TURNING A DEAD TERRARIUM ALIVE! | D colony

Summary

In this informative video, the host shares effective methods to control mite infestations in ant colonies and revitalizes a dead terrarium into a thriving green space. They introduce a polyrhachis ant colony and discuss the importance of proper food supply when leaving pets unattended. The video demonstrates how to deal with mites by soaking ants and using isopods to maintain a healthy ecosystem. Despite an unexpected plant-killing incident with the isopods, the terrarium is restored with new substrate, plants, and a smaller species of isopod for a successful bioactive setup.

Takeaways

• 🌳 The video discusses the process of controlling mite infestations in a terrarium and revitalizing it with lush greenery.
• 🐜 The creator introduces a new colony of polyrhachis ants to the terrarium and explains the reason for their new setup.
• 📦 When leaving ant colonies unattended for several days, it's important to leave enough food and water but avoid overfeeding to prevent mite infestation.
• 🍽️ The best foods to leave for ants when away are non-perishable items like protein jelly cups, dried insects, or seeds.
• 🚫 Mite infestation can occur if there is excess food or leftovers in the terrarium that aren't cleaned promptly.
• 🕊️ The video mentions that the mites in the scenario are not parasitic and will not be dealt with using harmful methods like formic acid or predatory mites.
• 🛁 A method to help ants affected by mites involves soaking them in water to make the mites jump off and then quarantining them.
• 🪲 Isopods are introduced to the terrarium to help control the mite population by competing for food and feeding on mite eggs.
• 🌿 The creator had to remove large isopods that were killing plants and replace the substrate with a fresh layer to restore the terrarium's ecosystem.
• 🌳 After a few months, the terrarium is shown to have lush greenery and is ready for the return of the ant colony.
• 🎥 The video concludes with a call to action for viewers to like and share the content, and a special thanks to a supporter of the channel.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video?

The main topic of the video is dealing with mites in an ant colony and transforming a dead terrarium into a lush greenery, followed by introducing a polyrhachis colony into it.

Why did the creator address the issue of leaving the ant colonies for several days?

The creator addressed this issue because a viewer named Dreed asked about what to do when leaving the house for days to ensure the ants don't die of hunger.

What is the recommended food for ant colonies when the owner is away for an extended period?

The recommended food for ant colonies when the owner is away includes protein jelly cups, dry food, dried insects, or seeds, as they don't spoil easily.

What can cause a mite infestation in an ant colony?

A mite infestation can be caused by overfeeding the ants with too many insects, which can lead to leftovers that mites can feast on, resulting in a booming mite population.

How did the creator handle the mite infestation in the featured polyrhachis dives colony?

The creator handled the mite infestation by soaking the affected ants in water to make the mites jump off, then quarantining them in a sanitized pot with soil for the mites to jump off completely.

What role do isopods play in controlling mite infestations in ant colonies?

Isopods help control mite infestations by competing with mites for food and feeding on mite eggs, which reduces mite reproduction.

Why did the creator decide to remove the giant isopods from the terrarium?

The creator decided to remove the giant isopods because they were killing the plants, possibly due to their digging power, and causing the ants' liquid feeders to fall to the ground.

What steps did the creator take to rejuvenate the dead terrarium?

The creator removed some substrate, added a fresh layer using a mix of leaf litters, cork barks, dried moss, and coco peat, added decorative rocks, introduced new plants, and replaced the driftwood with one having more branches.

What changes were made to the terrarium to accommodate the ants' needs after the rejuvenation?

The creator connected the ants' setup to the rejuvenated terrarium, added twigs glued together for a better nest foundation, and provided more moss for the ants' construction material.

Why did the creator choose to use a smaller species of isopod in the terrarium after the rejuvenation?

The creator chose to use a smaller species of isopod because they believe it is better suited for ant farms and have had positive experiences with them in other bioactive setups.

What was the unexpected outcome of introducing isopods to the terrarium initially?

The unexpected outcome was that the isopods managed to kill the plants in the terrarium, which led to the decision of removing them and rejuvenating the terrarium.

