My ant colonies have been very active so far this summer. There has been lots of foraging, but not much in the way of nest expansion. Lasius umbratus Despite the presence of the queen, the population size continues to decrease. A few years ago the nesting boxes were full almost to the brim with worker […]
Ants moving to a new home My small Lasius niger colony was started from a lone newly fertilised queen. I had obtained her during last year’s (2019) mating flights. She has been living in a test tube for the past ten months. The queen was placed into it when I captured her, and she laid her
Lasius niger move home – at last! Read More »
The past few weeks have presented us here with glorious weather – typical that it occurs during the current lockdown. However, it has not stopped me from relaxing in my garden, and neither has it stopped my active ants foraging as they emerge from their winter hibernation. In fact, the beautiful weather has encouraged my ants to
Active Ants Foraging- Colonies Update – 23 April 2020 Read More »
Hello everybody, I hope you are all doing well despite the current situation we all currently find ourselves in. Well, it’s officially Spring in my eyes. Yes, I know the official date this year was 20 March, however, for me, it’s not officially Spring until the wild ants in my garden are awake and foraging. Yesterday I threw
It’s Officially Spring! – Colonies Update – 7 April 2020 Read More »
One of the most common questions I get asked by new ant keepers, and even some of the more experienced ones, is that of how to add more water to the soil of your ant farm, when the ants are already resident within. Then there is the question of how much water to add, and
Adding Water to an Ant Farm – Ants Already in Read More »
Ant larvae being attended to. Life in the brood chamber of my Lasius umbratus colony. Outside temperature: 6*C / Ant Room Temperature: 8.6*C Lasius umbratus Things are still very slow in this colony, despite being the most active colony of the three. I do see more of these ants out foraging and feeding than the
Ant Larvae in brood chamber – Colony Update Read More »
When most people think about army ants, they probably see in their mind’s eye, long columns of ferocious ants, swarming over any poor creature that has had the misfortune to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or you may picture a large curtain of ants hanging from a dead branch in the jungle.
Army Ants – Nomads of the Ant World Read More »
My ant colonies updates. As is usual; at this time of year, there is very little to update on. Myrmica rubra Despite the fact that it’s winter, and the rubras are not foraging, and have not been outside of their nest much this winter, they are still fairly active inside the nest. I have created a
Ant Colonies Updates – 27 Jan 20 Read More »
All ant colonies have at least one egg-laying queen. She is an essential member of the family. Without her there would be no colony. Some species of ant have only one queen in each nest. Others may have several, even numbering in the hundreds. Colonies/species that have only one queen are known as monogynous. Those
Polygyny In Ant Colonies Read More »
Ants in winter. It’s the middle of winter, and there has been very little activity outside of the ant nests. However, the ants of all three species remain fairly active inside their nests. This is not unusual. Even in the wild, hibernating ants can still be fairly active during the winter months. Especially on the milder days. Myrmica
Ant Colony Updates – 17 Jan 20 – Ants in Winter. Read More »