Big-headed Ant Colony (Part 4)

[@rileysmith3408]

I have moved to Brazil and have seen many large ants that have peaked my curiosity on keeping ants and have stumbled upon your chanel. i REALLY enjoyed your tutorials and this chain of videos was very interesting and cool to see! i hope to see more videos from you! in the meantime i will continue to watch your videos!

[@JordanDeanFilms]

Thanks! That's really great to hear.

[@skipeveryday7282]

lol The soldier couldn't wait. He really wanted that honey. They are so smart it's amazing.

[@exprime8872]

I'd love to see a new update for this colony :) The terrarium setup is awesome

[@user-nm2tz6nx2v]

Wow this nest is so unique because of your ecosystem well done for allowing it to evolve to the stage 😄😄

[@tr3nta345]

Really intertaining video, id love to see some footage of each type of ants in the colony and how they eat and what they do

[@deathkingcheetah1337]

tr3nta There's only 1 type of ant in a colony...

[@gunch5492]

DeathKingCheetah2235 I think he means like the solider ant and the worker or like the ants doing there jobs like the nursery ants soldier ants foraging ants

[@tr3nta345]

ImaKillU yeah thats what i meant

[@mrcampy412]

I think it's cool how there is a little Eco system in your setup there, keep up this videos they are great!

[@JordanDeanFilms]

Thank you!

[@warchiefswan5930]

Very cool I did this a lot in my teens. Endless hours of fun in observation of behaviors. In America we have the same kind of ant but they are micro sized. ;)

[@dracava]

I should be studying but I'm watching ant videos

[@roboactive]

Me too xD

[@rolfboesjes4216]

Dracava same

[@jacobbutler3536]

we all are we lov ants lol

[@ALEX-dm6su]

me to haha

[@sparrowhwy101]

These posts are fascinating! Please post more and thank you so very much.

[@maximusalcott2438]

i think the tutorials updates and wild footage would be great!!! I really enjoy your videos thank you.

[@JordanDeanFilms]

+Maximus Alcott Thanks for the feedback!

[@rigdigwus]

stumbled upon your popular videos and I couldn't believe you actually have so few of them. keep on all the ant updates and everything around it, you are doing a really good job

[@JordanDeanFilms]

Thanks! Will do :)

[@BugBoy0911]

I would love to see some tutorials on Australian ant specieces and their nuptial flight season.

[@ThePedza]

Great video I enjoyed the view, nice ecosystem ideas and the calm voice top it.

[@JordanDeanFilms]

Thanks!

[@razrdivine203]

Please make more vids on this because im thinking of doing that natural setup on my ants!

[@RedEarthColonies]

Excellent setup! Well done! Not many people have experimented successfully with this sort of "natural" display. I particularly enjoy your colony updates, but I would be very interested in tutorials as well, since your ant keeping style is so unique. :-)

[@JordanDeanFilms]

+Conor Kimball Thanks for the feedback Conor! Based on most of the comments, I'm definitely considering doing some tutorials now.

[@blikker8]

I really like these videos, keep it up! I hope to start my own colony when the weather gets warmer where I live.

[@JordanDeanFilms]

Thank you! Great to hear that.

[@blikker8]

I'd love to see a video demonstrating how ants take down live prey!

[@kingtrav]

Showing us how you made this from the ground up would be neat. It would be way cool if you could "tag" a few ants and document their lives :)

[@JordanDeanFilms]

Thanks for the feedback. That's a great idea, although, I'm not too sure how I'd go about tagging an ant.

[@kingtrav]

Yeah I'm not sure either, was hoping you knew of a way. Some of my favorite nature docs, for example, are when they pick one or two lions out of a pride and document their lives, would be neat to see that for an ant :)

[@karlh5645]

One easy way is to put a tiny dot of pigment on the ant you want to tag, but definitely make sure the pigment is harmless to ants thought.

[@CreeperUniverseTV]

Yeah!

[@Whitflame]

Good vids :P Long vids of the colony is fine ... its just fun to see the little ones in the setup :P

[@JordanDeanFilms]

Thanks. Yeah, for me too. I'm growing quite fond of this colony :)

[@CreeperUniverseTV]

It looks beautiful!!! 😊😀

[@like2review4u60]

Wow. So entertaining! You are the youtuber who convinced me to want to start my own colony! I'm watching so many of your videos and I don't regret subbing! Love your vids! Keep up the great work!

[@JordanDeanFilms]

Thanks so much!

[@Galdring]

How is this colony doing now?