Outlines

00:00

🐜 Ant Colony Mite Control and Terrarium Revival

In this segment, the video host addresses the issue of mite infestation in ant colonies, particularly focusing on the Polyrhachis dives species. The host shares personal experiences with mite control, emphasizing the importance of not overfeeding the ants to prevent mite proliferation. The video also demonstrates a method to rid individual ants of mites by soaking them in water and quarantining them. The host introduces isopods as a natural solution to control mite numbers by outcompeting them for food and feeding on their eggs. However, the introduction of isopods unexpectedly leads to plant death, prompting the host to revamp the terrarium with a new substrate mix, decorative elements, and plants to restore a lush environment for the ant colony.

05:00

🌿 Revitalizing a Terrarium for a Healthy Ant Ecosystem

The host continues the narrative by detailing the process of transforming a lifeless terrarium back into a thriving ant farm. This includes removing the large isopods that were causing damage to the plants and replacing them with a smaller species more suitable for ant farms. The video showcases the steps taken to prepare the terrarium with fresh materials, introduce new plants, and create a more complex structure with additional driftwood to accommodate the growing ant colony. The host also discusses the reintroduction of the ants into their newly improved environment and the subsequent nesting behaviors observed. The segment concludes with the addition of springtails and the smaller isopod species to maintain a balanced ecosystem within the terrarium.

10:01

🎥 Wrapping Up the Video with a Special Shoutout

In the final part of the video, the host expresses gratitude to a viewer named Angie Aldia for their support and gives a shoutout, hoping to have pronounced their name correctly. The host encourages viewers to like and share the video to help the channel grow. The segment wraps up with a farewell message, looking forward to connecting with the audience in future videos. The host's enthusiasm and educational approach are evident, aiming to impart knowledge about ant colony care and terrarium maintenance.

Keywords

💡Mites

Mites are tiny arachnids that can be either beneficial or harmful to the ecosystem they inhabit. In the context of this video, mites are a concern for the health of the ant colony, as an overpopulation can lead to infestation and potentially harm the ants. The script mentions controlling mites and the potential issues that arise from their unchecked growth, such as the need to remove them to ensure the ants' well-being.

💡Terrarium

A terrarium is a sealed, transparent container that houses a miniature ecosystem, often used to keep plants and small animals like insects. In the video, the terrarium is initially described as 'dead' but is then transformed into a lush greenery to create a more suitable habitat for the ants. The process of reviving the terrarium is a central part of the video's narrative.

💡Polyrhachis

Polyrhachis is a genus of ants that the video focuses on. The script discusses the introduction of a Polyrhachis colony into the revitalized terrarium. The ants' behavior and the challenges they face, such as mites infestation, are central to the video's educational content.

💡Isopods

Isopods, also known as woodlice or pill bugs, are crustaceans that play a role in the video as a natural method to control mite populations. They compete with mites for food and can also eat mite eggs, thus reducing the mite population. The video describes the introduction of isopods into the terrarium and their unexpected impact on the plants.

💡Phoretic mites

Phoretic mites are a type of mite that attaches to insects for transportation. In the video, these mites are mentioned as hitching a ride on the ants, looking for food or better living conditions. The script explains that while they are not parasitic, their overpopulation can become a nuisance to the ant colony.

💡Infestation

An infestation refers to an excessive number of organisms in a particular area, causing problems for the inhabitants. In the context of the video, an infestation of mites can be harmful to the ant colony, leading to the need for mite control measures to maintain a healthy ecosystem within the terrarium.

💡Bioactive

A bioactive setup in the context of a terrarium refers to an ecosystem where living organisms, such as insects and plants, interact in a symbiotic relationship. The video discusses creating a bioactive ant farm, which includes the introduction of isopods and plants to support a balanced and self-sustaining environment.

💡Nest expansion

Nest expansion is the process by which an ant colony grows and extends its living space. The video script mentions providing dried moss and twigs for the ants to use in their nest expansion, indicating the importance of providing materials for the ants to build and extend their habitat within the terrarium.

💡Overfeeding

Overfeeding refers to providing more food than is necessary or can be consumed, which can lead to spoilage and attract pests. In the video, the creator discusses the consequences of overfeeding the ants during their absence, which resulted in a mite infestation due to the excess food.

💡Springtails

Springtails are tiny, soil-dwelling insects that help maintain a healthy terrarium by consuming decaying organic matter. In the video, springtails are mentioned as an essential part of the terrarium's ecosystem, alongside isopods, contributing to the overall health and cleanliness of the habitat.

