Massive Red Tropical Fire Ant Colony Living in Omni Nests (Update Video Jan 5/14)
Summary
TLDRIn this video, the host from AntsCanada showcases the rapid growth of his red tropical fire ant colony, native to the Philippines. He details the expansion with the addition of Omni nests, a new formicarium series from his store. The ants' preference for these nests and the efficient space utilization in his kitchen setup are highlighted. The host also discusses the ants' diet, the production of alates, and the strategic use of tubing for a network that mimics their natural environment. He concludes by emphasizing the value of ant keeping for observation and discovery, referencing the Ultimate Ant Keeping Handbook available on his website.
Takeaways
- 🐜 The video is about an ant colony, specifically the red tropical fire ant, which has rapidly expanded in population.
- 🌱 The colony is housed in a series of 'Omni nests', a new product from Ants Canada, which the ants quickly adapt to and fill up.
- 🏠 The setup includes a network of tubes and multiple levels to maximize space efficiency, as the colony grows and requires more space.
- 👩🔬 The narrator provides ample resources for the ants, including water, food, and space, which is crucial for their thriving colony.
- 👑 The colony has started to produce alates, indicating a successful and mature colony with potential for reproduction.
- 🌐 The video describes the strategic use of tubing to create a network for the ants, which mimics their natural behavior in the wild.
- 📦 The narrator discusses the use of different sizes of tubing for flexibility in setup adjustments and the techniques for connecting them.
- 🍽️ The ants are fed a diet of rice, seeds, chocolate, and fruits, showing their diverse dietary preferences.
- 🧪 An extra-large test tube is used as a water source, demonstrating creative solutions for the colony's hydration needs.
- 🕊️ The video suggests a potential plan for managing the ants' nuptial flight by connecting a long tube to an outdoor world.
- 📚 The narrator promotes an ebook, 'The Ultimate Ant Keeping Handbook', as a comprehensive resource for ant keeping enthusiasts.
Q & A
What is the common name of the ant species discussed in the video?
-The common name of the ant species discussed is the 'Sullen Obsessed Geminate', also known as the 'Red Tropical Fire Ant'.
Where is the Red Tropical Fire Ant native to?
-The Red Tropical Fire Ant is native to Manila, Philippines, and other tropical countries.
What has the ant colony experienced in terms of population growth?
-The ant colony has experienced a significant increase in population, to the point where it has required the addition of several more units.
What is the latest series of formic area released by Ants Canada?
-The latest series of formic area released by Ants Canada is the 'Omni Nests'.
How does the ant colony react to the addition of new Omni nests?
-The ant colony reacts positively to the addition of new Omni nests, moving in almost immediately.
What are the sizes of the Omni nests mentioned in the video?
-The sizes of the Omni nests mentioned are large, small, and extra large.
What is the current status of the ant colony's expansion?
-The ant colony is expanding rapidly, with the extra-large Omni nest and other units being filled with ants.
What kind of food does the ant colony consume?
-The ant colony consumes a diet that includes insects, protein, sugars, rice, seeds, chocolate, and fruits.
How many super worms does the colony eat every 24 hours?
-The colony eats 15 super worms every 24 hours.
What is the purpose of the network of tubing in the ant colony setup?
-The network of tubing serves to connect different parts of the colony setup, allowing ants to travel between satellite nests, food sources, and other areas efficiently.
What are the two sizes of tubing used in the ant colony setup and why are they used?
-The two sizes of tubing used are larger and smaller diameters. They are used to create a strategic network that allows for easier rearrangement and connection of different parts of the colony setup.
What is the significance of the 'T-tube' and 'Tee-tube' techniques mentioned in the video?
-The 'T-tube' and 'Tee-tube' techniques are used to create intersections and choices in the tubing network, allowing ants to navigate through different paths and directions.
What does the speaker suggest doing when the ants decide to have their nuptial flight indoors?
-The speaker suggests connecting a very long tube from the formic area to the outworld, carrying the outworld outside, and having the ants fly outside while connected by the tube.
What is the role of the 'Ant Keeping Handbook' mentioned in the video?
-The 'Ant Keeping Handbook' is an e-book that provides comprehensive information on ant keeping, including care for specific species and general ant care practices.
What are the advantages of keeping ants in captivity according to the speaker?
-The advantages of keeping ants in captivity include the ability to observe their behaviors, nest arrangements, and social interactions closely, which can lead to new discoveries and a deeper understanding of their lives.