[@JordanDeanFilms]

They're doing great. It's the first month of spring here so the colony is starting to get quite active again. An update coming soon, hopefully.

[@Galdring]

Looking forward to it!

[@ingamevoice]

look forward to it also. maybe show us a sped up clip of the ants eating a devouring food?

[@deathkingcheetah1337]

ingamevoice Like a time lapse?

[@antsflorida2520]

Ants Australia when will we get a new update about them

[@fuzzyburger99]

These videos are great. Very professional.

[@JordanDeanFilms]

Thanks a lot Dimitri. Glad you enjoy them.

[@potoss2952]

Please do more! sooooo cooool!

[@sandraellens1826]

Man THIS is awesome

[@FaustSketcher]

Honestly its a beautiful set up, and quite nice that you still get to see quite a few chambers of the colony, its the only thing i would find sad in a way if they kept them all away from the glass. Might start my own ant colony off a queen when i get back home, so we will see how that goes for me, having quite a few doubts so far haha but its quite interesting to see other people's colonies.

[@JordanDeanFilms]

Glad you like the setup! Yeah, it's definitely great being able to see everything the colony gets up to, although, a naturalistic setup, like this, is a more preferable environment for the ants. Personally, I'm quite happy just watching them forage, and just consider it a bonus when they create chambers and tunnels up against the glass from time to time. Hope you get into this highly underrated hobby too!

[@FaustSketcher]

***** Well atm im overseas until mid-late december, but when i get back i'll get my first queen, and a formicarium for when she starts getting a few workers. Kinda would like to start with her on her own, starting off scratch and see the colony grow, we will see haha ;;

[@grammarnazi8187]

Woah man, that's really cool.

[@valishinaid]

Классная колония! Люблю твой канал! Спасибо за труды! Жаль, что в Россию этих муравьёв я врятли получу...

[@JordanDeanFilms]

Thanks so much!

[@valishinaid]

Ants Australia hello, Can queen Pheidole Megacephala mate in an anthill?

[@samsamdacookie4393]

Your vids made me get back to ant keeping :) keep it up love the vids :)

[@JordanDeanFilms]

+samsamthecookie Thanks, I'm glad to hear that.

[@holoitsmei8075]

I love the set up

[@maccarter5157]

hey you should do tutorial videos on making habitats or where you could buy habitats and yes please do more of these videos

[@Munsu64]

amazing. I cant wait to see the next video!

[@JordanDeanFilms]

Thanks! Another update coming soon :)

[@EthanALS]

I like colony updates

[@KasumiRose77]

I love your terrarium, more natural and enjoy the updates so far. I too have a natural terrarium for my Argentine Ants where they prefer to use tubes that wrap around their terrarium as their nesting sites (which wasn't expected). I would like to see you attempt smaller spices of ants. You'll find them to be as fulfilling as the larger faster spices, and take up less space. I'm quite sure you have Argentine Ant in your area, they are similar to the ant you are showing here as they will allow multiple queens. Give it some thought, I would like to see someone do a colony update on the same spices I keep. Perhaps you will enjoy them as much as me. It's okay to not to, tho, as it is only a suggestion. :)

[@JordanDeanFilms]

Glad you like the setup! Most of the species I've kept have indeed been small ants. These Pheidole sp. ants are actually very small, only about 3mm in length. I've just started up an Argentine ant colony. The colony has 5 queens and looks to be doing well. They're a really interesting species in the way they accept foreign ants into their colony. Will definitely be doing a video on them eventually!

[@KasumiRose77]

OH I'm over joyed!!! I can't wait to see you do them with updates! These are by far the most misunderstood ant spices. It's super neat to find the origin and history of this ant. I'd love to have a conversation with you about it and show you the sources I used to learn about them. I hope to have a mega super colony that is successful. Keep in touch.

[@6k911Channel]

I made a entire setup with a office theme, like mugs, staplers, paper clips. They lived in a mini-filing cabinet. Maybe try making that?

[@quikwidit6967]

cool video.

[@FullmetalAngyl]

I've been playing with ants in the backyard and they go completely bonkers for walnuts. We feed walnuts to the squirrels so I just felt like seeing if the ants would like them and they like walnuts sometimes even more than the agave syrup I was experimenting with. It depends on the species, but I've watched ants swarm right past agave syrup drops and cover a walnut. Like the walnut was a fresh pile of mealworm innards.

[@JordanDeanFilms]

I'll have to try giving these guys some walnuts then! :)

[@FullmetalAngyl]

***** And I'd very much like to know how they take them. The walnuts I was giving weren't raw, but they were plain for baking. Edit: I gotta add that this is just about the most beautiful natural nest I have seen yet!