💡Driftwood

Driftwood is wood that has been naturally smoothed and shaped by the action of water, often used as a decorative and functional element in terrariums. The video describes replacing the driftwood in the terrarium to provide more branches for the ants to build their nest, illustrating its importance in the structural design of the ant colony's habitat.

Highlights

Introduction to the video's focus on dealing with mites and reviving a dead terrarium.

Explanation of the necessity for a new look setup for the polyrhachis colony.

Update on the growth of the ant colonies and nest occupation since the move.

Discussion on leaving pet ant colonies for days and ensuring they have enough food and water.

Advice on the best foods to leave for ant colonies when away to prevent mite infestation.

Personal experience sharing of a trip and the consequences of leaving too much food for the ant colony.

Observation of mite infestation in the featured polyrhachis dives colony due to overfeeding.

Explanation of how mites can become a nuisance or danger to colonies if their numbers get out of control.

Demonstration of a method to remove mites from ants by soaking and quarantine.

Introduction of isopods as a natural solution to control mite numbers in the ant farm.

Description of isopods' role in competing with mites for food and feeding on mite eggs.

Unexpected results of isopods killing plants in the terrarium and the decision to remove them.

Process of reviving the terrarium with a new substrate, plants, and decorative elements.

Transformation of the terrarium into a lush greenery with the introduction of new plants and driftwood.

Reintroduction of the ant colony to the revitalized terrarium and their exploration of the new environment.

Inclusion of springtails and a smaller species of isopod for a healthy terrarium ecosystem.

Final thoughts on the importance of maintaining a balance in the terrarium's ecosystem and future updates.

Shout out and thanks to a supporter of the channel, Angie Aldia.

Transcripts

good day buddies

i'm happy to have you here in today's

video

we will be dealing with mites i will

show you how i control them

and we will also turn a dead terrarium

into a lush greenery

again then introduced our polyrhachis

colony into it

and you will not guess why they needed a

new look set up right now

but one thing for sure it's not because

of the mites anyway

welcome back buddies and for those new

to the channel

you're also welcome to d colony

[Music]

