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DaniKay's Tapinoma sessile journal

Posted: Sun Jun 30, 2019 11:23 pm
by Danikay
Hey AC family! I'm going to start posting here about my journey into my first experience keeping ants. I will be posting pics as well as videos, but for now its story time.

First I would like to say that I have read pretty much every article, wiki, and forum post about this ant species. I'm well aware that it's not likely that it's going to work out. However, my story is a little bit different than the ones I've read.

It all started, in late march/early april, when I bought a dirty wicker end table from a yard sale. I cleaned it with a rag and soap and brought it into the house, stationing it in my bedroom, near a window, for my plants and future (now current) terrarium. About a week after introducing the table to my habitat I noticed that I was being invaded! These "pests" were hanging out forming trails in a few different areas around my room. Now, I live in a wooded area and I often get common "pest" ants in my kitchen and bathroom, but these looked different and I had never had issues with ants this far into my house. I figured they had come from the new wicker table, and saw them around that area often. They didn't bother me much, and I started to sorta think about them as roommates. In the meantime I got around to setting up my terrarium using a five gallon aquarium, a piece of driftwood, some ivy, an arrowhead plant, and something I can't remember the name of along with some mosses and, of course, the substrate. During the time that the terrarium was establishing I noticed the ants were checking it out, so I enticed them a bit with some sweets and crickets on a stick placed into the terrarium. During this time I also accidentally discovered their nest! I had my router sitting flat on the table near the terrarium for a little while now. And they were right under it! I could see massive amounts of brood when I lifted the router to *** SPAM *** the workers were scattering and swarming like crazy! I quickly put the router back, as if it were a rock in the woods, and started brainstorming. I had too little to go on, though. I needed more information. So I took to the web and dove deep. I soon figured out what they were, what they like, how they live, and why so many people have issues founding them. While this was going on the nest disappeared. Drat. I spoiled it. Well, I thought, in case they do come back I'll keep planning, after all they still live in my bedroom.

Guess what? They did come back!! For days I was checking, very carefully, under the router. They were there on and off. Of course, this species likes to move nests often after all. Also, they seemed to really like the heat coming off of the router. Light bulb!! I rushed to the pet store and got a sticky aquarium heat mat to put on the side of the terrarium and ya know what? They loved it! I would see them often moving between their nest in the table and a new nest that they were setting up... right in the spot nearest the heat mat! This is great! But I couldn't lock them in yet, they were still connected to the original nesting site and the new one seemed really small. I couldn't be sure that any of the queens and made it yet along with the small amount of brood the workers were carrying back and forth. They may never even officially move into the terrarium, just scoping the place out as a possible foraging destination. I resided to let this be the case and move on. That is, until I realized I wasn't seeing them around my room anymore. Had they died? I couldn't find them. Oh well, it was nice while it lasted. Well... until last week.

Re: DaniKay's Tapinoma sessile journal

Posted: Sun Jun 30, 2019 11:24 pm
by Danikay
... continued...

I found their nest in the terrarium! I watered my plants and the whole nest swarmed out! I was so surprised, but in such a good way! Still, I let it be, allowing them full run of the place for a week. Now, today, they are rarely seen around my room and they seem content for now with the abundance of food I put in the terrarium. Had they chosen me to be their keeper!? I had to test it. I vowed that I'd continue to give them free reign of my room if they wanted to leave. In comes the water. Sugar water this time, as I knew they'd like this new rain, even if it did mean more work for them. They scattered! More than I'd seen since the first time I saw them! There were so many coming out of seemingly everywhere in the terrarium. And then my heart fell. They were booking it for the glass, huge swarming trails with brood and all, even a queen. Welp, I tried, but at least they'd still be my roomies for a while. But wait, no! They aren't even going over the other side! They have chosen me!! Yes!!!

In the end I decided to put a large tray under the terrarium with a "moat" of water as a barrier. I'm a little mad at myself for doing this, but I really want them to stay. I have a bunch more aquariums I got for terrariums and I decided that this weeks project is to use the 40 gallon to make a new terrarium and place the five gallon inside it. This way, they will have plenty of room to build all the satellite nests they want for a while.... hopefully this will keep them happy for a long time to come.

I'll post pictures and maybe even a video later this week, and I'll continue to update regularly. Thanks for your patience with this long post, I hope you enjoyed the story!

P.s if you have any tips for me, or any insight at all for these girls, I'd love to hear it!

Re: DaniKay's Tapinoma sessile journal

Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2019 10:01 am
by Danikay
So apparently they can swim. Good to know!

Re: DaniKay's Tapinoma sessile journal

Posted: Wed Jul 24, 2019 6:02 pm
by Danikay
I'm disappointed that I haven't been able to get a video up and it's way past the time I said I would. Unfortunately my internet is utterly crap and I can't get any videos to upload. I'm going to try again at a public hotspot soon. For now though, a little update. They are thriving. I took away the moat, as it did absolutely nothing to contain them. They still stay within the boundaries of the terrarium except for when they are on the hunt for protein. I've determined this because I regularly provide them with sweets and I only ever see them roaming my bedroom after a couple weeks since their last protein meal. I recently rescued a baby milk snake from a tape trap that my grandfather put in the basement. Unfortunately the poor guy died a couple days later (I kept him so he could try to heal from the damage removing the tape caused in peace) and now I'm seeing if the ladies will be interested in snake for dinner. Bye bye for now!

Re: DaniKay's Tapinoma sessile journal

Posted: Mon Jul 29, 2019 5:36 pm
by sartwell90
Danikay wrote:
Wed Jul 24, 2019 6:02 pm
...and now I'm seeing if the ladies will be interested in snake for dinner. Bye bye for now!
Hope they enjoy the offering! I'm glad to see it seems you've kept them happy thus far, got my fingers crossed that the Tapinoma colony decides to choose you as their permanent land baron. :P

Re: DaniKay's Tapinoma sessile journal

Posted: Thu Aug 15, 2019 3:40 pm
by antnest8
wow! you are one of the only keepers that can claim a free roam colony! and in your house. When i had this colony they one day mysteriously disappeared in hibernation, i never even found remains. So maybe the were able to get past my barrier and leave. Congrats on being able to keep this species because when i had mine they were some of my favorites of all time to keep.

Re: DaniKay's Tapinoma sessile journal

Posted: Sun Aug 18, 2019 1:02 am
by ThePositive
We want pics and videos!!!