[@sansthesanster9072]

THATS WHAT DOES TERRARIUM MEANS NICE VIDEO

[@Ryster231]

tutorials would be great mate

[@JordanDeanFilms]

+Ryster Noted :)

[@Bob.ross22]

Wow your ant colony is amazing, especially the way other insects like the flies and spiders have found their way in. That's the first time I've seen anything like that, looking forward to your next update! :D By the way, since this is your only colony right now, have your considered raising a larger species of any like the dinosaur or bullet ant? I haven't seen any around on KZbin and it would be really cool to see one. I think you can handle it seeing how this one turned out!

[@JordanDeanFilms]

Glad you like the setup! I only raise native ants here in Australia, so that rules out bullet ants. Dinosaur ants are very rare, on the verge of extinction even. I actually just starting raising Camponotus consobrinus, which are quite large. Might be featured in my next video!

[@Bob.ross22]

Ants Australia Cool! Keep up the good work!

[@SuperReachfreak]

PLZ MORE COLONY UPDATES OF THIS COLONY

[@xxTheMuffinManxx]

wanna see more of these ants

[@TotalWarFlames]

Your should make an update on these girls if you still have them!

[@eddiewiller]

I have a Pheidole bicarinata queen that is struggling to get started. Clearly it's a different species from your Pheidole sp. because mine won't take honey, but I'm guessing she will like some of the other options. I'm gonna try cashews next. Thanks for the idea.

[@winston2015]

Thats fantastic !

[@amygm2621]

this is so neat!!! I really like the videos about the colonies, do you think you could start colonies with other kinds of ants (like oecophylla smaragdina and such)? keep us updated! 😊

[@JordanDeanFilms]

Thanks! Maybe not weaver ants, but I've starting raising Argentine ants (Linepithema humile), which are quite an interesting species. I'll hopefully do a video on them soon.

[@mathiacus]

fantastic video mate! im going to link it on the aussie antkeepers facebook page.

[@JordanDeanFilms]

+mathiacus Thanks! Glad you liked it.

[@mathiacus]

+Ants Australia would you like to join the group? there are some really good people in there. if you do just search "australian ant keepers" in facebook groups.

[@JordanDeanFilms]

+mathiacus Yeah, sounds good.

[@jimimardlin8697]

any updates on this colony, it's been so long 😄

[@JordanDeanFilms]

Working on other stuff at the moment. I'll definitely make one eventually though!

[@jimimardlin8697]

+Ants Australia lazy 😄😂 jk, hope to see a video soon 😄

[@zookeeper3502]

Ants Australia I'm going to probably unsubscribe you told me there would be one soon one time guess what 8 months later where is it????

[@horheyjorge]

can you do a tutorial on how to make a natural nest or how/when to catch an ant queen?

[@JordanDeanFilms]

Yeah, was thinking of doing a how to build you own nest tutorial soon. Next video is on sugar ants, so maybe the one after. All the construction details are in the description of this video if you can't wait until then :) I've already done a how to catch a queen video, a when to really depends on where you are. I only have knowledge on Melbourne flight times, which would be useless to most people. I know Ants Canada has done a global video here - kzbin.info/www/bejne/jZfEfGuKq7Jjp6M

[@MrBlizardMan]

more vids of ant colonys starting out + updates

[@cameronmarsh3693]

Do how to raise a black ant because there everywhere in WA and there really small and invasive and also quit hardy and seem easy to raise but I don't know how

[@Geelouise6754]

Hey I love your natural set up, really inspiring. I've been wanting ants for a long time and this has given me some great ideas because I want to have a natural set up for my ants (when I have some). What do you recommend I use for a set up? I don't have much money and I was wondering if normal dirt from the yard would be okay? Do I need to do anything to it? Also what size container/tank/whatever do you recommend for a first time? I don't really know what I'm doing. Thank you and keep it up with the videos, it's great seeing someone near me with such awesome ants :)

[@JordanDeanFilms]

Hi Glen, thanks, I'm quite happy with it too! Soil from your yard should be fine. I like to sterilise the substrate first, you can do this by either boiling or baking it. You don't have to do this, but I like to just as a precautionary measure. This setup was built on a budget too. I found this fairly large glass tank second hand on gumtree for only $40. I recommend getting a glass tank over, say acrylic, because it offers a clearer view and aesthetically looks nicer. The size is really up to you and the spot you're going to position it (ideally by a north facing window). I'll take you through my method of setting it up. First I put a layer of small rocks into the tank for drainage, then a layer of charcoal for purification, then some potting mix, specialised for growing cacti and succulents, then I planted the various succulents and cacti, and finally, added a layer of red sand for esthetic value. To keep the plants healthy, position it somewhere which receives some direct sunlight for at least a few hours of the day and to keep the ants and plants hydrated I just pour some water in once every couple of weeks. Hope this helps.

