The image and life expectancy of the queen, the working representatives of the colony in a home farm? The emergence of a colony. Choosing a home formicarium, making your own farm for harvester ants. Types of farms. Where can I get a family of ants for my home farm?
Ants are one of those insects that are of great interest to us. There are people who constantly fight them, and there are those who specially create ant farms at home. It is worth saying that these insects can really be admired; in addition, we must not forget about the enormous benefits they bring to nature and people.
So, if you are a fan of these little hard workers, you should consider information about them in more detail and learn about some of the features of ant farms.
How colonies appear
Anthills can be simply enormous in size and about a million individuals can live in them. How do these little workers manage to build such an organized scheme? It’s worth mentioning right away that there are a large number of different types of ants on earth. The system of organization of anthills may differ, but in most cases the development of the colony follows the same pattern.
So, it all starts with the female who already lives in the colony, she is not the only female. The female is fertilized by the males and leaves the colony to create a separate nest. But she does not leave the colony on her own, but with several worker ants.
Next, the female gnaws off her own wings and produces offspring. She becomes a queen, whose goal is to produce offspring and expand the colony. Egg laying occurs regularly, it is a continuous process.
After a few days, larvae emerge from the eggs, and from them pupae. After about 45-60 days, the first working ants appear from the clutch of eggs, and then the ranks of these individuals are continuously replenished, thereby increasing the size of the colony. So, one might say, “from scratch” an anthill with a huge number of insects may appear.
Reproduction and lifespan of harvester ants
There is one queen in each ant nest. Mating occurs in early spring in April, as the reapers settle in the steppes with a warm climate. After fertilization of the uterus, the male dies, and the female goes to look for a suitable place to found a new colony. A full-fledged workforce appears by the end of summer.
The development cycle of ants is complete: egg - larva - pupa - adult
The first three stages take place in 2–3 weeks each. Reapers reproduce in two ways - sexual and asexual. At the first stage, males and females are born, which are needed for further reproduction. Asexual reproduction is called parthenogenesis, that is, the female reproductive cell develops into an adult organism without fertilization by a male. With such reproduction, only worker ants are born.
Larval development
After fertilization, after some time, the uterus lays eggs. After this, they are moved to separate chambers and ensure that favorable conditions are maintained. The division into worker castes occurs already at the moment the larvae hatch from the eggs. Which caste the future individual will belong to depends on how much food the larva consumes.
The well-being of future worker ants is ensured by breadwinners and caregivers
The young generation is constantly growing and pupates in 1–2 months. The pupa has a thin shell, which allows you to monitor the development of the insect. At the last stage, a full-fledged ant appears, which lives from one to five years.
How long does a queen live?
As you can understand, the queen is responsible for the number of inhabitants in the anthill, and the prosperity of the nest depends directly on the life cycle of the female. It is impossible to answer the question of how long the queen lives, since everything depends on the type of insect. There are species where the queen lives a long life, the duration of which is 20 years, this is simply a huge number for such small creatures.
But if we are talking about the goosebumps that we know best, and from which most people try to get rid of in apartments, namely pharaonic ones, then their life cycle is much shorter. In this case, the uterus lives for no more than 2 years, and this is only under favorable conditions.
Do not forget about red ants, which belong to the inhabitants of natural conditions. Unlike pharaonic ones, they are not classified as household pests. So, the queen of such a colony lives a life of about 10 years, in contrast to the working individuals, who live much shorter.
But don’t think that the main queen, on whom everything depends, there are several of them, and if one’s offspring’s productivity drops significantly, then ordinary individuals can simply kill her.
Often, in any colony there are several queens who can move out and create new nests or, on the contrary, remain in the family and significantly expand its scope.
This is the reason why the nest is difficult to completely destroy. In the fight against these insects, it is very difficult to detect all the nests of the queens, who continuously produce new inhabitants.
Habitat
The steppe harvester ant is a resident of the steppes and deserts. Its nests can be found in the countries of the Mediterranean coast, Southern and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Middle and Central Asia, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Israel. On the territory of Russia, in the Republic of Tatarstan, the species is included in the Red Book due to the threat of extinction.
