Daily forage diary - our A. cephalotes colony

What you feed, where you get it from, basically we will build up a comrehensive list of suitable plants to feed Leaf Cutters. Also in temperate countries, what do you feed them in the Winter?
Jackie62
Minim
Posts: 263
Joined: Wed Dec 09, 2015 9:13 am

Re: Daily forage diary - our A. cephalotes colony

Post by Jackie62 » Tue May 08, 2018 1:06 pm

Acromyrmexbob wrote:I always saw you as an Atta man, Andy! It would be like going out on a 50CC moped when all your mates have Harleys or 1100cc Kawasaki's. You'd get bullied and left behind. I was going to have a special section of the forum where only people with Atta can go, where they can order stuff for free and get prizes for just being themselves. Whereas the Acro keepers need to pay per post and get permission every time they want to log on. Just a thought!
You could eliminate leaves entirely if you wanted to and the fungus would be perfectly happy on whatever the ant were providing it with. All the leaves or the fruit etc are to the fungus is a source of nutrients.

Really? I didn't know that....I think I'm definitely spoiling them....

Jackie62
Minim
Posts: 263
Joined: Wed Dec 09, 2015 9:13 am

Re: Daily forage diary - our A. cephalotes colony

Post by Jackie62 » Tue May 08, 2018 1:37 pm

I guess I should add that of course our display is on public display, so I have to try and keep it looking 'pretty'...flowers are always a winner with the public!

User avatar
Acromyrmexbob
Site Admin
Posts: 2199
Joined: Tue Nov 24, 2015 10:32 pm

Re: Daily forage diary - our A. cephalotes colony

Post by Acromyrmexbob » Wed May 09, 2018 11:34 am

Should be prettier after Alan has visited today!
Flowers are great. We have many instances, though, when flowers are sourced from a florist. Definite No No!! Lots of florist flowers are laced with systemic insecticide. Fungus is happy but ants are :(

User avatar
Andyj
Site Admin
Posts: 505
Joined: Sun Mar 20, 2016 7:26 pm
Location: Sunny Devon
Contact:

Re: Daily forage diary - our A. cephalotes colony

Post by Andyj » Wed May 09, 2018 2:06 pm

It makes you wonder what else is sprayed on, i mean if you spend 50 quid on flowers at a florist they last a few days then keel over but if you buy from a supermarket for a fiver, they go on and on and on go on and on and on go on and on and on and on and on go on and on and on go on and on and on and on and on go on and on and on go on and on and on and on and on go on and on and on go on and on and on .... so why ?

User avatar
Acromyrmexbob
Site Admin
Posts: 2199
Joined: Tue Nov 24, 2015 10:32 pm

Re: Daily forage diary - our A. cephalotes colony

Post by Acromyrmexbob » Thu May 10, 2018 10:19 am

Just hope you cut and paste that and didnt type it. Sadness is redefined in a post that comprises a guy, locked in a room somewhere, typing pointless lines of text and watching his only pals in the world carrying leaves back to their nest.

User avatar
Andyj
Site Admin
Posts: 505
Joined: Sun Mar 20, 2016 7:26 pm
Location: Sunny Devon
Contact:

Re: Daily forage diary - our A. cephalotes colony

Post by Andyj » Thu May 10, 2018 10:23 am

Acromyrmexbob wrote:Just hope you cut and paste that and didnt type it. Sadness is redefined in a post that comprises a guy, locked in a room somewhere, typing pointless lines of text and watching his only pals in the world carrying leaves back to their nest.
Good God !!! that sounds just like me,,,incredible :) ps, i typed it whilst wasting my dinner hour.

Jackie62
Minim
Posts: 263
Joined: Wed Dec 09, 2015 9:13 am

Re: Daily forage diary - our A. cephalotes colony

Post by Jackie62 » Fri May 11, 2018 10:35 am

Acromyrmexbob wrote:Should be prettier after Alan has visited today!
Flowers are great. We have many instances, though, when flowers are sourced from a florist. Definite No No!! Lots of florist flowers are laced with systemic insecticide. Fungus is happy but ants are :(
Alan did a fab job, all OK. The blighters are spoiling it though by now dumping waste in the water, I can't keep up with them and have to keep changing the water! Any ideas anyone? Monday morning will be another mess again....

Jackie62
Minim
Posts: 263
Joined: Wed Dec 09, 2015 9:13 am

Re: Daily forage diary - our A. cephalotes colony

Post by Jackie62 » Fri May 11, 2018 10:41 am

11/05/18

Sorry for not keeping up with my diary....

I'm off work today, but over the past few days, the colony has had the following forage:

Horse chestnut (leaves & flowers)
Sweet chestnut (leaves only)
Privet (they are in love with privet)
Rose (second best)
Flaked almonds (they carried it back to the nest)
Pyrocantha (leaves only and they like it)

Looking forward to more flowers being available soon....the display will look wonderful! I am bringing in branches of forage as they seem to love clambering around in the twigs. I did once try florist roses, they completely hated them and threw them out. I learned my lesson.... :)

Jackie62
Minim
Posts: 263
Joined: Wed Dec 09, 2015 9:13 am

Re: Daily forage diary - our A. cephalotes colony

Post by Jackie62 » Fri May 11, 2018 10:43 am

Andyj wrote:
Acromyrmexbob wrote:Just hope you cut and paste that and didnt type it. Sadness is redefined in a post that comprises a guy, locked in a room somewhere, typing pointless lines of text and watching his only pals in the world carrying leaves back to their nest.
Good God !!! that sounds just like me,,,incredible :) ps, i typed it whilst wasting my dinner hour.
Hahahaha!! :D

Jackie62
Minim
Posts: 263
Joined: Wed Dec 09, 2015 9:13 am

Re: Daily forage diary - our A. cephalotes colony

Post by Jackie62 » Tue May 15, 2018 2:42 pm

15/05/18

Today the ants had privet, rose, flaked almonds (they love them!), pyrocantha (they will take well leaves and flowers), apple (loved), hawthorn leaves and flowers (OKish) and some rose flowers. They didn't touch the elder flower leaves or flowers.

They are still dumping what looks like bits of old fungus garden in the water....I hope it will stop when it has been dismantled....the water changes are getting silly... :(

Post Reply