Raising my first Messor Barbarus colony - Milestone

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LowlandAnts
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Joined: Thu Jul 19, 2018 2:08 pm
Location: Netherlands

Raising my first Messor Barbarus colony - Milestone

Post: # 49061Post LowlandAnts
Sat Sep 01, 2018 3:36 pm

Well, fellow antkeepers, I have finally done it. In the colony of Messor Barbarus that I am raising I have finally spotted their first major worker! I am absolutely elated with this sighting, since it started to look like disaster had struck.

Not too long after I had received the colony some of the workers started dying off. This did not worry me in the beginning, since the survivors looked healthy, and I just figured the first generation of workers had reached the end of their lifespan. However, over the month that followed I ended up with a total of 12 confirmed dead workers out of a colony of 20.

The colony had several misfortunes. One of them being a section of their tunnels collapsing due to a watering tube I have placed into the vivarium. I had fears that the queen might have been buried in that incident, but I saw her crawling about through the collapsed ceiling, which relieved my fears. Other incidents involved experimenting with proper soil humidity and heating lamps. But now, after 2 months of worry and care, I finally have a reason to celebrate. I'm thinking of calling this colony the Wastelants, due to the type of soil I had chosen for their enclosure. What do you guys think?
A Dutch ant keeper currently raising my first colony of Messor Barbarus.

JoeHostile1
Posts: 409
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2018 6:51 am
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Re: Raising my first Messor Barbarus colony - Milestone

Post: # 49503Post JoeHostile1
Wed Sep 05, 2018 10:35 am

Cool, you should post a picture of your first major.
Keeping:
Tetramorium immigrans * Lasius Neoniger * Lasius Claviger * Messor Aciculatus * Myrmica Rubra * Camponotus Novaeboracensis * Camponotus Turkastanus * Pheidole Pallidula

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSfFtn6RegZ3F1NdS1g08NA

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