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What am I looking at?
This AntCam features an established Yellow Meadow Ant (Lasius flavus) colony. The viewpoint is of the nest surface and shows a very small portion of the foraging area. If a large number of ants are group and on shot, they have likely been recently fed.
L. flavus workers range in size from 2.2 mm and 4.8 mm with most individuals being in the middle of this range. With being so small but so large in number their habitat is not escape proof. The only sure-fire way to contain these ants is to keep them well fed and distracted.
If you look closely, you may also notice small, shiny creatures moving in the soil. These are Springtails, an extremely common animal that occupies almost all topsoil across the world and are particularly common around ant nests due to their feeding habits. You may never have noticed these in your garden soil before, but I assure you, they are there. Their pale colouration reflects the bright white light of the LED's used to light this AntCam around the clock and the Springtails can be seen as they contrast sharply with the soil.
We're hobby Myrmecologists blogging captive colony development and promoting insect conservation... more
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