I'M STRUGGLING TO KEEP UP! Crematogaster Scutellaris Update #5

Hello Beautiful people,
I hope you like the video! If there's anything you would like to get an update that you've previously seen on the channel, or even if you have a certain request on something you would like to see me build or keep, let me know in the comments!
CHECK OUT MY ONLINE STORE!
www.antscapes.co.uk/
Join this channel to get access to perks:
/ @antscapes1
HERE IS A LIST OF PRODUCTS THAT I USE, As an Amazon Associate I earn from certain links in my description, however, the price is always the same, except I earn a tiny amount from the sale which helps support my channel.
The corrugated Plastic Sheets I use to create Lids:
amzn.to/3x6TUnt
The Black Foam Board I use to create waterfalls and structures with:
amzn.to/3Ijwr9f
Aquariums That I use:
amzn.to/3YwVpaR
amzn.to/3x6cJY7
Lighting:
amzn.to/3jJebMR
amzn.to/3YEhPGL
amzn.to/3lgHDKt
Filters:
amzn.to/3XiSQrp
amzn.to/3XibjnG
Heat Pads:
amzn.to/3JSykKY
Animal Safe Sillicone:
amzn.to/3RHE3oV - (Clear)
amzn.to/3DOPDIX - (Black)
Remember To Check out my Socials:-
Instagram: / ant.scapes
TikTok: / antscapes1
FaceBook: / antscapes
JOIN MY DISCORD SERVER!
ANYBODY IS WELCOME!
/ discord
If you want to check out any of my playlists then please check them below:-
MYRMICA RUGINODIS COLONY:-
• HUGE MULTI-SPECIES VIV...
CREMTOGASTER SCUTELLARIS COLONY:-
• CREMATOGASTER SCUTELLA...
HOW TO MAKE BIOACTIVE SETUPS/NATURAL TERRARIUMS:-
• HOW TO MAKE NATURAL TE...
Don't forget to check out the stores I use regularly for all of my Ant/Bioactive needs!
Ant Antics: www.antantics.co.uk/ ENTER "ANTSCAPESRYAN" FOR 10% OFF FIRST ORDER!
Wakooshi: www.wakooshi.com/ (ENTER ANTSCAPES) FOR 10% OFF ANY ORDER!
AntsHQ: www.antshq.co.uk/ ENTER (RUGINODISRYAN) For 12.5% OFF ANY RUGINODIS ORDER!

[@NorthernAnts24]

These are mental! Have a small colony myself ready to move from tubs and tube a nest

[@AntScapes1]

Nice mate! Be prepared 🤣🤣🐜🐜🐜🐜

[@danielbooth2982]

I wouldn't have a clue what to do in the future with that colony because I think that you could have 20 huge interlinked terrariums throughout the house and they would still be outgrowing the setup. This was a great video by the way, very interesting even if you aren't an Ant enthusiast actually.

[@Antymatters]

Thabks for the vid Ryan, finished work and did some lifts and finally got to sit down and watched this for a quick relax, reliably great :) back to more work

[@AntScapes1]

Hey dude that’s really nice to hear, glad I can pass the time for you 😄❤️ I might need to get some of your larger products 🤣🤣

[@antyenclosures7578]

great vid man!

[@AntScapes1]

Thank you buddy! ❤️

[@kellyfay6370]

Awesome video!

[@AntScapes1]

Thank you Kelly!

[@mikoants9485]

Hey Ryan, they are amazing. I feel your struggle but still they are amazing.

