a barrier between each tub?

[Acromyrmexbob]

Just because of the numbers involved and time availability. I need to be able to access the tubs quickly so feeding and checking can be done within 2 or so hours.

[Bitterlime]

I think I have found a solution to your problem! Sorry about the awful diagram I'll explain it, if you get a long piece of thin mesh that the ants can't get through and then cut it so that it fits over the tub that the ant colony is in, bend it so that you can just slot it over the nest and easily take it off! Then do that for every other one, if the mesh is obstructing the water flow cut holes in the bottom of the mesh! This is just an idea however it is time consuming and might not work!

[Acromyrmexbob]

Actually thats not bad. Not sure I could reasonably make 190 of them and make that work. Its a great idea. Might look at something like that for next time. Thanks Eloise.

[Acromyrmexbob]

Some updated pictures of my current stock, roughly equal Acro and Atta











These ones are forming a completely natural looking cone same as they do in nature.







And this video of one of the older colonies cutting.