Outlines
🐜 Rapid Growth of Red Tropical Fire Ant Colony
The video script introduces a thriving red tropical fire ant colony native to Manila, Philippines, which has significantly expanded in population. The narrator, Ends Canada, discusses the use of Omni nests, a new formicarium design, which the ants quickly adapt to. The colony now consists of multiple units, including a large Omni nest, a small one, and an extra-large size, all filled with ants. The ants are well-fed with insects, proteins, sugars, and water, and have begun to produce alates, indicating a healthy and growing colony. The setup also includes a network of tubing to maximize space efficiency, as the narrator had to rearrange due to a visit from his mother.
🌐 Creating an Efficient Ant Colony Network
The script details the construction of a network of tubing that connects various Omni nests and outworlds, allowing for efficient space usage and mimicking the ants' natural behavior of traveling between nests. The narrator describes how the main tube system leads to different nests and outworlds, including the original nest suspected to house the queen. The setup accommodates the ants' preference for less steep inclines and includes a connecting chamber used for storage of food like seeds and rice. The ants' food consumption, particularly super worms, is highlighted, along with the observation of ants' behavior within the tubes, which is described as fascinating and hypnotic.
🚰 Innovative Water and Waste Management in Ant Colonies
The narrator discusses the colony's water consumption and the use of a large test tube to provide water, which the ants deplete weekly. The outworld is described, including the ants' behavior of burying large prey and creating a garbage pile. The ants' trail formation and the presence of male and female alates are also mentioned, with the workers' interaction with the alates being observed. The strategic use of tubing in the setup is highlighted, with two sizes of tubing used for flexibility in rearrangement and the use of t-junctions and tee connections to facilitate ant movement.
📚 Resources for Aspiring Ant Keepers
The script provides information for those interested in ant keeping, including the availability of Omni nests and an ant-keeping handbook at AntsCanada.com. The handbook is praised for its comprehensive knowledge on ant care, including specific species care for North America, Europe, and some tropical species. The narrator emphasizes the importance of providing ants with the necessary resources for a successful captive environment and the value of observation in learning about ants' behavior.
🌟 The Value of Ant Keeping for Observation and Discovery
The final paragraph emphasizes the rewards of ant keeping, both for personal enjoyment and for scientific discovery. The narrator disagrees with the notion that ants do not thrive in captivity, arguing that with proper care and resources, they can flourish. The script mentions the unique observational opportunities provided by ant keeping, such as witnessing the organization within the colony and the behavior of ants in a controlled environment. The narrator also highlights the role of ant keepers in making new discoveries about ants, as exemplified by the documentation of a parasitic fly's life cycle within a queen ant.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Ant Colony
💡Omni Nests
💡Formicarium
💡Queen Elites
💡Nuptial Flight
💡Outworld
💡Formic Area
💡Tubing
💡Egg Rooms
💡Ant Keeping
💡Super Worms
Highlights
Introduction to the ant colony, Sullen's Obsessed Geminate, native to Manila Philippines and other tropical countries.
The rapid growth of the ant colony, requiring additional units to accommodate the expanding population.
Use of the Omni nest series, a new formicarium design, which the ants quickly adapt to and fill up.
Description of the large Omni nest, the original nest, and its subsequent expansion with additional nests.
The ants' response to the new nesting units, moving in almost immediately after being added.
The colony's thriving conditions, provided with ample water, food, and space to grow.
Production of alates, indicating the colony's health and maturity.
The addition of new sections to the colony setup, including more Omni nests for the growing population.
The efficiency of the new setup, maximizing space with a network of tubing and multiple levels.
The strategic use of tubing to create a network for the ants, mimicking their natural environment.
The colony's consumption of super worms, highlighting their high food demands.
The ants' behavior of burying large prey items, a natural instinct observed in the setup.
The use of different tubing sizes for flexibility in rearranging the ant colony setup.
Techniques for connecting tubing, such as T-tube and tee-tube configurations.
The importance of providing a captive environment that meets the ants' specific needs for successful ant keeping.
Observational opportunities provided by ant keeping, allowing for the study of ants' behaviors in a controlled setting.
The value of ant keeping for scientific discovery and understanding of ant behaviors.
The speaker's perspective on the advantages of ant keeping for observation and learning.
