The Benefits of Cycling Nests and Satellite Nests (Nest Waste Management) - AntsCanada Tutorial #19
Summary
TLDRIn this tutorial, Mikey Bustos, also known as Canada, discusses the importance of environmental change for ants in captivity. He explains that ants in the wild maintain cleanliness through various natural processes. However, in captivity, these processes are absent, necessitating regular nest cyclingβmoving colonies to new nests every one to two yearsβto enhance their health and productivity. Bustos also highlights the benefits of satellite nests for population growth, suggesting that providing these can significantly improve ant colonies' well-being.
Takeaways
- π The importance of a clean and sterile environment for ants in captivity to mimic their natural underground habitat.
- π± Ants have a natural tendency to maintain cleanliness by forming garbage piles and designated bathroom areas to prevent bacterial growth.
- πΆ Ant larvae contribute to nest cleanliness by excreting only once before metamorphosis, keeping the nest environment sterile.
- π The concept of 'cycling nests' involves moving ant colonies to new nests on a routine basis to promote health and productivity.
- π Cycling nests annually or biannually has been observed to improve ant colony health, brood production, and appetite compared to colonies in the same nest for longer periods.
- π The benefits of cycling nests are particularly significant for semi-nomadic ant species that are less particular about maintaining a clean environment.
- π The introduction of 'satellite nests' can lead to population explosions, surpassing the growth rates of colonies in larger, single nests.
- π Observations of ants moving into tubes or nooks can indicate a need for nest cycling or the provision of satellite nests.
- π± The absence of natural soil cycling and the presence of a constant media in captivity present challenges for maintaining a healthy ant environment.
- π©βπ¬ The script suggests an upcoming product for hibernating ant colonies, which may also aid in nest cycling.
- π The tutorial emphasizes the need for ant keepers to understand and implement nest cycling and satellite nest strategies to ensure the health and growth of their colonies.
Q & A
What is the main topic of the tutorial presented by Mikey Bustos?
-The main topic of the tutorial is the importance of changing the living environment for ants in captivity, including cycling nests and the use of satellite nests to promote healthy ant colony behavior and growth.
Why do ants need to maintain a clean and sterile environment in the wild?
-Ants need to maintain a clean and sterile environment in the wild due to the close proximity in which millions of individuals live. This moist environment is a potential breeding ground for bacteria and mold, making cleanliness crucial for the colony's health.
What is trophallaxis and why is it important for ant colonies?
-Trophallaxis is the process of food transfer from mouth to mouth within an ant colony. It is important because it helps to keep the internal nest environment clean by ensuring that nothing sits for too long and contributes to the colony's overall cleanliness.
How do ants deal with waste in their wild environment?
-In the wild, ants deal with waste by forming garbage piles, carrying the dead to specific areas, and using the meconium excreted by larvae. Additionally, bacteria, fungi, molds, and small mites help break down organic material, maintaining a clean environment.
What challenges do ant keepers face in a captive setting regarding waste management?
-In a captive setting, ant keepers face challenges such as the lack of various creatures and organisms to break down waste, as well as the static nature of the soil, which does not move or cycle as it does in the wild.
What is the concept of 'cycling nests' and how often should it be done according to the tutorial?
-Cycling nests refers to the practice of moving an ant colony from one nest to another on a routine basis. The tutorial suggests that this should be done once a year or once every two years for optimal colony health and growth.
What benefits did Mikey Bustos observe in ants that were cycled to new nests?
-Ants that were cycled to new nests showed earlier brood production, increased appetite, and a higher colony expansion rate compared to those kept in the same nest for the same period.
Why are semi-nomadic ants like the American ant particularly suited to nest cycling?
-Semi-nomadic ants are likely less finicky about maintaining a clean and sterile environment because they naturally move locations every year or two in the wild, making them well-adapted to the practice of nest cycling.
What is the significance of providing satellite nests to ant colonies?
-Providing satellite nests allows for population explosions, as it gives the ants additional space to expand. This results in greater population growth rates compared to colonies housed in a single, large nest.
What signs indicate that an ant colony needs a nest cycle or a satellite nest?