[@AntScapes1]

They really are Miko! Thank you so much for watching man, it’s been a while I hope you’re doing good? ❤️

[@mikoants9485]

@@AntScapes1 With ants I do great with people is more difficult..lol

[@happyantuk1995]

Great video I love watching these girls in this amazing tank 👍🏻😀🐜🇬🇧🐜❤️

[@AntScapes1]

Thanks mate! It’s definitely not looking how it used too, these ladies are turning it into a trash zone 🤣

[@happyantuk1995]

@@AntScapes1 that’s what ants do best destroy works or art 🤣

[@stephenbroomhead4110]

Splendid video

[@AntScapes1]

Thank you so much Stephen 😄❤️

[@AntRun]

Hi there! Beautiful video, very happy looking ants. I have a couple of tips in case you would like to restrict the growth of your colony and keep it at a more stable size. First of all, worker ants in the wild have a very short life span: they don't always survive the first day when they leave the nest to forage for the first time. However, in our setups these workers do not get killed and rarely die of "natural disasters", such as drowning and getting lost. This increases the lifespan of a single worker to months or even years (depending on species, not sure about C. scutellaris). Second, wild colonies do not get this much nutrients (e.g., more competition for resources within ecosystems, scarce resources, etc). So when it comes to restricting the colony growth, the best thing you can do is provide much less protein. My minimal ant setups contain water and a sugar cube. Adult ants (including the queen) feed on carbohydrates (i.e., sugars), the protein food is what is used to raise the brood. So the more protein you provide, the more brood you will get. And since you provide a lot of protein, it signals to the colony "OK, there is a lot of food available right now and we should use this time to produce more brood" and the queen upscales her egg laying. Increasing the temperature will not only make the workers move faster, but also accelerate the development of the brood. This said, if you want your colony to be more manageable, always have water and sugar in the outworld (I don't use sugar water, solid sugar cubes are consumed too and easier for me to handle) and give a small amount of protein (e.g., one large beetle larva) once a week (or twice a week -- you have to experiment here). If you do not mind the workers moving slower, I would also decrease the temperature to extend the developmental time of the brood. Crematogaster hibernate at +12C, but everything above +18C will be fine. Hibernation means that no brood is produced, it's a natural process in winter for non-tropical species of ants. To reiterate, not giving any protein will not kill the colony, it will only decrease brood production (I say decrease and not diminish because ants also store food for bad times) and the more protein you give, the more brood they will produce. To prevent escape even further, consider adding fluon to the walls of your arena. Crematogaster ants are very good climbers and might still climb over it, but fluon would definitely make it more difficult for them. Hope that helps! Again, compliments on your setup and good luck

[@AntScapes1]

Hey Jana! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a detailed comment regarding all of this. I actually started reducing sugars and proteins around the time the video was published as I noticed numbers would stay under control more. Me feeding them 4/5 meal worms a day was just insanity and I think that’s where I noticed the drastic increase in numbers and escapes. I’ve noted a lot of your information down though and I must thank you again for your kind words regarding the tank too. Have a wonderful day ❤️😄

[@dragonsants7023]

I had a 1200+ colony and I wasn't prepared for how good they are at climbing/escaping so I panicked and put the outside (Please never release)... I'm Now gonna try again and if I can't handle'em I'll just freeze'em... Wish Me Luck (Crematogaster Cerasi)

[@dragonsants7023]

I Love Them Soo Much, I hope I'm better prepared this time!!!

[@AntScapes1]

Good luck man! I hope you manage to get them going successfully again, but they are absolutely insanely fast at growing!

[@bogdan12376]

hello! may I ask how old is your colony of skutelaris?

[@AntScapes1]

Hello King! They’re roughly around 2 years old in June I believe, but I posted a video of when I got them and I have had them since a queen and 5-7 workers.

[@AntScapes1]

This colony grew VERY fast though. Around 1 year old they were 5000+ strong & brood was in piles like I’ve never seen. Very protein hungry species to keep growing and growing. I didn’t want to push it due to the space for now, so I ended up limiting food to only 2 crickets a day instead of the 4-5 I added.

[@AntScapes1]

I managed to find a balance in that mealworms are the best with these ( and the beetles) as they destroy isopods and everything else 🤣. Expect to be cleaning regular too, as the fact that they want to kill everything creates problems in that they don’t have other things eating the leftovers. But they’re a super, super awesome species to keep and I would recommend them to everyone. Also, final thing, remember that they’re escape artists, so they will try find any weakness within a setup

[@AntScapes1]

How long have you had your colony?

[@AntScapes1]

Or are you thinking about getting one?