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Ant Wars

My first legit post in the VFT forum and yes, I think I like it here.

You may recall I bought 50 VFT's a few weeks back. I lost about 5 and a few others look a bit iffy but on the whole they're pretty healthy. I am keeping them in separate pots in a huge tray, on a bench in the garden that happens to be under a mango tree. This tree is inhabited (as are all the mango trees around here) by these agressive red ants that make big nests by sticking a ball of leaves together, way up in the branches. They hang out on the branches of the tree and attack, en mass, whenever you accidentally brush the tree. You usually discover it when you feel a sting somewhere down your shirt and sure enough, some suicidal little ant will be waving his legs wildly in space while hanging on to your armpit by his pincers. It's a wonderful feeling.

I was quite surprised at the number of ants that were getting caught by the VFT's, they can actually do it themselves!! I thought I'd have to force feed them. So I came home the other day and checked my plants out. There were about 3 VFT traps that had one side cut away (it had been done perfectly!! Just like in a cross section from a CP book) and the corpse of the ant that had been trapped had been removed. I actually caught a couple of ants in the process of getting one of their comrades out of a trap. He was dead of course, but they didn't seem to care.

Anyone had this before?

fatboy.

PS My Sarracenias are doing FANTASTICALLY.
 
Wel I am not in Indonesia but those red ants are called red leaf cutters. Ever watch a TV show like an educational chanell and see those little red ants runing in a line acrross the ground carrying leaves those are them probably. OHH one last thing your a sick person fatboy for liking the bite of an ant on your body. :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: Nep.G.
 
Hi Nep G

I never said I liked getting bit by ants, that was sarcasm. If you ever get to know any Australians you'll find we use it a lot.
In any case you are right. Many people that know me well say that, and plenty of other things, about me.

We also have these other, smaller and much redder, ants that are called "semut api" = fire ants in Indonesian. Now they're a whole different ballpark altogether, WOW they hurt when they get you. Nothing worse than going out to water the garden and discovering you've just flooded a nest that you are standing on.

There are soooo many things to amuse yourself with in this corner of the world.

Cheers, fatboy.
 
You scared me for a minute there :eek: Anyways no problems with ants since I am in New York State. Nep.G.
 
Ha, ha, ha...I can really imagine that ant hanging there with its pincer...so funny!
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Anyway, I haven't got those big red ants...no way...not in my apartment on the 14th storey...but I was equally surprised when my VFT, with traps less than 1/3 of an inch, was able to trap those tiny little orange ants! I always thought ants were too quick for the traps! :eek:
 
my flytraps have taken down some of these big black, and big black red ants we have here in Texas... Fire Ants here are incredibly painful.. I can't think of anything that small hurting so much...
 
Hey friends,
The only ants I've got here in Massachusetts are rather small, black ones. If a soldier stings you, you can feel a faint tickling sensation...not...too...dangerous!
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I used to feed them to my cp, but I came to find that my cp didn't really like them, it grew to be a hassle, and the neighbors started to give me second glances!
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Then--I discovered freeze dried bloodworms!
Be careful with those ants,;)
Chris
 
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