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Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2012 16:08:41 GMT 1
This thread shall be devoted to species not commonly held in captivity or that of species that are in question of captivated longevity. To commence with I have a colony of Formica incerta. While commonplace, I have not heard of their success rate. As opposed to that of the more common options of Lasius niger or Lasius flavus I hoped that this species would be fairly reminiscent of the aforementioned species' procedures. Therefore I ask of any tips or experience with this species. Thank you!
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Post by Myrm on Oct 28, 2012 16:20:18 GMT 1
Hi Zazeon and welcome to the forum. Thank you for supporting us by joining. I have had no experience with the species you wish to keep but hopefuly somebody here has. I look forward to reading more about this.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 1, 2012 0:06:28 GMT 1
Thank you. I will report on my findings. Haha.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 11, 2012 16:25:53 GMT 1
Thus far Formica incerta has proven an interesting colony after one month of captivation. Sunlight and dry soil is their preference with lots of climbing apparatus. They appear to enjoy just about any insect as well as vitamin-tainted sirup or hummingbird nectar. I usually attempt to average a dish of five to six live flies (or insects of close size) a day with the addition of vitamin-enriched sirup every other day. Oddly enough they do not care for the man-made cuisine, even chicken and tuna. I also must comment on the fact that while accepting freshly deceased food, they fancy the hunt much more. They are sparingly social yet their efficiency in regards to team-orientated tasks is quite astounding. For instance, I placed a live black cricket, around 1 1/4 inches, inside the habitat. At first the usual solo attempts failed, then a series of tag team efforts took place. Then for the longest while the ants retreated. However, one of the previous attackers disappeared into the colony entrance. Soon after a mob of at least 25 ants burst out at once. With an uncanny efficiency they went straight for the energetically-mobile cricket. They pounced, the large cricket was so overwhelmed that it could not even move, and by this point there were another 20 ants lining the pheromone trail in addition to the attackers. Little by little, despite a fighting cricket, they dragged him all the way into the colony. I also might add that there were ants already widening the colony entrance as the hunting party approached. A remarkable feat caught on tape. I hope that another will attempt Formica incerta for they are quite an enjoyment to keep. I will report again after four months have transpired. Bonne chance!
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