Years
Reapers are ants of deserts and steppes. Such a life developed an interesting feature in them. Almost all species of ants we encounter raise young males and females in the spring, so that by the end of spring or summer they can fly away and give rise to new colonies. The Messors have a completely different strategy: young individuals capable of reproducing are raised not in May, but in August. Next, the winged generation overwinters in its native anthill and flies out by the end of April. At a time when the queens of other ants are still in the larval state, messoras are already beginning to raise the first generation of new workers. It would seem, why such oddities? The answer is simple: in steppes and semi-deserts, the most favorable conditions for the creation of new colonies appear in the spring, when the average daily temperature is not so high and soil moisture remains.
How long do ants live in natural conditions?
Here, too, we will not find a single and correct answer; it all depends on the specific type. We can look at the example of the three species that are best known to us, namely red forest, reapers and pharaohs. So, working insects of forest and reaper insects live up to 5 years, and their queens live up to 25 years, these are colossal numbers. And if we consider the life expectancy of pharaonic working individuals, then their life cycle is only 2 months.
Of course, life expectancy also depends on the direct responsibilities of the insect, namely, what functions it performs in the colony. If this is a goosebump that cares for larvae, is responsible for storing food, and digs tunnels, it has every chance of living a full life cycle. But if this individual delivers food or defends the colony, the chances are much lower; more often they live for several months.
It is worth mentioning one more feature of such families. The thing is, worker creeps don't have to be male. Often these are females who have a suppressed reproductive system. In other words, they, like the queen, can lay eggs, with the only difference that they will not be fertilized and only males can emerge from such clutches.
But the role of males in the colony is absolutely unenviable. The fact is that they exist only to fertilize the female and that’s where their role in the life of the colony ends. Their life cycle most often does not exceed several weeks. Nature deprived them of time, but gave them wings. It is in flight that fertilization occurs, which is the main purpose of their existence.
As you can see, the life expectancy of each species is different and we will not get a definite answer. But it is worth noting a trend that works not only in ants, but also in most animals: the larger the species, we are talking about size, the longer the life expectancy.
Brief information
Name in Latin: Messor structor Difficulty: for beginners Size of individuals: M - workers from 4 to 9 mm, soldiers up to 11 mm, queen up to 12 mm Size of colonies: up to 5,000 individuals Habitat: steppes and semi-deserts, from Portugal to Kazakhstan, and south to Iran Temperature: 23-25 degrees, preferably warmed up Humidity: gradient, from 30% in the arena to 90% in the nest Diet: plant seeds, dead insects Wintering: not required
How long do ants live in a formicarium?
The answer to this question will be absolutely identical as for the previous option. So to speak, “greenhouse conditions” do not increase the duration at all. The fact is that under such conditions insects cannot fully exhaust their potential.
Speaking about artificial conditions for growing insects, it is worth taking into account the mistakes that beginners make, and they certainly do not prolong the life of the goosebumps. Speaking about general figures, we can say that for an experienced hobbyist, farm specimens can live 70-80% of the maximum.
Artificial and natural conditions are very different, nutrition, behavior, determination of castes and much more, ultimately affecting the life of the colony itself. For example, it is nutrition that determines what kind of offspring there will be, a queen or a worker ant. Also, the nature of nutrition will be decisive for the offspring regarding the distribution of castes, all of them differ in external characteristics.
If the queen dies, most often this leads to the death of the entire family. This does not mean that all insects will die at once; on the contrary, they will live out their full potential, but due to the fact that new offspring are not produced, the number will gradually decrease, which will lead to death. There is always a chance that the remaining eggs will grow into a new queen, but, unfortunately, this chance is very small.
You should not think that growing an ant farm is very simple; it is a whole science that requires preparation and a lot of knowledge. Therefore, before you begin this difficult work, you should thoroughly study this species and learn about all the intricacies and features of cultivation. If you spend more time on the preparatory stage, there will be a greater chance of the most positive result.
Harm caused
The Reaper is beneficial only in virgin steppes, as it promotes the spread of seeds of various plants. But if such goosebumps appear near the currents where grain is threshed, they can cause serious damage to the future harvest. The harvester ant never attacks a person first. But in case of danger it bites painfully. Schmidt compared their bite to the feeling you would get if you were picking out an ingrown toenail with a drill.