-Signs that an ant colony needs a nest cycle or a satellite nest include the ants moving into tubes or nooks in the outworld, indicating a desire for a new or additional living space.
What product is Mikey Bustos planning to release to assist with ant colony management?
-Mikey Bustos is planning to release a hibernation product that will help with both the hibernation of ant colonies and the process of cycling nests.
Outlines
π Importance of Change in Ant Captive Environments
In this paragraph, Mikey Bustos, also known as Canada, discusses the significance of environmental change for ants kept in captivity. He explains the biological profile of a wild ant colony's underground environment, emphasizing the cleanliness and sterility required to prevent the growth of bacteria and mold. The ants' natural behaviors, such as forming garbage piles, carrying the dead to specific locations, and designated bathroom areas, contribute to maintaining a clean nest. The larvae's unique life cycle also aids in nest cleanliness. The challenges of replicating this natural waste breakdown process in captivity without the symbiotic relationships found in the wild are highlighted, pointing out the need for different techniques to ensure a thriving captive environment.
π Benefits of Nest Cycling and Satellite Nests for Ant Colonies
This paragraph focuses on the concept of 'nest cycling', which involves moving ant colonies to new nests on a routine basis, such as once or twice a year. Mikey Bustos shares findings from his experiments that show colonies in new nests exhibit earlier brood production, increased appetite, and higher expansion rates compared to those in the same nest for extended periods. The practice is particularly beneficial for semi-nomadic species like the American ants, which may be less particular about cleanliness due to their natural migratory habits. The paragraph also introduces the idea of 'satellite nests', which have been observed to cause population explosions in colonies. Bustos advises on signs that indicate the need for nest cycling or providing satellite nests, such as ants moving into tubes or nooks, and concludes with a teaser for an upcoming hibernation product designed to assist with nest cycling.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Ants
π‘Captive Environment
π‘Change of Environment
π‘Biological Profile
π‘Trophallaxis
π‘Meconium
π‘Cycling Nests
π‘Semi-nomadic
π‘Satellite Nests
π‘Hibernation
π‘Ant Nursery
Highlights
The importance of changing the environment for ants in captivity to mimic their natural, clean and sterile underground habitat.
Ants' natural behavior of maintaining cleanliness through garbage piles, carrying the dead, and designated bathroom areas.
Trophallaxis, the process of ants transferring food from mouth to mouth, contributing to nest cleanliness.
The unique way larvae clean the nest by excreting meconium inside their cocoons before metamorphosis.
Wild ants' symbiotic relationship with bacteria, fungi, and other organisms that help break down waste.
Challenges of waste management in captive ant settings due to the absence of natural decomposers.
The concept of 'cycling nests' as a method to improve ant health and productivity in captivity.
Observations that ants in new nests show earlier brood production and higher appetite compared to those in old nests.
The tested benefit of nest cycling for semi-nomadic ants like the American species.
Recommendation to cycle ant nests once or twice a year for optimal health and growth.
The discovery of 'satellite nests' and their role in population explosions within ant colonies.
The greater population growth rates in colonies with satellite nests compared to those in larger single nests.
The rationale behind not creating overly large nests for ants and the benefits of smaller, more frequent nests.
Signs that ants need nest cycling or satellite nests, such as moving into tubes or nooks in the environment.
An upcoming hibernation product to assist with nest cycling and colony management.
The overall recommendation to take care of ant colonies by cycling nests and providing satellite nests for better ant health and growth.