Transcripts
what's up guys ends Canada here welcome
to the ant's Canada and channel and
here's another and video of my current
colony which is a sullen obsessed
geminate our colony common name red
tropical fire ant and it's its native
here to Manila Philippines as well as
other tropical countries and if you guys
have been following my videos lately
you'll see that this colony has really
really exploded in terms of population
it's just really large I've had to add
several more units you know as the
colony grew and this set up here in
particular is a network of omni nests
which is our latest series of formic
area which we just recently released at
the store a tense canada calm and it I
mean the colony loves the Omni nests and
as soon as I add a new only nest the
colony starts to move in almost
immediately which is great
so in this setup here we have the large
Omni nest which you can see here this
was the original nest the entire colony
actually was moved from a homemade forma
karyam of a friend of mine and it was
moved into this large only nest and they
didn't even fill this large only nest
but now it's grown completely you know
we had to add next a only nest small
which is right here which is also full
of ants the large assault is full of
ants and also we had to add a third unit
which is the Omni nest extra large size
extra large here you can see it and that
also is pretty much full of ants and
it's pretty amazing really how fast this
colony is expanding I've been giving
them tons of water tons of food lots of
insects and protein to grow sugars all
of that on providing them everything
they need to
to thrive and flourish and they just
have kept growing and they've they're
even starting to produce a late right
now which is great so I've got several
Queen elites and millilitres rolling
around and the recent addition are two
more on the nests this here is a section
that I recently added to the entire
colony set up here of course is a large
Omni nest right here you can see the
ants are starting to inhabit some of the
rooms starting to slowly make it their
own
and as well we have a small Omni nest
right here and same goes for this form
aquarium they're starting to explore the
inside and in a few days the ants should
be moving in to these spaces and
occupying all of this new living space
fresh living space I'm sure they're
really excited to start moving the
colony in now the thing I love about
this new setup is it's a lot more space
efficient you know I had three form
aquariums three only nests all attached
to two outworlds and the connecting
chamber all in one it was starting to
take up a lot of space and knowing that
I had to add two more only nests to the
mix I know I had to kind of make
rearrangements to the spacing and where
to put some of the attachments so what I
did was I had to create a network of
tubing and also multiple levels to
maximize in terms of the space that I'm
using because this is a kitchen table I
keep my ants here in the kitchen because
it's the only room in my entire condo
that isn't air-conditioned or at least
that I can keep the same temperature as
it is outside so I decided to keep them
here in my kitchen and with my mom
coming from Canada to visit me now
I had I was forced to really make
rearrangements so I could have some more
table space so what I've done here is
I've created a network of tubing up to
like the Omni nests together and it
looks really complicated but it's
actually not
these two new only nests are test by way
of a tube which attaches to another tube
which attaches to the main tube which
leads to this Omni nest you see that and
it also leads to the what should I say
it leads to the this up world now as
well the main tube also goes to let's
see if I can trace this here um it
detaches here it disconnects over here
and then leads to um this connecting box
here you see that the main tube leads to
down out into the overall but also this
tube here leads into this connecting
tube which leads to this connecting tube
and ultimately leads to this form
carrying this only nest which is the
main very first on the nest and I
suspect the queen is in here I haven't
really checked but I feel like the queen
is in this for my care you hear now if
you look to the bottom you'll see that I
have the extra-large omni nest here um
full of ants and it's connected by way
of a tube over here to the out world the
very first out world now as you can see
I've got on the tube running from this
up world it runs up this way and into
the main tube which connects to the
other only nests I've tried to make the
incline not so steep because this
species um has problems climbing very
very steep tubes for some reason I guess
these tubes are quite slippery for them
so I try to make their path winding and
slowly inclining as much as possible
species in the wild they form long long
lines um you know I've seen this species
emerge from a hole from one side of the
room and then form a line which leads
out of that room into another room down
a hallway you know so I feel actually
this network of tubing for this species
anyways is a kind of it kind of puts the
colony in their element you know as they
travel from a satellite nest to
satellite nest or from their food to the
nest etc so the ants seem really in
their element in this big network of
tubing as you can see here the ants have
used the connecting chamber over there
as a storage for seeds rice I feed this
colony a lot of rice and seeds as well
as chocolate surprisingly and fruits
they really like grains and fruits and
candy if you look carefully you can see
elates there I see a male elate I see
two male elites right there um I'm not
sure what's going to happen when they
decide to fly usually um in Canada I
found that the elites don't end up
flying indoors because well they lack a
lot of the outdoor cues which you know q
colonies to fly and they could be
anything between I don't know humidity
air pressure hormone pheromones carried
by the wind you know that sort of thing
but here in the Philippines these ants I
suspect will are able to fly indoors
because this species in particular
happens to also be an indoor pest so
what am I going to do when they decide
to have their nuptial flight well if I
