Updates from a Danish noob
Moderator: ooper01
Updates from a Danish noob
Hallo All
i am still very new to this hobby, i have made a couple of posts in here but still do not have an ant colloni. I got the idea to start a new "Topic" her to describe my progress rater than ask questions, but of course all help and comments are appreciated.
I have designed and 3D printed an outworld and a formacarium, they are very influatede by AntsCanada's designs, hope i dont get in bad standing for it but i like to make stuff.
I'm hoping to catch a Lasius niger queen this summer and release it in the formacarium before the colloni goes in to hibernation.
Best regards
Rolf
my first update :
22/06-2018
My daughter saw a winged ant in the entrance to one of the ant colleies in the pavement outside our front door, the weather is very windy and we have had some rain, hoping they will start flying if the weather gets better.
i am still very new to this hobby, i have made a couple of posts in here but still do not have an ant colloni. I got the idea to start a new "Topic" her to describe my progress rater than ask questions, but of course all help and comments are appreciated.
I have designed and 3D printed an outworld and a formacarium, they are very influatede by AntsCanada's designs, hope i dont get in bad standing for it but i like to make stuff.
I'm hoping to catch a Lasius niger queen this summer and release it in the formacarium before the colloni goes in to hibernation.
Best regards
Rolf
my first update :
22/06-2018
My daughter saw a winged ant in the entrance to one of the ant colleies in the pavement outside our front door, the weather is very windy and we have had some rain, hoping they will start flying if the weather gets better.
Re: Updates from a Danish noob
24/06-2018
I have just been out i the front yard and there is a lot of activity in the ant hills out there. there are both queens and drones "im not sure what the males are called". But so far i have not seen any leave the entrance. I have uploaded some pictures of my formacarium and outworld. also i have made hose connectors and coffin like thing is to keep the testtube setup in the dark, tere is a lid for inspektion so you don't need to move it to look in to it.
https://imgur.com/a/AN97bQL
I have just been out i the front yard and there is a lot of activity in the ant hills out there. there are both queens and drones "im not sure what the males are called". But so far i have not seen any leave the entrance. I have uploaded some pictures of my formacarium and outworld. also i have made hose connectors and coffin like thing is to keep the testtube setup in the dark, tere is a lid for inspektion so you don't need to move it to look in to it.
https://imgur.com/a/AN97bQL
Re: Updates from a Danish noob
04/07-2018
We are now a couple of days into July were the Lasius Niger should start to fly in Denmark. I have still not seen any winged ants in the air or on the ground, but i can see them in the mouth of the mounds there are lots of small male ants i guess and if i look closely spying with my phone i can see much larger queens a bit deeper in the mounds. I'm leaving for my summer holiday this Saturday it would bee perfect if they would fly before this that way they would be in their test tubes and i would not bee tempted to look too offend at them
We are now a couple of days into July were the Lasius Niger should start to fly in Denmark. I have still not seen any winged ants in the air or on the ground, but i can see them in the mouth of the mounds there are lots of small male ants i guess and if i look closely spying with my phone i can see much larger queens a bit deeper in the mounds. I'm leaving for my summer holiday this Saturday it would bee perfect if they would fly before this that way they would be in their test tubes and i would not bee tempted to look too offend at them
Re: Updates from a Danish noob
05/07 2018
So last night when i came home i went to pick my son up at a play mate and their garden were swarming with queens, in a matter of 5 minutes we caught 5 queens. I think they are all Lasius niger but not sure but they are relay common in danish gardens. we went home and set them up in test tubes and put them into a closet. Now i just hope they can survive while i'm on holiday for 3 weeks , but on the other hand it might be good, then i won't stress them .
So last night when i came home i went to pick my son up at a play mate and their garden were swarming with queens, in a matter of 5 minutes we caught 5 queens. I think they are all Lasius niger but not sure but they are relay common in danish gardens. we went home and set them up in test tubes and put them into a closet. Now i just hope they can survive while i'm on holiday for 3 weeks , but on the other hand it might be good, then i won't stress them .
