Leaf Cutting Ant Forum

Hi I'm from Brazil. I study Computer Science and started keeping ants this year. I have about 30 colonies, Camponotus Rufipes, Solenopsis Saevissima, Pachycondyla Striata, Pheidole sp., some more Camponotus sp. that I don't have the exact ID and Crematogaster. Also found some Atta queens and Acromyrmex queens, the Acromyrmex aren't doing very well but I hope to get the first Atta workers this week.
I started planning their setup but I don't know exactly if what I'm planing is good.
In the start will be 3 glass boxes(15cmx15cmx15cm) with a lid with a metal mesh. The floor will be plaster.
Some questions that I have:
1-This setup works?
2-The fungus garden need a lot of ventilation?
3-How could I make the hydration in this setup?
4-How can I transfer the ants to this setup?(see the video or the images bellow)
5-It's ok to leave that holes to connect more boxes later? And how could I close them?



https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_cont ... PL73cbJNxA

I currently have a journal in another forum, but I don't know if it's ok to post the link here.
Thanks.

Hi and welcome aboard. Well you have the advantage of having the correct climate for your ants, something we don't have here in the UK. We strive to maintain stable temps and humidity which can cause us problems with condensation. Anyway i would imagine that you would still need to monitor temperatures and humidity with a good thermometer and hygrometer.

1.Your set up is pretty much the same as mine which works well.

2. Not really so long as condensation doesn't cause problems.

3. Just a couple of drops water on the plaster but you may not even need it, check with a hygrometer. What is the difference in climate from where you collected your ants from, and where your keeping them ?

4. When there are enough and the fungus has established you can use a spoon to carefully move the fungus and tip the ants in with it. A daunting task

5. Its fine to have extra connection ready for later, just use a bung such as rubber or cork. Just make sure they don't chew their way out.

Thanks for the answer. I captured the queens in another city, about 80km from mine. The city that I captured is near the ocean and is hotter than mine that is in the mountains, the queens have been doing well tho, just a little bit slower growing of the brood. There's Atta in my city too but I didn't see the nuptial flight.
I have some wild colonies of Acromyrmex in my home, and I see them harvesting this type of grass:


I wonder if I can feed the Atta the same plants that the wild Acromyrmex colonies are harvesting, and if there's plants that are bad for the fungus.

I can't identify that plant but here is a list of plants wild to Venezuela that may grow in your region.

viewtopic.php?f=14&t=865

Hello and welcome aboard! Don't think we have many members from Brazil, if any actually so great you have joined. Must be amazing being able to start colonies from locally found queens etc. There is lots of interesting stuff on the forum to help you out and Andy knows his stuff so will keep you right.
Welcome again!

Jamie

Stuck in Trinidad so just seeing this now!!
Welcome to our little group. You are in the centre of the world for ants, including all of the Attines! If you have pictures of the queens and first workers I can identify the species for you.
AndyJ is on the case regarding your setup. One thing though, I would only place the lid with the vent in the container furthest away from the feeding area, a vent in each chamber is likely to be too much and may dry your set up. Once your colonies start to grow you will find that the leaves they carry in to the nest provide sufficient humidity that you dont have to add extra water. If it was me I would add a small spoonful of damp soil somewhere in the setup so the ants can use this to change the size of the entrance or partially block vents to restrict airflow. They are best at designing the perfect setup so if you give them the tools they will help you keep everything perfect.
This is definitely the home for Leaf Cutting enthusiasts and I would recommend you post a journal here to add your experiences to the collective and help us make our hobby better.

How are things with the colony. Not seen an update for a while. Did it survive the cool temperatures?