Having settled in the home, pests often penetrate into household appliances, computers, and air conditioners, causing problems in their operation. Reapers can actually be found under baseboards, in the space between ceilings, in kitchen cabinets, under old wallpaper that is peeling away from the wall in some places. Living in human habitation, reapers eat bread, cereals, butter, sugar, meat, fruits, and vegetables. They are capable of chewing clothes made from natural material, leather book bindings, wallpaper paste, paper, cardboard, cellophane (if anything edible is wrapped in it).
Red ants sometimes damage the insulating winding with their powerful jaws, resulting in electrical short circuits and fires.
Source
What types of anthills are there?
So, a home anthill is called a formicarium, it can be compared to an aquarium, only instead of water and fish, we see filler and goosebumps. There are simple and complex systems in which favorable conditions for the life of insects are automatically created, the correct temperature, humidity, and lighting are maintained.
A formicarium can have completely different sizes, from small tabletop ones to huge ones that occupy large areas, it all depends on desire and capabilities. Regarding the filler, it can also be different, for example, gypsum, a mixture of soil and sand, gel.
There are quite popular models “Colosseum” and “Cubus”. The latter are available for sale in the form of a cylinder, cube or display that has double walls. The emptiness of melon products is filled with filler, which can be of different colors. In this filler, goosebumps build their passages and chambers. Regarding the price of such products, it is quite high, about 3 thousand rubles.
There are more affordable models, for example, anthills with helium filler. They are very similar to aquariums, the filling of which is a transparent gel. These formicariums are easy to care for; just open the lid once a week for ventilation. Their approximate cost is 50 rubles.
If we talk about such a filler as gel, it is completely safe for insects, just like for people. In addition to the fact that the gel is a filler, a habitat where goosebumps build their passages and chambers, it also acts as a nutrient medium.
Gypsum trusses can be called the most popular. They come in different shapes, sizes and are painted in all sorts of colors. The cost of such formicaria is on average 700 rubles.
Foraging for food
For a long time it was believed that messor constructor ants were agricultural pests, since large reserves of wheat, barley, millet, and millet grains were found in their anthills. Later, it became known what ants eat and how they collect seeds.
Interesting!
Numerous chambers for storing grain are built in the anthill. In one season they can collect up to 50 kg of grains. An insect can eat all this in one season. In tropical countries, abundant ant stocks are often the subject of controversy. Who owns the found grain - the owners of the field where the anthill is located, or the owner of the land from where the reapers carried the harvest.
A family of ants sends different numbers of messengers in search of food. How many are required depends on the speed at which the sent family members return. If there is a lot of harvest, the ants return quickly and bring large supplies.
In distress, the ant is absent from the fields for a long time; after its return, fewer individuals are sent to the fields. Gradually reducing the number to zero.
Soil-sand farm
There is nothing complicated in preparation; you need to mix 1 part sand and 2 parts soil. The only thing you need to keep an eye on is the humidity. The fact is that in a slightly damp filler, it will be easier for the goosebumps to build their movements.
You need to fill it in such a way that there is 1.5 centimeters left to the edges of the container. Be sure to cover with a lid, in which small holes are pre-made so that air circulates well.
They'll definitely grow up
Having seen the larva of a leaf-cutter ant, the description of which you have already become familiar with, you would never say that it will grow into a strong ant. She looks like a little white worm. She has no eyes, no limbs, and without special care she will die. Moreover, for proper growth and development, it is necessary to monitor not only the correct feeding of the larvae, but also the conditions in which they are located. Air temperature and humidity must be maintained at a certain level. The ants feed the larvae with their own eggs, gradually transferring them to mushrooms. Interestingly, unfertilized eggs grow into males. Of the fertilized ones, there are females that will eventually become workers or queens.
Gel farm
This is perhaps the case when this activity will be very interesting for children, and of course for adults as well. For such a farm you need a flat container that can be closed with a lid and gelatin. You need to take 3 bags of gelatin (15 grams each), pour 0.5 liters of hot water and stir well until the gelatin completely melts.
Next, we pour the mixture into a container, wait until it cools down and put it in the refrigerator until it hardens completely. We take it out of the refrigerator and wait until the gel reaches normal room temperature, and that’s it, the filler is ready. Remember that this filler is also food for goosebumps, so you don’t need to feed them.
