Riccardo atta colony 2015 4/12/2015

[Acromyrmexbob]

Well I have found that, based on the ants preference for not overexploiting any one food source, if you give fresh food each day that the ants have not seen for at least 4-5 days then the enthusiasm and therefore the overall leaf gathering is greatly increased. If you offer a mixed table of foods then it is unlikely you will, in winter, be able to offer a variety to that first offering the following day. So the ants are given a homogenized table of food which changes rarely. In public displays where the company want action for the visitor we set up a regime whereby all uneaten food is removed and fresh food put in 20 minutes before their doors open. The ants are very much more enthusiastic when first confronted by a large batch of new food than if they were exposed to the same food as the day before. Having said that, they will feed at a level constantly if given the same food. For instance the Montreal Insectarium feeds theirs hibiscus flowers from their greenhouse every day. I think it is a matter of managing them in the way that best suits.

[Deansie26]

Great information! I can see how my colonys have reacted in that way through having a variety of foods simultaneously which I do offer sometimes if they aren't fussed about a particular food I've offered, could this in a sense make them fussy?
In my garden I've roses that are still in flower due to the mind winter and they never refuse them, they are especially fond of the inner parts, the stigma etc and refuse other plants. In the past they have jumped on these others like privet but its like the flowers are top of there list!

[Atta solider]

Oright it's just how I do it put three different leaves in as they going good I just don't want it to go down lie do something wrong I've just put in freash leaves of a carbbage I've just got and wow they come out and is it good see a soilder out as well she's watching the workers go back to nest with bits of it the fungus is now touching the lib of the tub and I've just seen a massive pile of eggs well over 100 or so as not just one worker is moving them and they are so small and the queen as bit bit of white in her jaws is that her eating fungus ?

[Atta solider]

Well they fungus is now touching the lid of the tub so now I wonder if they draw it from side and the queen is in her chamber they built around her she got her Own room now lol I put in big leaf of a carbbage and half of its gone they really love it last night how they worked togther on bit of it they had two workers cutting the same pace of it and then once cut the one of the workers carried it of to drop it of the pipe and workers in the pipe carried into the nest

[Atta solider]

Well the fungus as grown this week it's now touching the lid but you can see the bottom half is white there not much room so they can't put more on top of the fungus I don't no what to do now ie move them out to big tub or leave them in there they make room buy digging away of the soil around the fungus any ideas be great

[Formica123]

Maybe they will start to expand on the sides now?

[Atta solider]

I hope so mate I've got pic of the fungus now

[Formica123]

Can't wait to see it

[Atta solider]

This was last night pic

[Formica123]

Looking really good there mate. Could you get a picture without the lid on?