Re: Updates from a Danish noob
30/7 2018
So after my 3 week holiday i returned home to my ants and looked in on them they all have big clusters of brood and all seams fine it there are still plenty of water i the testtubes, now i'm just hoping the ants will hatch.
Seams i need to register as a gan farmer pretty soon .
So after my 3 week holiday i returned home to my ants and looked in on them they all have big clusters of brood and all seams fine it there are still plenty of water i the testtubes, now i'm just hoping the ants will hatch.
Seams i need to register as a gan farmer pretty soon .
Re: Updates from a Danish noob
03/08-2018
Last time i looked in on my queens, i took a couple of photos with a cheap macro lens, and i thought i would share them. They are all of the same queen.
https://imgur.com/a/wH0cMMj
Last time i looked in on my queens, i took a couple of photos with a cheap macro lens, and i thought i would share them. They are all of the same queen.
https://imgur.com/a/wH0cMMj
Re: Updates from a Danish noob
13/8 2018
When i looked into one of my queens test tubes this weekend 5 new ants had emerged they were all black so i guess they were a couple of days old. I desided to feed them i caught some fruit flies and a spider in my kitchen and froze them. I had 2 mini out worlds ready an i used these on the biggest colonies one had 5 workers the other had 6, the other 3 colonies got a "foil plate" with a drop of honey and a fruit fly. I will keep the 3d printer running ad make mini out world for the last 3 colonies.
here are some photos of the mini outworld and one of the ant colonies with their plate:
https://imgur.com/a/M0zBzvL
When i looked into one of my queens test tubes this weekend 5 new ants had emerged they were all black so i guess they were a couple of days old. I desided to feed them i caught some fruit flies and a spider in my kitchen and froze them. I had 2 mini out worlds ready an i used these on the biggest colonies one had 5 workers the other had 6, the other 3 colonies got a "foil plate" with a drop of honey and a fruit fly. I will keep the 3d printer running ad make mini out world for the last 3 colonies.
here are some photos of the mini outworld and one of the ant colonies with their plate:
https://imgur.com/a/M0zBzvL
Re: Updates from a Danish noob
15/8-2018
One of the large colonies (5 workers) drank all their honey , so i added a drop more to their foil plat. all the other colonies i left alone except the one i accidentally flooded trying to move the cotton ball against the water, to make the founding chamber larger. i had dried the founding camber with a small cotton ball and put the camber in a 45 degree angel so the cotton ball could drain back in the water chamber. But all seamed to bee fine today.
One of the large colonies (5 workers) drank all their honey , so i added a drop more to their foil plat. all the other colonies i left alone except the one i accidentally flooded trying to move the cotton ball against the water, to make the founding chamber larger. i had dried the founding camber with a small cotton ball and put the camber in a 45 degree angel so the cotton ball could drain back in the water chamber. But all seamed to bee fine today.
Re: Updates from a Danish noob
22/8- 2018
All is fine I have feed all my colonies a second time, and all seems good most of the colonies are up to 10 workers and have nice piles of brood. i'm not sure how much protein to provide, i think i will get my hands on some more fruit flies or some mehlworms, so i can provide them with plenty next time.
Now 3 of the five colonies have mini outworld and the last 2 are printed and almost ready. they work relay well and it is funny to see the workers dash thru the tube.
All is fine I have feed all my colonies a second time, and all seems good most of the colonies are up to 10 workers and have nice piles of brood. i'm not sure how much protein to provide, i think i will get my hands on some more fruit flies or some mehlworms, so i can provide them with plenty next time.
Now 3 of the five colonies have mini outworld and the last 2 are printed and almost ready. they work relay well and it is funny to see the workers dash thru the tube.
- Ltislander
- Posts: 221
- Joined: Sun Jul 23, 2017 8:25 pm
- Location: Massachusetts
Re: Updates from a Danish noob
My ants have 10 workers and eat 5 fruit flies a day. Remember you can’t over feed a colony. It just depends on how hungry they are!
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