notice that they are starting to fly
what I might do is I probably might
connect a very long long tube from the
formic area to the out world
and I'll just basically carry the out
world outside and have them fly outside
and just have them connected by the tube
here's another look at the tubing you
know I really love watching them travel
through the tubes there's just something
really cool about it they kind of act
like a fluid I feel like I'm looking at
some kind of fluid um you know flowing
through the tubes it's really really
fascinating and kind of hypnotic
actually um I also love watching them
carry pieces of seeds and you know
insects through the tubes and you know
dumping them in the chamber or bringing
them to the Omni nests it's just really
really awesome and again very hypnotic
actually you can see the out world here
there are tons of ants they're all that
dark stuff those aren't dead ends those
are ants that are feeding on super worms
this colony now eats 15 super worms
every 24 hours so I've got to always buy
you know 300 super worms at a time uh
when I go visit the pet supply store
that I buy the super worms at they
really have voracious appetites and
their demands for food are pretty
incredible and if you look carefully I
also have a very very large test tube
there which I bought at a laboratory
supply store a science supply shop and
the test tube is actually quite large
it's I would say I don't know under just
under a foot long and what I do is I
create a test tube set up like stuff a
bunch of cotton to trap a chamber of
water and that's how they drink they
just finish that in a week so the colony
drinks a lot of water here's a closer
look at the out world um you'll see that
they've created sort of a garbage pile
here to the left side and you can see
they're piling up some remains of
insects there I mean that whole mass
over there is
I'm actually a super worm that they've
buried if you've watched our previous
video on what ends do when they find
food you'll know that they bury large
prey items that they can't readily take
back to the nest they just bury them
while they break them down and that
could be to protect their new booty or
you know help absorb some of the
moisture and mucus that the super worms
produce you know as they're being killed
there are several possibilities as to
why they do that but but that's what
they do so you can see the highway of
ants there's a definite trail going on
there and it starts from way back there
on the other side of the ant nest on the
other side of the out world and I'll
show you that later I mean they seem to
follow the same path now if you look
carefully you can see see there's a male
elite there and another male away the
other end seem to UM take care of the
male elites and the female elites I see
worker ants always I'm standing by the
elate I'm not sure if they're protecting
them or trying to nudge them to guide
them you know to different sections of
the nest not too sure now this Outworld
is attached to another Outworld here
which was there was basically their old
Outworld and I'm trying to eventually
separate this out world so I could clean
it if you look over here you can see
that there is a graveyard they have the
graveyard in this out world and it's due
for cleaning very soon all right as you
can see here this um extra large on the
nest is attached to the out world by way
of a tube again and this tube is
connected to that too by way of a stick
so that the ants can travel back and
forth um easily and in the middle there
there's a little bottle cap that I have
there full of seeds and I always keep
that full of seeds so that
we can collect and and feed on them
bring them back to the colony now here's
a closer look at the large Omni nest the
original large only nest let's call it
the mother nest the original mother nest
I have it elevated on I guess this what
it is is a simple kitchen item which
came with my microwave
actually it's for placing food you know
on top while you heat things in the
microwave etc so I've just used it to
elevate this only nest um over the
extra-large only nest at the bottom so I
can view both at the same time while
making use of the space now one of the
things I wanted to point out with
regards to this setup here is the use of
tubing the strategic use of tubing I
should say if you look closely you'll
see that I use two sizes of tubing I use
a larger tubing like this here and here
and then I use a smaller tubing like
that um you can purchase this tubing at
any hardware shop um you know your local
hardware store should carry them in
rolls and if you live in Canada you can
purchase it at Canadian Tire for example
and it's fairly affordable now the
reason why it's useful to use two sizes
of tubing is because in case you want to
rearrange later on it makes it it just
makes it easier like let's say I just
wanted to remove this form aquarium from
the set up well I could just do so by
removing this and then connecting it to
another tube or or even just plugging
that that tube I find it's a lot easier
than say just using one single tube to
connect two units together as well
because of the natural curve of the tube
when you buy it it's usually in a roll
so it has this natural curve you
can choose to change the curve instead
of it having to be shaped like a see all
the time you can have it shaped like an
S etc so you can actually change the
shape of the path of you know the curves
of the tubes so that also helps when you
have double sight double sizes of tubing
now two techniques I wanted to point out
there's the t tube like this and all I
did was basically bore two holes in the
larger tubing and then two smaller holes
in the smaller tubing and then I just
fit the smaller tubing into the larger
holes of the larger tubing and so it
causes a cross but also allows the ants
to choose you know where of the four
directions to go and I find that very
helpful and I didn't need this tape here
but I wanted to edit anyways just in
case you know I I didn't want my house
help or friends to you just knock it you
know and or accidentally touch it and
then have you know an opening and have
an ant escape everywhere so I just
reinforced it with tape um but if you do
it properly you usually don't need tape