a lot have happened to the colonies

since the move

several months ago they've grown so much

and the nest they constructed shown on

our previous episode is now fully

occupied i guess

cause a lot of workers and broods are

stationed now on the ground

just below the nest and some on the base

of the driftwood

so i gave them dried moss and twigs that

i glued together to use on their nest

expansion

anyway there's always a time that we

need to leave our pet ant colonies for a

couple of days

like this question from our buddy dreed

he commented hey d colony i have a

question

what if you have to leave your house for

days and no one will be in your house

what will you do so the ants won't die

out of hunger

are you gonna put a lot of food and

water

and i answered to be honest buddy i do

leave them a lot of foods

when i'm gonna out for several days make

sure they will have enough supply of

water

but be careful on offering too much

insects

which may cause mites infestation later

on

if a prolonged untouched the best food

you could give them are those who

doesn't spoil easily

like protein jelly cups dry food or

dried insects

or seeds it still depends on what your

colony would accept

i hope our buddy dre drop will be able

to watch this

cause i will show you some outcome on my

answer

and some actions we can do to make it

better

so i went on a trip for a couple of days

several months ago and i left my colony

with lots of food

including this ever voracious poll

iraqis colony

i gave them honey roaches and dried meal

worms

that i think is enough until i return

home i don't gave them protein jellies

and seeds

since they don't like those it may

happen

few weeks after returning home you might

observe

some colony will lost their appetite or

soon mites population explosion

like what happened to our featured

colony my polyrhachis dives experienced

and survived mites infestation once

before

cause i overfed them whenever i leave

and it happens again

on my recent trip though their case now

is not that severe

since i only collected three ants with

obvious mites on them

and this one got the most

mites infestation is likely to happen

when your terrarium got a lot of food

or leftovers that didn't get consumed or

cleaned on time

mites will feast on them that will end

up in booming population

even beneficial mites can be nuisance or

in the worst case

dangerous to our colony if their numbers

get out of control

luckily this are not parasitic mites

so we're not covering on how to get rid

of those kind of mites

using formic acid or predatory mites

method

as they will make this video longer

anyway

these are phoretic mites who usually

hitch a ride on insects to look for

food or to find better place to live

since the terrarium got a little dry and

mites needs moisture to survive

but unfortunately this worker cannot

bring them anywhere

cause both of them are trap in the

terrarium

so we're doing it for them and some of

you may tell

why you need to remove them if they're

not harmful to the colony

as you can see they don't look good and

at this rate this beneficial mites

became harmful

as it bothering the poor ant too much

and if left untreated

this worker will die out of hunger

cause she will not be able to drink nor

eat on her current condition

so let's go and get rid of the problem

we can just

soak the ant in water for 10 seconds to

several minutes and most of the mites

will jump off

then quarantine the ant to a sanitized

pot with soil for about 10 to 30 minutes

and all phoretic mites will jump off

we can now return this revitalized

worker back to its colony

after helping the infected ants now we

need to put the mites number

on the ant farm in control cause no one

wants mites infestation

so we're adding some of this guys on the

setup

anyway this are from our pet isopods

colony

i didn't introduced any isopods on the

setup

the time we build it cause i really

wanted to try this new

and bigger specie of isopod that we have

on this ant farm

what they did that i will tell you later

buddies was

unexpected anyway isopods will help us

on mite problems by simply competing

with the mites on food

like what the springtails do but this

isopods are so voracious

and i'm sure the mites will have limited

food access

with the presence of our new friends

aside from competing in food

isopods will also feed on mites eggs

which will greatly reduce mites

reproduction

it's all going well some of the isopods

can't even wait for the ants left

over and eat on the sidelines while the

ants are having their meals

all my other bioactive tanks with

isopods never got a problem with mites

for years and years

i believe this polyrhach is set up will

also be put

under control by our great friends in

their micro

natural way i know mites will not be

completely gone

but they will stay in healthy numbers

that will benefit the whole terrarium

ecosystem

as well but what the isopods did in the

following weeks

was unexpected they managed to kill the

plants

in a way that i don't know but they

started dying few days after the isopods

introduction

it's maybe their digging power cause

even the ants liquid feeders

fall down to the ground and it's

annoying to always fix them

every hour so i decided to take this

giant isopods out

and turn this dead terrarium into an ant

farm with lush greenery

again cause i really want a bioactive

ant farm for this colony

[Music]

i removed some substrate and added new

fresh layer

using mix leaf litters with cork barks

dried moss

and coco peat

[Music]

i also added some decorative rocks

before introducing new plants

[Music]

and just after a couple of months this

is what it looks now

we can hardly notice the decorative

rocks since the creeping charlie

is growing vigorously the tea plants at

the back had a little growth

but i'm expecting them to be at least

eight inches high in this setup

i also replaced the driftwood with a new

one

with more branches to accommodate more

ants nest soon

[Music]

this terrarium is definitely ready for

the return of the colony

so i connected their setup again

i admired the ants as they're

meticulously exploring every part of

their new home

as usual they take a lot of time before

moving in

but it's a relief when i saw one of the

queen to move in

after a long long wait

and like the old times they nest

temporarily on the lower part of the

driftwood

they even dig a shallow chamber to pile

their broods in

and group some leaf litters but they

didn't start to weave a proper one

yet as they look like to nest on the

driftwood's base for now

as all of the broods being carried by

the workers goes on that direction

and of course i didn't miss the cleanup

cruise

i added them here after the plants

settled in

we have both the springtails and isopods

as they were essential part of a healthy

terrarium

though i decided to use the smaller

specie of isopod

which i normally use on my other

bioactive setups

as they were the best isopods for ant

farms in my opinion

and again i offered the colony this

twigs i glued together for a better nest

foundation

let me put it here but later on i

decided to transfer it to the top of the

driftwood

and added more moss for the ants

construction material

[Music]

i hope i can film their nest weaving

again soon

for their update in the future

[Music]

before ending this video i would like to

give angie aldia

a big shout out i hope i pronounced your

name right buddy

and thank you so much for supporting the

channel

i just hope you have learned something

from this video guys

be a genie for the first time by

granting my wish in tapping the like and

share button

that would help a lot this is d colony

saying goodbye for now but hoping to see

you on my next videos