HOW ARE THEY DOING AFTER THE ESCAPE? | Messor Barbarus Update #4 - Ant Holleufer

[@Jonesly13]

I get my camponotus nicobarinsis in The next week this is my first ant colony i can not wait

[@AntHolleufer]

Oh congratulations! They are a super beginner friendly species! 🙌🏻😄

[@den_exw_onoma5043]

Good luck

[@dronetics7309]

Getting my leaf cutters next week

[@AntHolleufer]

Congrats man! Good luck! 😄

[@Jonesly13]

Nice next week i get my first ant colony this is a camponotus nicobarinses

[@AntHolleufer]

Good luck with them 😄

[@Gz80002]

feels good to see how the ants are fine. i might start an ant colony aswell because i've always loved ants since i was 13. keep Making videos i enjoy them mate!

[@AntHolleufer]

Thanks man! And I say go for it! 🙌🏻😄

[@Gz80002]

@@AntHolleufer Np. Also which ants should i buy as a beginner?

[@tomichat2]

@@Gz80002 I think lasius Niger are pretty ez for beginners and messor Barbarus too but I’m not sure, I’d said you should be watching some videos to see which ant species are the best for beginners

[@AntHolleufer]

Agree with the other comments! Lasius Niger or camponotus nicobarensis 🙌🏻😄

[@Gz80002]

@@AntHolleufer alr

[@jameshopson2580]

Natural set up, desert scene

[@AntHolleufer]

Yeah definitely not a bad idea! It’s probably not to far away from being something like that 😅🤔

[@jameshopson2580]

@@AntHolleufer you don't see to many desert scapes. Think it would look great 👍

[@AntHolleufer]

Yeah it’s a brilliant idea! 🙌🏻

[@Drpaper1]

Very cool!

[@AntHolleufer]

🙌🏻😄

[@den_exw_onoma5043]

You should try camponotus sanctus they are very easy to keep and their big size makes them easy to document.

[@AntHolleufer]

Oh good suggestion! Will look for them 🤔😄

[@den_exw_onoma5043]

@@AntHolleufer the only downside is that the major have a very painful bite. I once picked up a rock and and dozens of majors swarmed my hand when i got rid of them my hand was covered in blood.

[@den_exw_onoma5043]

@@AntHolleufer they are in stock at ants davey rn.

[@den_exw_onoma5043]

I keep a lot of messor species. Messor wasmanni , messor structor , messor Barbarus and messor capitatus.

[@AntHolleufer]

Haha a messor fan I can see! 😆🙌🏻

[@denkitney8865]

I love the way your lights are reflected on the bodies of the ants, like little diamonds....lol

[@AntHolleufer]

Haha yeah need the light very close and well then it reflects 😆😅

[@belogic5347]

I have a messor barbarus colony with 70-150 workers and they have a healthy brood pile

[@AntHolleufer]

Oh that’s a good size! How old ?😄

[@belogic5347]

@@AntHolleufer I have kept them for a little over 1 year (I got them with 3 or 4 workers)

[@AntHolleufer]

Oh dang that a nice growth! 🙌🏻😄

[@antsandpets]

Sorry that they lost so many, I hope they recover quickly

[@AntHolleufer]

😪 yeah it’s sad but they look to be on the road to comeback! So yeah let’s hope! 🙌🏻

[@LeeWH.for.the.emperor]

I have 3 Messor barbarous queens. 1 new queen, 1 queen with 7 works and 1 with 20 workers

[@AntHolleufer]

Wow so many! How can that be if I may ask! 😄🤔

[@LeeWH.for.the.emperor]

@@AntHolleufer i brought 2 last year in November of antsdavey and brought 1 queen of the antlady this month i love messor barbarus

[@AntHolleufer]

😆 fair enough 😆🙌🏻

[@anter6546]

Great Video, your colony is really massive!

[@AntHolleufer]

Thank you and yeah they are doing very well! 🙌🏻😄

[@AntsOnly]

Love to see your channel is doing so well! Keep it up! Love the beard btw

[@AntHolleufer]

Haha thanks man! Still remember our talked ages ago about how we could grow and how you just exploded! Good memories! ❤️😄

[@AntsOnly]

@@AntHolleufer yeah old times, I stoped with ants for a while that’s why we prob stoped talking etc but I’m back keeping ants again😅 I rlly exploded on ma other channel Rickjuhs😂

[@AntHolleufer]

😆😆

[@weylandyutani1097]

Started with 9 workers 1 year ago and now i would say they are up to about 700-800 workers, love how polymorphic they are and the huge majors look epic. From my experience once they grow in size they will also enjoy the larger seeds more, right now mine love Flax Seeds. Oh and my girls really love blueberries as well. Definitely very happy with choosing M.barbarus as my entry species into the hobby and your channel has helped me a lot in comparing my colony's progress to yours. Cheers and happy Easter.

[@AntHolleufer]

Oh that’s amazing to hear man that they sounds like they are doing well! 🙌🏻😄

[@rubyblack7240]

i got my messor queen a few days ago :D

[@AntHolleufer]

Congrats! Good luck! 😄

[@fizzyturtle304]

Cool my mesor queen has 9 workers and I've had her for 3 months

[@rubyblack7240]

@@fizzyturtle304 hope she does well in the future:)

[@fizzyturtle304]

Tks

[@antasticmessors6073]

They store the seeds in the outworld because you added a cover on it. I use vaseline to avoid getting them escaped. In the future I will combine it with the backpaper of double sided tape, used for carpet. They can't walk over it, do works great

[@AntHolleufer]

Thank you for the info! That would make sense 🤔😄🤔

[@antasticmessors6073]

@@AntHolleufer If you made a ventilator in the cover, the messors will feel the wind and experience it like being outside. So they probably will move the seeds into the nest. Plus when you ventilate the outworld, you lower the chances of getting mold or mites.