another technique here is the tea tube
and that basically that's easy all I do
is bore one hole into the large tubing
and then stick the smaller tubing into
that hole and actually with the smaller
tubing if it also helps if you cut both
ends both corners I guess yeah both ends
of the tube so that it forms to kind of
like ears you know and if you were to
turn it this way it would be shaped like
that um that just allows the ends easier
access in case they don't want to go
into this tube they can just continue to
pass through the normal tube um and
you'll see what I mean when you create
that and again I've put tape there
because I don't want friends or my house
help to accidentally touch that and then
have ants escape everywhere now if you
take
look here you'll see that I have a tube
that leads to a dead end I like to do
that just in case I need to and I'm sure
I will need to attach this to something
else to another up world or perhaps to
another network of Omni nests or
whatever I just have this here as an
option and I've placed a plug to make
sure they they don't escape there but
I'm sure I will be needing this extra
tube in the future so I have I have that
I also make extra openings like this in
my out worlds and I plug it you know for
when I will need it and there you have a
guy's a current update on the setup of
my ant colony you know it's been amazing
how quickly this colony has grown I've
done my best to provide them all the
resources they need to grow which
includes space on water food you know
removal of garbage etc and and yeah it's
just it's really fascinating watching
this colony develop and now with a lot
of elates um you know developing in the
colony I think this colony is is pretty
successful I would say for those of you
who are looking for formic area be sure
to visit and Canada com we have tons of
stuff for you guys um including the only
nests that you see here and we even have
the ultimate and keeping handbook which
is very very useful I urge you guys to
purchase that ebook you basically make
the purchase and then it leads you to a
page where you can download it to your
computer or your mobile and you can just
read it directly from the PDF file it's
a book on everything regarding and
keeping and it has all pretty much
everything I know and the knowledge that
has been collected over time that you
know and keepers know regarding the care
of ants
and keeping ants healthy and it even has
a section in the end of the book which
breaks down the specific care of
specific species the most commonly kept
species both in North America and in
Europe and and even some tropical
species so be sure to get that ebook if
you do want to get into and keeping it's
definitely a scenic one on four and
keeping so thanks guys for watching my
videos and please subscribe and share
this video if you have any questions at
all don't be afraid to ask me you can
join our Facebook page it's facebook.com
slash ants Canada I'm there all the time
posting and answer people's questions
and I also have an Instagram and you can
follow me at at Aunt Canada and I have a
ant keeper tip of the day thing going
there where I basically upload a
photograph and a piece of information
that's useful for and keeping to help
you guys get big fruitful colonies
because that's that's what we want you
know I find and keeping is very
rewarding as long as you provide them
what they need because you know as very
the very famous Alex Wilde a biologist
and photographer recently said on his
blog ants are wild animals so um you
know they have very specific needs and
often quite often they don't succeed in
captivity if you don't give them the
requirements that they need in a captive
setting and I partially agree with that
but if you provide them all that they
need all resources space you know if you
clean up their mess and you just
generally provide and care for them they
do really well now I have heard several
biologists and friends of mine actually
mention that they do prefer to watch ads
in the wild but as someone who has been
keeping ants for several years now I can
say that there is value to keeping ants
in a captive setting because it really
offers amazing observational
opportunities you know I mean look at
that you can see ants within their nest
living and in their lives you know
living in their nest and you know with
with their colony activities and you get
to see where they plan and place certain
things you know like they're their
larvae rooms their egg rooms you get to
see where the elates gather you get to
see the patterns in which they move
where they place garbage and that's
something you can't exactly see quite
readily in the wild you know so that I
say is I'm quite valuable you know a lot
of what we're learning today about ants
comes from the end keeping community you
know it's it's us that keep these ants
that make certain discoveries people
might be surprised that we actually
don't know a lot about ants and if in
keeping ants in a captive setting like
this informant area where we can observe
them and observe their ways and we have
direct access to their lives essentially
that's that's great observation
opportunity you know whereas in the wild
you would have to dig up a colony and
then you're disturbing them so you kind
of interrupt their lives and you know
observing them in the wild is great it's
definitely natural but there are
advantages in keeping ants in captivity
and observing their lives in a captive
setting you know I once documented on
this channel the fly that lays its egg
into a queen and Alicia's queen ant host
and the queen essentially harbors this
maggot in her body and then she gives
birth to the maggot
and cares for the maggot and the maggot
pupate and then she dies and you know
I'm there have been literature about
this parasitic flight that parasitizes
lacy Asst Queens but it was never
documented on video so you know that's
one example and testament to the fact
that at keeping certainly has its place
in the discovery of the fascinating
lives of ants and that's just my opinion
so anyways thanks again this video is
gone quite long and I really appreciate
the support guys and love forever
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