Gypsum farm
To create such a formicarium you will need a transparent container and plaster. You need to take gypsum and dilute it with water until it resembles thick sour cream. Next, the solution is poured into a transparent container, and a plastic tube is placed near the wall. In this case, the tube will play a very important role; water is added through it from time to time, which will maintain the correct humidity in the formicarium.
The workpiece is completely dry after a week. After 3-4 days have passed, you need to remove the workpiece from the mold. To easily remove the gypsum, you should immerse it in hot water (not boiling water) for 30 seconds.
At this stage, you can show your own creative nature - draw passages and rooms on top of the plaster. Since the composition is still raw, there should not be any problems in organizing tunnels.
Future residents of the farm can drill the entrance using a drill. Next, you need to take one of the convenient tools and start making paths according to the drawn drawings. Please note that you need to act carefully, as the composition is not yet dry and may crumble.
The bottom of the formicarium should be equipped with depressions to better distribute water and moisturize the anthill. Do not forget to provide a ventilation hole inside the container - you can make them using a drill with a diameter of 0.5 millimeters (where the lid and side walls are).
Next, dry the plaster base well and then place it inside the container. If it does not fit, repeat the procedure with hot water. The formicarium is now ready for use.
Description
Granivorous ants of medium and small size, mainly in arid climates, building nests in the soil (up to several meters deep). The collection of grains is carried out mostly on the ground (fallen grains); the collected grains (up to a maximum of 1 or 2 kg) are stored by ants in special chambers and, if necessary, taken out to dry. They are used for food after grinding them with their mandibles (caste - soldier) into a dough-like mass, which is fed to the larvae. Animal food (dead insects) occupies a small place in the diet.
They form monogynous families (about 5000 individuals) with developed polymorphism of individuals (large-headed soldiers are connected by intermediate transitions with smaller, proportionally built workers). Virgin queens and males overwinter in the anthill, in the Palearctic they fly in the spring (for the southern regions of Russia - mid-March), which allows the queen to establish a new colony in still moist soil, and is an adaptation to arid habitats.
Buying ants and tips for choosing a farm
You can buy harvester ants for the formicarium in a special online store. The cost is quite affordable - approximately 900 rubles. Most often, a colony includes 10 workers and one queen. Some stores offer the opportunity to choose a family - there are options of 50 individuals.
Usually, for a home ant farm, it is recommended to purchase harvesters, since they are large in size and not very demanding when it comes to food.
General information about the genus Messor
The genus Messor includes 110 species of ants adapted to life in the desert zone on almost all continents. Thus, 30 species live in Europe alone, 5 of them in Russia. This:
- Messor aciculatus;
- Messor denticulatus;
- Messor kasakorum;
- Messor rufitarsis;
- Messor constructor.
The genus received the name Messor (reaper) due to the method of collecting grain from the fields. The specificity of nutrition is determined by the nature of vegetation in the desert climate. According to research, ants from one family are able to bring up to 1.5 kg of grain to underground storage facilities. The answer to the question: is the harvester ant a pest that steals the fruits of human labor should be answered in the negative. He harvests his harvest only from the ground, from already damaged spikelets. The grains are stored in moist underground chambers for a long time and periodically germinate. Then the ants chew off the seedlings, and the seeds themselves are ground into powder, moistened with saliva and fed to the larvae.
Reaper ants have their own characteristics:
- large size of individuals;
- peacefulness;
- swarming, nest building in spring.
Let us consider this genus in more detail using the example of the species Messor structor (steppe harvester ant).
Features of feeding
At home, reapers eat sunflower, poppy or pumpkin seeds. In addition, you can take a canary mixture, the ingredients of which are cereals and seeds of various types of vegetation. You should not choose grain intended for sowing, since it is treated with special compounds that have a detrimental effect on ants - there is a risk of death.
You can purchase mealworms, cockroaches or crickets as protein foods. Please note that chicken meat and yolk also have a negative effect on insects.
To organize a drinking bowl for ants, buy a small test tube, then fill it with water and tightly close the hole with cotton wool - it will be moistened with water and will become an excellent source of liquid in the formicarium. Please note that the plug must be changed when dirty, as there is a risk of mold developing inside the farm.
