# Digging Up A Small Leaf Cutting Ant Colony In the Tropics



## acromyrmexbob (Oct 3, 2010)

Hi, never posted here before (I normally post on Habitats section) but thought you may be interested in seeing some pictures of what a small leaf cutting ant colony looks like when dug up initially. In Central America these colonies are killed by the farmers each season prior to planting. I travel to these sites and give the farmers something so they do not poison them and I take them away for sale. Its a win win situation. I set up my camera to take time lapse over around 5 minutes so I could work.










This is how nest looks when first spotted.










This is the first cut away, following the burrow towards the nest.










Now the fungus garden can be seen.










Very carefully exposing more of the fragile fungus.










Any bits of debris or stones are carefully removed by hand to make removal of the nest easier. If it catches on the chamber sides it will fall to pieces.










Now the fungus garden containing the brood, the majority of the workers and the queen is fully exposed.



















The nest is lifted gently out of the soil. Thats the very large queen on the fungus garden. 










Fungus, Queen and workers are all placed in a secure tub for transport.










The empty chamber.










Soil and leaves replaced for minimum impact.
Thats it really, thought you might be interested.


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## rob158 (Nov 27, 2009)

Interesting. You sell these in the UK?


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

Fascinating. I remember these from my childhood and teens in Brazil. I spent hours watching them carry leaves along their 'roads'; they were a total disaster if they decided to pick on _your_ garden, though! :lol2:


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## PeterUK (Jun 21, 2008)

Looks like an interesting hobby : victory:

Do you sell the colonies locally or do you export them ?

Ants are one type of invert that I have never kept, maybe I should investigate further into starting a colony :2thumb:


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## rob158 (Nov 27, 2009)

PeterUK said:


> Looks like an interesting hobby : victory:
> 
> Do you sell the colonies locally or do you export them ?
> 
> Ants are one type of invert that I have never kept, maybe I should investigate further into starting a colony :2thumb:


If he's selling them I get first dibs! :Na_Na_Na_Na: :lol2:


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## acromyrmexbob (Oct 3, 2010)

Hi, not really making a sales pitch to sell colonies but if you are interested then one of my websites which deals with Leaf Cutting Ants is www.tropicalhouse.co.uk, I have a couple of posts runnning in the Habitats section of this website which are also relevant, 'Tropical Pond and River, Major Project' and 'New Zoo Exhibits, Commercial Project'. I have supplied nearly every colony of Leaf Cutting Ants sold around Europe over the past 20 odd years and supply most of the other sellers who offer them including some in Germany, Spain and elsewhere. Most of my work, however, is in designing Zoo Exhibits around the world but I have just recently finished a huge project for the BBC called Planet Ants which involved digging up and bringing to the UK the largest ever colony of Leaf Cutting Ants and filming over the summer. This is getting shown, I think, on BBC in the spring (2013). I have a house in Trinidad and spend a while there each year as well as in the UK.


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## PeterUK (Jun 21, 2008)

Interesting website :2thumb:

On your livestock supply, you have Bullet ants (Pachychondyla cressindoda) listed, should it be spelt P. crassinoda ?

Only asking as I like to thoroughly research any potential new project that I may undertake.


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## acromyrmexbob (Oct 3, 2010)

oops. Spot the spelling mistake. It'll be ages before I can fix it because the entire site is being revamped and I can't upload until the back work is complete. A little embarrassing!


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

PeterUK said:


> Interesting website :2thumb:
> 
> On your livestock supply, you have Bullet ants (Pachychondyla cressindoda) listed, should it be spelt P. crassinoda ?
> 
> Only asking as I like to thoroughly research any potential new project that I may undertake.


Trust you :Na_Na_Na_Na:


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## PeterUK (Jun 21, 2008)

I'm sure that you can be forgiven . . . . .just this once !! :whistling2:

I can remember when I moved to Australia in the late 60's there was a very large black ant that we called Bull ants. 
Kids being kids we used to drop them into ant lion pits and watch the fights. :bash: 
We generally went barefoot out in the bush, if a cut was acquired while climbing etc we used to hold the flesh together and put one of the big ants jaws on the cut. Once the jaws held the flesh together, a quick twist and the body was thrown away, leaving the head attached long enough to get home and suffer the dreaded iodine wash on the cut.

I've done a few searches on the Bulldog ants of Australia but they have a different jaw shape than I remember and are not black.

From memory, the 'Bull ants looked like normal british garden ants but on steroids. Any idea's on their name ?


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## acromyrmexbob (Oct 3, 2010)

Unfortunately my area of expertise is restricted quite narrowly to Leaf Cutting Ants. Can't really help you with the ID of your Australian species.


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## snowgoose (May 5, 2009)

PeterUK said:


> I'm sure that you can be forgiven . . . . .just this once !! :whistling2:
> 
> I can remember when I moved to Australia in the late 60's there was a very large black ant that we called Bull ants.
> Kids being kids we used to drop them into ant lion pits and watch the fights. :bash:
> ...


Insect - Australian Ants

Might not be any use like but if not, try Inverts.com.au


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