[@Geelouise6754]

Thank you very much for the help. I have a little plastic tank but can get a glass one in the future. Still looking for queens and I'm super excited to get my first one :) I've screen shot the tips, thank you again for that.

[@wolfyivory5390]

Pros and cons of keeping ants?

[@virterisvirteris856]

They will be happy when you make a new area, you will feel good. one of the cons is that ants chew through adhesive, and might escape from tubing.

[@JourneyToTheCage]

Could you help me set up one of these terrarium, like give some tips or something

[@JordanDeanFilms]

I'll take you through my method. First I put a layer of small rocks into the tank for drainage, then a layer of charcoal for purification, then some potting mix, specialised for growing cacti and succulents, then I planted the various succulents and cacti, and finally, added a layer of red sand for esthetic value. To keep the plants healthy, position it somewhere which receives some direct sunlight for at least a few hours of the day. To keep the ants and plants hydrated I pour some water in once every couple of weeks and more often in warmer weather.

[@BlueBerry-ev1zx]

Aren't you aftaid that food from outside(insects) have some parasites(I am sorry if I spelled it wrong)

[@TheKraken21]

Please do an update of this one!

[@karlh5645]

Hey it's awesome man, can you show me how you build the nest? What type of soil did you use and what plants did you use? How did you prevent them putting dirt up against the glass?

[@JordanDeanFilms]

Hi Karl, thanks! I get this question quite often so I just updated the video description, adding in the setup details. Just some various cacti and succulents. I didn't do anything to prevent them from blocking the glass. They simply constructed some chambers and tunnels up against the glass on their own.

[@johnallardyce4164]

Time for an update Jordon

[@aliakbar7285]

hi jordan, questions, for bighead ants, what we should wear natural nest? or hives that separate?

[@yonniyon-tusell5035]

Could you tell me which is the best time of the day to go catch big headed queens? I think this is the right time for it! Maybe I am wrong.

[@KEO_]

More updates and ants vs bugs plz

[@ryanli8513]

I just caught a pheidole queen last week

[@JordanDeanFilms]

Congrats! :)

[@KiesandNoob]

What would happen if you introduced multiple colonies to the same out world?

[@gnorts]

They would kill each other I think

[@BosnianMapper]

Ant wars

[@CN-kf8xj]

KiesKo Enterprises In pheidole they may join forces or have a war then join forces or just fight.

[@littlenatureinsects4698]

Nice!

[@rubenmartin8361]

hey great job on the ant vids i want to make a set up like this as well but i dont know were to start

[@JordanDeanFilms]

Thanks Ruben. I'll take you through my method. First I put a layer of small rocks into the tank for drainage, then a layer of charcoal for purification, then some potting mix, specialised for growing cacti and succulents, then I planted the various succulents and cacti, and finally, added a layer of red sand for esthetic value. To keep the plants healthy, position it somewhere which receives some direct sunlight for at least a few hours of the day.

[@rubenmartin8361]

+Ants Australia thx man now i know were to start hope your ants are living a great in your awsome set up

[@Alex-mf2mt]

Could you make a video on how you make the ant tanks ?

[@kahldris1228]

Im about to pickup a pheidole queen with like 10 workers im pretty excited, how is this colony doing? Any tips for me?

[@5mnz7fg]

How do you measure or estimate the amount of food they need? I mean, if you feed them too few they starve and if you feed hem too much the enclosure gets infected over time.

[@Killerkom]

What kind of earth are you using? Do you sterialize it first in some way? How do you water the plants without destroying the ant nest? I want to build such a setup, too. But i dont know how to do it exactly.

[@JordanDeanFilms]

I'll take you through my method. First I put a layer of small rocks into the tank for drainage, then a layer of charcoal for purification, then some potting mix, specialised for growing cacti and succulents, then I planted the various succulents and cacti, and finally, added a layer of red sand for esthetic value. To keep the plants healthy, position it somewhere which receives some direct sunlight for at least a few hours of the day. To keep the ants and plants hydrated I pour some water in once every couple of weeks and more often in warmer weather.

[@christieholland8734]

can you do more updates

[@moyortega8347]

What do you prefer a naturalistic formicarium or a brick or the one that has glass?

