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Written by Marcus Smith
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Sunday, 15 July 2007 |
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Well, the expansion has continued. The main chamber has now been linked to a number of the other tunnels. There are now 3 distinct piles of sand that have been excavated. The main tubing from the farm to the basin is being filled up with sand. Had to clean out the basin today, some of the blackberry that I put in there went moldy.
I have just bought another ant farm, this is a cheap one that you may all be familiar with, you know, for kids...lol. It does the job though. I have bought it to put a L. Niger queen in, as soon as I find one when the nuptial flights have taken place. I will let you know how it goes, oh and as soon as I have bought some new batteries for the camera I will take some pics for you.
TTFN
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 03 November 2007 )
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Written by Marcus Smith
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Friday, 13 July 2007 |
Well, the MR's are still expanding the central chamber. It is now almost an inch in all directions with 2 tunnels 1 vertical and 1 slanted in the 1 oclock direction. 2 new tunnels seem to have been dug overnight. 1 is next to the exit to the tubing going down to the food basin. I can only assume that this is some form of sentry point. the second is quite close to it, and still being dug, so who knows what that one is for.
Now, the basin is a bit of a worry really, because it is just not being used as far as I can tell...well, as a dumping ground for bits of sand maybe.
Its been an enjoyable few days, and today heralded the sighting of a brand new hatchling. It is a worker obviously, but you can tell that it is a newborn because it is a pale yellow colour as opposed to the dark red of all the rest.
The MR's had a funny five minutes earlier today. They came out of the central chamber is great numbers, probably a threat response, but this enabled me to spot the eggs and queen, so it wasnt a bad thing...especially as I was a bit concerned because I hadnt seen them for a day or two.
I've just bought some modeling clay, and will be getting some plaster of paris shortly. This is my next project, a table top Ytong nest of Lasius Niger. As they are sure to fly soon, i'll be ready.
Which reminds me, in my garden I have a compost bin, Plastic, about 4 feet tall. I knocked it accidently today, and an extreme number of L Niger swarmed out. I removed the bottom cover to reveal a massive nest full of males and queens etc. What a sight., and after taking the top off, I realised that the nest reaches from top to bottom of the bin. This may not be surprising to find them nesting in a compost bin, but what is interesting is that I only bought the thing mid lad year, and have been filling it eversince with bits of earth, and grass cutting etc. The only explanation I can think of is that one of these clumps of earth I removed from the garden, and put in the bin, contained a nest...though there was no evidence of it at the time.
I will keep you all posted...
Cheers for now.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 03 November 2007 )
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