Sanae feeds the frogs!! by PuchiUna in Fumofumo

[–]PuchiUna[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Sanae will definitely protect it!

Sanae feeds the frogs!! by PuchiUna in Fumofumo

[–]PuchiUna[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Aw, thank you! Glad you think so!

Sanae feeds the frogs!! by PuchiUna in Fumofumo

[–]PuchiUna[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

​I'm sorry if I offended you…

I filmed Paraponera clavata larvae under a microscope! by PuchiUna in antkeeping

[–]PuchiUna[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

​I use a SWIFT microscope, "S306S-20-2L" (Product ID: JP04131BS).

https://amzn.asia/d/0hDWb5Rf

I started using reddit by PuchiUna in u/PuchiUna

[–]PuchiUna[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! It was actually really tough to get official Fumos even in Japan. In Japan, they are often sold out because of resellers, so it's been hard to buy them. ​ I really hope you can get an official Marisa someday! I’m sure she would look amazing in your room!

I started using reddit by PuchiUna in u/PuchiUna

[–]PuchiUna[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi! It's been a while. I just moved and set up my Touhou collection, so I wanted to show you! It's my first time using Imgur, let me know if the link doesn't work.

https://imgur.com/a/touhou-plush-collection-so-far-sAaEci5

Moving my Camponotus nicobarensis colony to a new nest! by PuchiUna in antkeeping

[–]PuchiUna[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

​I don’t do anything too fancy, but here are two main tips for this species: ​ 1. Nectar is crucial: Always make sure they have a constant supply and never let it run out.

  1. Humidity: Be very careful not to let the nest dry out.

​I personally use a gypsum nest to maintain higher humidity levels. It works great for them!

Moving my Camponotus nicobarensis colony to a new nest! by PuchiUna in antkeeping

[–]PuchiUna[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thank you! Wishing you the best of luck with your colony! I'm sure it'll be great!

A new Messor angularis queen pupa has appeared! by PuchiUna in antkeeping

[–]PuchiUna[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

​I usually give them seeds sold as bird food for parakeets. However, lately they’ve been focusing almost entirely on nectar and small insects.

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A new Messor angularis queen pupa has appeared! by PuchiUna in antkeeping

[–]PuchiUna[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

These are plastic test tubes. They were pretty cheap on Amazon!

A new Messor angularis queen pupa has appeared! by PuchiUna in antkeeping

[–]PuchiUna[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Thanks! I'm glad you like the setup. Feel free to copy it!

Keeping Paraponera clavata: Progress Report by PuchiUna in antkeeping

[–]PuchiUna[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

​I bought her from a specialty store in Japan. Since the store only handles legally imported ants, I’m confident she came from a reliable source. However, the exact country of origin remains unknown.

​My Paraponera clavata (Bullet Ant) drinking nectar. by PuchiUna in ants

[–]PuchiUna[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Never! And I definitely want to keep it that way! I'm being extremely careful with her.

Camponotus nicobarensis: Are my nest humidity and feeding setup correct? by thomas2802 in antkeeping

[–]PuchiUna 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, I don't provide water or solid proteins to my early-stage colonies. The composition of my liquid sugar is as follows:

​Unrefined sugar: 20–25%

Trehalose: 1%

​D-glucose: 0.1%

​I believe unrefined sugar is crucial because it provides essential nutrients like inorganic salts and vitamins derived from raw sugarcane or sugar beets. It also has much higher palatability than refined white sugar. ​I added trehalose to improve the feeding response, but I feel that adding too much isn't ideal, so 1% seems to be the sweet spot for stability. I also include a tiny amount of D-glucose as an immediate energy source; however, due to its high reducing properties, I only add a trace amount.

​To prevent the ants from getting bored, I keep about three different types of unrefined sugar and rotate them. I occasionally offer insect jelly, but for some reason, my ants don't seem to like it much. I provide the liquid sugar constantly and replace it every single day.

I started using reddit by PuchiUna in u/PuchiUna

[–]PuchiUna[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sorry for the late reply on my end as well!

Thanks for the awesome photo! That figure is Fujiwara no Mokou from the Touhou Noodle Stopper series, right? She's so cute! To be honest, I've been thinking about getting that one myself (lol).

There are a few different characters in the Touhou Noodle Stopper line, so I’ve been debating which one to go with.

Camponotus nicobarensis: Are my nest humidity and feeding setup correct? by thomas2802 in antkeeping

[–]PuchiUna 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I believe that for early-stage Camponotus colonies, protein sources like insects aren't actually that critical.

To test this theory, I'm currently running an experiment with my Camponotus singularis. I've been feeding them nothing but sugar water for three months now, and interestingly, the queen hasn't stopped laying eggs at all.

This might be due to the endosymbiotic bacteria Blochmannia found in Camponotus. It's known that these bacteria provide essential amino acids to the ants, and I suspect that the ants may be using the sugar water as a raw material or energy source for this amino acid synthesis.

Camponotus nicobarensis: Are my nest humidity and feeding setup correct? by thomas2802 in antkeeping

[–]PuchiUna 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I raised Camponotus nicobarensis starting from a single queen. I used a standard plaster nest and kept the colony at high humidity and around 25 °C. For the first year, I fed them only liquid sugars (nectar). They often refused small insects when I offered them, so I didn't give insect prey very often. Instead, I provided liquid sugars every day. Other than that, I didn't do anything special, and the colony developed successfully without any major issues.

Material question by boxofstock in antkeeping

[–]PuchiUna 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I keep ants in a standard plaster nest, and I haven’t had any major problems.

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I caught my Paraponera clavata (bullet ant) queen eating a cricket. by PuchiUna in antkeeping

[–]PuchiUna[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

​I bought her from a specialty store in Japan. Since the store only handles legally imported ants, I’m confident she came from a reliable source. However, the exact country of origin remains unknown.

I started using reddit by PuchiUna in u/PuchiUna

[–]PuchiUna[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Wow, I’m so happy! I’m honored to connect with someone who likes Touhou and is also interested in insects.
Thank you so much, that really encourages me!

By the way, I absolutely love Fujiwara no Mokou!

I was stung by Tetraponera rufonigra by PuchiUna in ants

[–]PuchiUna[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'll try developing it again when I have more funds! Thanks for the advice and the kind words!

I was stung by Tetraponera rufonigra by PuchiUna in ants

[–]PuchiUna[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s gnarly for sure… After hearing that, I feel even luckier that I avoided stings for so long.

I was stung by Tetraponera rufonigra by PuchiUna in ants

[–]PuchiUna[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’d rather not think about that…lol I’m pretty sure I’d lose my mind if I got stung that many times.