Inside An Orectognathus Colony
Last winter we were lucky enough to find a very small colony of Orectognathus sp.
These tiny ants, around the size of Pheidole workers, are minature trapjaw ants. Not a lot is known of their behaviours or biology and we have been slowly growing this colony in an effort to learn more about them.
We've found that they will only except very small live insects and we've been successfully feeding them stunned wingless fruit flies. We provide a constant supply of Sunburst Ant Nectar but have never witnessed them eating it.
The pupae remain naked and don't spin cocoons. We've had several new workers eclose over the last few months despite the colder weather.
They prefer their nests quite wet as evidenced in the wild. We keep it almost continuously damp and they huddle around the more humid areas.
We'll keep you guys updated on their progress as the colony grows.