[@JordanDeanFilms]

Hard to say. I really like the naturistic setup and watching the ants dig, form hills and forage. But, it's also great being able to see more of what's going on within the nest, as you would with a brick formicarium. I guess I like both setups evenly. Which do you prefer?

[@kneo12]

Like AntsCanada. Nice.

[@humannotanalien8675]

could you please make a tutorial on how to build a naturalistic terrarium for those of us who don't know how and want to make one for their ants

[@arashelshow5600]

Do you boil insects that you giving to them???

[@JordanDeanFilms]

Yes, always.

[@arashelshow5600]

Ok, thanks :)

[@marsaans]

Was this video here before or am i hallucinating?

[@Dilondas]

what are the names of the plants used?

[@gamernation509]

Hi, I know you are only in Australia but I was wondering if you knew anything about North America and what ants are the easiest to take care of and look for as a first timer

[@JordanDeanFilms]

+GamerNation Hi there, my knowledge on species outside of my region is pretty limited. Typically the ants you see around most commonly are good ants to keep. They are widespread and adapt well to different environments, so can often do quite well in captivity. Do some research on common ant species in your area.

[@gamernation509]

+Ants Australia ok thanks?

[@Ninrutu]

Can anybody tell me when Phiedole Alates have their Nuptial flights? I can't find the info anywhere...

[@JordanDeanFilms]

Here in Melbourne, they fly in April.

[@Ninrutu]

Perfect! Thanks bro

[@nubroca6371]

when are the nuptial flight of pheidole in france and greece?

[@TheGoober]

did you do anythimg to keep them against the glass or did you just get lucky that they neted there ?

[@JordanDeanFilms]

I directed them a little bit, as seen in part 4. Definitely a bit of luck involved though.

[@cillerdrone]

more colony updates

[@christinebainbridge8774]

I'd like to see a video on green tree ants.

[@stevietaylttv2225]

I like it and great video

[@JordanDeanFilms]

+stevie reptiles Thanks Stevie

[@stevietaylttv2225]

No problem

[@CadoPogChamp]

any updates on these ants?

[@Killjoy9030]

How do you water your ants in this kind of setup

[@JordanDeanFilms]

I just pour some water in once every couple of weeks and more often in warmer weather.

[@thelwulfwellnitz4755]

Is there an update for this colony coming soon?

[@JordanDeanFilms]

Ah an asoiaf fan! :) Yes, will definitely make one eventually. Hopefully soon, it's the first month of spring here so the colony is starting to get quite active again.

[@thelwulfwellnitz4755]

Thankyou!

[@thomascameron2612]

Any chance you would stick a huntsman in there with them? :D

[@AntsWisconsin]

How do I hydrate their nest without the tunnels collapsing on them??

[@JordanDeanFilms]

Just hydrate slowly and in small amounts and their tunnels should be fine.

[@Arrow3766]

What are the Ants that are bigger for? Not the queen

[@tezyoyo123]

These are majors used to hunt ant eat prey.

[@cheryldahl9192]

I think I would like to make one of these :)

[@JordanDeanFilms]

Very easy to do. All the construction details are in the video description :)

[@cheryldahl9192]

I'm not sure I want to try, i've been feeling incompetent lately lol

[@pat3316]

Only in Melbourne and Victoria well I have seen them In ACT

[@JordanDeanFilms]

+PatPlays ! That's just the location where I found and captured these ants. I'm sure they'd be in ACT too.

[@eatingjr1805]

Be careful, these little flies may bring little parasites like mites that might harm your ant colony.

[@tobyleclerc9354]

Make more videos on testing the equipment at ants Aus

[@cheryldahl9192]

What lighting do you use?

[@JordanDeanFilms]

No artificial lighting. Just natural light from the window behind.

[@cheryldahl9192]

Wow, that's awesome :)

[@larrywar11]

can u make a video on how u make a natural nest like this please

[@JordanDeanFilms]

A bunch of people have been asking me how to set one up. So yeah, definitely considering making a video on it.

[@larrywar11]

+Ants Australia thx i hope sooon man

[@razortinbone1390]

what is this ant called?

[@xiwow1847]

thats cool

[@Legitimatekid]

Is that Pheidole Megacephala? A.K.A Costal Brown or Big headed ants?

[@JordanDeanFilms]

I've given up trying to identify this species. The Pheidole genus is just far too vast. No, as far as I am aware they are not megacephala as they aren't present here in Victoria.

[@nolancasimir3663]

Part 6?

[@mix4funchannel435]

Colony update now