Transcripts
hey what's up guys it's your boy and
Canada here aka Mikey Bustos bringing
you another random but helpful tutorial
on ants P n Scanlan store has a great
and nursery and we've housed so many
ants now and have been able to make some
amazing discoveries on and keeping and
ant behavior I guess something like that
is inevitable when your housing close to
100 colonies events over the course of
two years it's really been amazing how
many different things we've been able to
discover regarding the lives of ants and
techniques that allow for them to truly
thrive in the captive environment now
one of the things we've discovered is
the importance of change and when I say
change we mean in particular a change of
environment a change of living space now
before I go on to talk about change the
element of change and the importance of
change of living space I want to take us
back first to examine the biological
profile of a wild underground
environment
now the ants themselves are fairly clean
you know and they have to be if you
consider the living space they live in
out in the wild it's an underground
environment you have sometimes millions
of individuals living in close proximity
to each other its moist
and you know it's definitely a potential
breeding ground for a lot of bacteria
mold etc so the ants naturally have to
stay as clean and sterile as they can
it's evident when you see and forming
garbage piles in certain areas of the
nest or above the ground or when you see
them carry the dead somewhere else or
even when you notice that the ants are
going to a bath the bathroom you know in
a certain place ants will even transfer
through trophallaxis the process is
called food from mouth to mouth so
nothing really sits there for too long
even the larvae themselves are built to
keep the internal nest environment clean
throughout their entire lives they only
go to the bathroom once right before pew
patient they excrete what's called the
meconium which is a fecal pellet and
appears as a black dot on the tip of the
cocoon now the meconium is excreted
inside the cocoon which keeps the
surrounding area clean and sterile and
benefits the entire colony now anyways
that is in the nest in the wild gets
dealt with how by bacteria that break
down the organic material fungus
different molds microorganisms or even
small mites you know that come along and
break down the food we even had a video
of very small crustaceans known as and
place
that eat aunt poop you know so there's a
symbiotic relationship there and
generally in a wild ants living space
you've got this big community of
different organisms that are providing
food and breaking it down etc now the
challenge in a captive setting of course
is you don't have that luxury of you
know the different creatures and
organisms breaking down their waste
unless you're scooping up soil from the
wild and using it in their setup you're
not going to get that same kind of I
guess cycling you know and also in the
wild the soil is always in constant
motion
you know the ants bring soil up to the
surface it gets washed away you know and
they dig new tunnels and just the soil
is always moving whereas in a captive
setting you essentially have the same
media there so these are certain
challenges that and keepers have to face
and we've certainly noticed many things
keeping ants in captivity so now I'm
going to talk about the importance of
cycling nests
now what's cycling nests cycling nests
really is just moving our colony from
one nest to another on routine you know
and I'm not talking about having a
colony move every week to a new nest or
every month to a new nest I'm talking
once a year once every two years and
this is something we've tested as well
ants that were placed in the new nest
the following year did very well brew
production started earlier the appetite
was big colony expansion rate was higher
than those colonies of the same species
and age under the same temperature and
who
conditions that were housed in the same
nest for two years and we found that
cycling nests was especially beneficial
for ants that are known to be
semi-nomadic like America and I suspect
that semi-nomadic ants just naturally
are less finicky about keeping their
environment clean and sterile seeing as
you know they're always moving once a
year or once every two years
get your hands to move into a new form
aquarium take their old form aquarium
wash it out wash out all that gunk put
it on hold for the following year and if
you'd like you at home can also test
this if you have several colonies keep
an ant colony in one form aquarium and
keep another colony in a form aquarium
but cycle their nests every year and
you'll see a big difference just as we
have at the ant nursery another thing
we've discovered at the end canola and
store and nursery is the importance of
satellite nests now we found population
explosions occur when we add an
additional nest to a colony and these
population explosions are greater than
the population growth rates of those
colonies of the same species and age
again under the same temperature and
food conditions that were housed in a
super huge nest you know with more than
ample room for them to expend people
have asked why doesn't the ants Canada
and store create super huge huge huge
formic area three foot by two foot nests
and this is why we don't so we wanted to
express and recommend to all of you the
importance of cycling your nests once or
twice a year having them move out clean
out their illness etc and the importance
of providing satellite nests a separate
nest from the maintenance that the ants
can kind of like move themselves the
brood the Queen interchangeably
definitely see a difference that's
something we highly recommend signs that
your hands are really need you to
provide a cycling of nests and or a
satellite nest or nests or when you
notice ends have after living perfectly
and happily in a nest you see them
moving into a tube in a nook or cranny
in your out world if you ever see that
then you know they need either a cycling
of nests or they need a satellite nest
provided to them so that's it for now
hope this video helps you out and we
wish you all the best we are coming out
with a hibernation product very very
soon to help you hibernate your colonies
but which will also help with cycling
nests take care of those ends and spread
the ant love and spending
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