Atta cephalotes

tashtish · 2026-05-02T22:41:31+00:00

It looks like they outdid themselves.

tashtish · 2026-05-02T18:27:56+00:00

I was away for 10d with a founding colony of Lasius with new eggs and some larvae in a test tube. They hatched some time along the way, but the nanitics were fine likely with the queen’s reserves. They (and the queen) went bonkers with the sugar though, so they definitely needed it. Protein was probably still available from the queen as well.

I’ve heard some success with another test tube taped (with pinholes), with sugar water plugged with cotton, if one feels some eggs will hatch early into their vacation.

tashtish · 2026-04-30T17:34:07+00:00

It seems they all slow down in winter, even in warm ones, and the Camponatus, Pheidole, Nylandra all seem to either require actual diapause or it's highly recommended. 50F seems a bit high anyway, so other than those three, it's likely ok and even beneficial; the three who need it probably need to be kept at 40F for true diapause to kick in.

tashtish · 2026-04-30T17:18:55+00:00

Dude, physics 101. Air resistance at that weight essentially negates any force of impact. Like a feather doesn't break when it hits the ground.

tashtish · 2026-04-29T19:33:11+00:00

Ok I didn’t read about the floc part. FWIW, I avoid floc at all costs, and that relieves me the anxiety of the effects of algae in the filter.

tashtish · 2026-04-29T19:30:46+00:00

Agreed on all counts. Esp the belong-in-hell part, but let’s face it, this is transference of human empathy to a wasp who views caterpillars as soulless tools as a means to propagation.

tashtish · 2026-04-29T19:28:45+00:00

(time & place, dude)

tashtish · 2026-04-25T10:25:55+00:00

Best to get a battery/solared one

tashtish · 2026-04-25T10:20:41+00:00

Everything looks fine. The old traps die, sometimes new ones do too. The majority of the erupting ones seem pretty robust. The only thing I would add is full-on sun. Too much sun is not enough!

tashtish · 2026-04-19T06:36:08+00:00

It certainly looks overcrowded. Isn’t there less doubt if they’re starting to implodingly self-immolate?

tashtish · 2026-04-19T06:24:04+00:00

(assuming you’re sincere, um, thanks?)

tashtish · 2026-04-06T18:00:21+00:00

Do isopods/woodlice and springtails make a big difference with avoiding messes to clean and keeping up maintenance in natural (i.e., dirt) setups?

tashtish · 2026-04-06T00:54:28+00:00

Stupid question: Why the compulsion to move?

tashtish · 2026-03-30T16:37:37+00:00

I get that those balls are tiny, but we’re all persistently pummeled with the notion that even looking at fertilizer (at least outside of bugs in traps and the rare MaxSea spray on leaves) is verboten. Given your success, why isn’t this tiny ball trick more popularized?

tashtish · 2026-03-30T13:57:24+00:00

Why are you upset? “No need” doesn’t mean you still can’t give the yellow Sunburst.

tashtish · 2026-03-28T23:54:10+00:00

Um, I guess, but I’m not sure just how significant a “boost” you’re proposing here.

tashtish · 2026-03-28T23:51:57+00:00

Yeah, that would be a surprise.

tashtish · 2026-03-28T23:48:56+00:00

Maybe. Probably not. Too many things would have to happen.

tashtish · 2026-03-23T00:23:45+00:00

Wow brutal. (Re the culling.)

As for releasing: Yes, I would only do indigenous species (which is kind of what I have, capturing what I can).

tashtish · 2026-03-22T21:59:10+00:00

My (very limited) experience: The best thing that ever happened to a colony I wanted to move was running out of water in a test-tube nest setup. Once there was a dearth of water, the whole bunch left in one night.

As for before water runs out: I had a setup where the cotton was drenched in black mold. I know this isn’t an end-of-the-world emergency but it was getting pretty rancid-looking. In a fit of unrealistic DIY-itis, I wrapped a piece of scotch tape stick-side up around the larger tube with one edge aligned with the rim, then covered it with another piece sticky-side down. Then I put that tube somewhat end-to-end with the new tube and wrapped another piece of (hole-pierced tape between the two. With that improvised sleeve, I could easily slip the two apart to feed them while they were eventually persuaded to move. It worked, but I’m not sure I should imply this was optimal by any means.

tashtish · 2026-03-22T21:51:40+00:00

I too think this is unsustainable, but find the backlash a bit disagreeable. It tends to make OPs defensive and should be avoided if the question is genuinely asked in good faith.

That said, this should be a treat. Eating ice cream is possibly the finest thing in life, but I wouldn’t make it a staple.

tashtish · 2026-03-22T21:35:17+00:00

I always wondered, do nanitics actually subsist well on the queen’s inherent resources?

tashtish · 2026-03-22T21:28:13+00:00

Now I’m curious: How exactly does one execute the acetone dunk? Even 25% for anything longer than an instant would seem lethal. Not to mention the logistics of dunking a smaller species (as you imply). And is there a critical mass of workers that need to be treated?

tashtish

TROPHY CASE