My previous set ups

[Deansie26]

Moving Acromyrmex for first time


Photo of a worker saving a young ant when it must have though its colony was under attack when I was moving it, loved this photo!


Acromyrmex colony 1 new set up





cutting a leaf

[Deansie26]

New Atta set up in my garage

unit built


Insulated and wired up


Fungus tubs

[Acromyrmexbob]

Really Sad Observation No 1: Is it just me or are there very few things in life as nice and satisfying as a clear plastic box full of fungus!

[Deansie26]

Sure is! Reassuring to know your doing something right.

[Atta solider]

Is it normal for ants to cut the leafs and leave them all in the pipes your set up I saw on tube before I joined this it's ace and how far your colony come on mate as your colony ever done this ?

[Deansie26]

Yeh this is what they do buddy, cut loads and store them in the pipes for later use, I imagine it's exactly what they do in the wild.
Is more noticeable one the colony gets bigger, my atta colony done it

[Deansie26]

https://youtu.be/neUPDS0yW7U

[Acromyrmexbob]

I believe that the reason they do this is so they can reseal the nest entrance against both desiccation and predators. When the nest is sealed all of the moisture in the leaves is trapped near the fungus and in small colonies, when the entrance is open they are vulnerable to attacks by Pachychondyla and other bullet ants etc. So they close it whenever they can. Once soldiers come along this is no longer so much of a habit.

[Atta solider]

Oh right I see mine have put loads leaves in the pipes and around the fungus and it looks like they stopped cutting leaves due to loads in the pipes and around the fungus as its getting be and thanks as they never did it before just this couple of weeks they started to leaves in pipe and get more etc no your ants do they leave so many leaves in pipes that they don't cut any leaves mines done that last night I didn't see
Much ants out cutting leaves as they was moving the cut leaves in pipe and the fugus as got loads leaves bits and rice and corn around it and they putting it to fungus