[@janvde7356]

more connections to the outdour

[@AntHolleufer]

Yeah not a bad idea. This just a bit temporary after their big escape weeks before 😅

[@itskyt0916]

Hey Ant Holleufer, if you want them to recover fast I would increase protein and specially offer them a greater variety of seeds, they seem to be bored of those. I would recommend you give them grass seeds, sesame, flax seeds, quinoa and chia seeds (specially these two last) You will be amazed by how fast they collect the chia seeds

[@AntHolleufer]

Oh not a bad idea! Fed them these seeds for quite some time! Will try some different ones!

[@ChlorophilG]

Increased protein would be my best guess as well. Live food always seems to boost numbers significantly, along with unsightly streaks of excrement against the edge of the walls, unfortunately.

[@CamponicoAnts]

Sad to see the colony shrunk that much.. :( My wife is using the same "cleanup method" and so do the kids xD GReat video!

[@AntHolleufer]

That dang method 😆 but yeah sad they lost a big amount 😓

[@GetTheRightMindset]

I have 5 messor barbarus queens😬

[@AntHolleufer]

😳🤔😳

[@fizzyturtle304]

Wow 👌

[@thepearypope2539]

😳 I got 2 colonies yesterday

[@axecolonies8157]

Maybe you could try to get a portable fan or something that gives off a noticeable amount of wind. They will realize the outworld is not the nest if they feel wind and return to the nests.

[@AntHolleufer]

Oh good idea! Smart thinking that wouldn’t be a bad idea to try! 🤔😄

[@knightaren5577]

I think this is just a waiting game… they should recover!

[@nilssvensson2714]

Just a normal swede watching videos from Denmark. 🙂

[@AntHolleufer]

Hello to you! 👋🏻😄 hope you enjoy the videos!

[@FamTech.]

Yes i have a messor barbarus colony 400w

[@AntHolleufer]

Dang that’s not bad!😄

[@wackyantman5893]

I think you should move the barbarus to several large Esthetic ants nests

[@AntHolleufer]

Haha definitely not a bad idea! although I’m not 100% how big they are compared to these. I may need more than 5 of them 😅🤔🤔

[@dareksmyk8698]

Too few arenas for such a large colony. Messor like to walk, they need more arenas or space, that's why they ran away from you. They, if something does not suit them or there is not enough space in the arena, they do everything to escape and usually they succeed.

[@Dylanforge1]

I have a small colony what kind of seed should I use

[@AntHolleufer]

Grass seeds are a very good option for small colonies with no majors 😄

[@Dylanforge1]

@@AntHolleufer thanks I have like 40 workers 😁

[@goblingamerz1619]

I have a black crazy ant colony and stingless bees

[@AntHolleufer]

Nice! 😄

[@fizzyturtle304]

Cool

[@thepearypope2539]

Very nice!

[@hristohristov1970]

How old is your colony?

[@AntHolleufer]

Around 4 years I think 🤔😄

[@SteamInNewSouthRails]

If you're have trouble recording try using a red light filter

[@AntHolleufer]

Yeah they sadly still go crazy with that. Not a bad idea but I have tried it in the past without any help 😅

[@mr_giffle8196]

Is the outworld to big? Maybe they stay in outworld bc there is alot of space but idk i dont own ants or know anything about them

[@AntHolleufer]

Well actually many have said the other way around that the outworld is too small 😅 still weird they decided to move into it tho 😅🤔 but not a bad idea!

[@ColossalSwordFormAndTechnique]

I think nests and modules are just used as seed and baby storage ☝️ My Messor Structors also like to hangout in their outworld

[@NadoDashGT]

Yay

[@ililiiiiii4349]

Hello!!!!

[@AntHolleufer]

Heyo!

[@fizzyturtle304]

Hi

[@ililiiiiii4349]

Hu

[@ililiiiiii4349]

Hi

[@DeadJDona]

subscribed on "roach meat" words

[@AntHolleufer]

😆🙌🏻😆

[@kaidrogon5472]

hi

[@AntHolleufer]

Heyo! 👋🏻 😄

[@fizzyturtle304]

Hi

[@Blakeplaysgaming]

I’m gonna look for the native pharaoh ants , little black ants (native ) and invasive that destroy our ecosystem fire ants

[@AntHolleufer]

Ha carefully with them then! Don’t make them escape 😅😳

[@flants0]

the queen is very skinny because these ants dont do trophallaxis if that was tetramorium crematogaster solenopsis campononuts she would be very dat

[@wolfi7047]

I startet 1 1/2 year ago with 1Qeen and 25 Worker of Messor orientalis. Now they Reached 10.000. I use the same Nest as you do. 6 Simants pro M and 1Skyline L Nest. If one of your Nestst get bit empty something has chached in the Nest. I've had that too. My suggestion, make a mould check where you water them. Disconnect one and clean it, also if it looks clean, maybe they will like it more then. Try a longer tube between Nest and Arena and maybe connect all Nestes to one tube, so they don't have to cross one Nest to get to another. Nice Videos by the way, maybe I'll start with leafcutters cause of your Videos.

[@AntHolleufer]

Thanks for the advice man! Brilliant having people coming with good suggestions! Will definitely try and look at the empty nest to see if there’s any problems! And yeah Leafcutters are quite amazing! Just be aware of atta space requirements compared to acro 😅

[@jesseklinkenberg9072]

U

[@kennthchin287]

Expand.

[@AntHolleufer]

But their nest are also quite empty 😅🤔

[@kennthchin287]

Messor Barbarus live in the Mediterranean? If so maybe humidity the problem ? Maybe the outworld needs expand so the ants can forage naturally just like their own version of the matrix ?