NEW VIDEO: Ants vs. Mites AGAIN!


Greetings AC Family,

Returning to the Ant Room after three weeks, I finally discover what happened regarding the mysterious disappearance of the Black Dragons, our young Polyrhachis semiinermis colony. We also open a new chapter to El Dragon Island with the discovery of some parasitic mites!

 

Ants vs. Mites – The War Has Begun

Oh boy! I’m back home, and I finally have the answers I’ve been waiting for weeks. AC Family, there is just so much that has happened. The Black Dragons, the name given by you, the AC Family, to my young Polyrhachis ant colony living in their dragon skull, had strangely disappeared while I was away on a trip. For the entire 16-hour plane ride back, my imagination dreamt up some of the most intricate scenarios. Were they killed in a savage Pharaoh ant invasion? Had they all drowned somehow in the waters of El Dragon? Were they just hidden somewhere in the soil? Had they escaped? It had to be one of these scenarios. Finally, after an agonizing two and a half weeks of waiting to get back home to my Ant Room, I got to the bottom of the disappearance of the Black Dragons, and you won’t believe the new chapter that is now opening for El Dragon Island! Please SUBSCRIBE to my channel and hit the bell icon. Welcome to the AC Family. Enjoy!

Opening the door to the Ant Room was a whole mix of emotions. It was morning when I arrived. I was happy to be back home, but needless to say, I was eager to see how the ant colonies had been doing. As you well know, a lot can happen in the Antiverse in just three weeks. I immediately noticed how much all the ant kingdoms had changed. Starting with the Selva de Fuego, the South American rainforest river home to the Fire Nation, our massive fire ant colony was ravenous as usual, tearing up a roach. Their territories had indeed transformed—both aquatic and terrestrial vegetation had thickened considerably. I was interested in spending some time finding out if our alien shrimp experiment from a few weeks back had worked. I also made some cool discoveries in the Hacienda Del Dorado, kingdom to the Golden Empire, our great supercolony of yellow crazy ants, and a Kraken blue crayfish beast living in their communal pool. But more about that soon. The Dark Knights, our multi-queen supercolony of Black Crazy Ants in their transparent towers, were enjoying the morning’s humidity and appeared happy as usual. In the lowlands lay the Shire, territories of our fierce colony of Asian Bullet Ants, who we last watched engage in a hunting session for live termite queens and kings in nuptial flight. Take a look at how lush and green their kingdom has become. And guess what, guys? I peeked into their nest and was pleased to discover something that may pleasantly surprise you. I also couldn’t wait to check on how the king and queen termite alates I saved to start a termite colony were doing. All this and more coming soon! Because despite all these crazy things to report and look into, my main priority today was to see what had happened to the Black Dragons in their island paludarium known as El Dragon. It seemed you, the AC Family, based on a poll run on our community tab, felt the same. Today we were going to get some answers.

So here before me stood El Dragon Island. Still beautiful, but its vegetation had grown a bit thin due to trimming it back so much to keep it properly sized. First, I had to verify that the Black Dragons were indeed gone from the last location we had seen them: in the skull. I picked up the dragon skull and turned it over to examine the inside. There was the nest, impressively created by the Polyrhachis ants using debris glued together with silk produced by their larvae. At first glance, I couldn’t tell if the nest was indeed empty, so I moved the skull against the light to get a better look at the interior. Okay, yes, the nest was definitely evacuated. No ant silhouettes. So where then could they have gone?

Next, time to look for any avenues of escape—specifically leaves or sticks touching the glass at any point—which could have given the Black Dragons access off the island. For El Dragon, my instruction to my housekeeper, who takes great care of all the ants in the Ant Room when I am away, was to cut all leaves getting close to the glass walls. Doing so ensured the ants remained confined to the island and would not have a bridge to the glass and therefore to the outside world. I was nervous because escape seemed to be a likely possibility due to the fact that all food placed onto El Dragon during this period of disappearance appeared untouched. Usually, the ants would take the leftovers and dump them into the waters for the shrimps to consume. When the ants disappeared, that all seemed to have stopped.

Checking the front glass—clear of plant contact. Checking the back—also clear of plants touching. I checked the east end of the island—nothing touching. And the west side—also clear of any leaves or driftwood coming in contact with the glass. Hmm… okay, so no apparent bridge. So they couldn’t have escaped. This was actually very assuring to me because no bridge also eliminated the possibility that the Black Dragons were invaded by wild savage ants! I didn’t see any Pharaoh ants anywhere on the island. In fact, I didn’t see them anywhere! Looking around my Ant Room, I suddenly noticed that savage Pharaoh ants were no longer seen trailing in their usual locations. After eight grueling months of invasions and terrorism against our ant colonies, it seems the Pharaoh ants had finally decided to move on and out of the Ant Room! The Pharaoh ants must have collectively decided the Ant Room no longer offered the valuable food and shelter resources they needed. Thank goodness for that!

So, if they weren’t invaded and hadn’t escaped via a bridge touching the glass, my next guess was perhaps they had all drowned. I found this highly unlikely because they had long proved their proficiency around water. But, AC Family, let’s move down into the waters to inspect. El Dragon’s River of Dragon’s Tears was crystal clear. Amazing to think that after half a year, these waters were healthy and clean. The hair grass had grown into a thick carpet, creating a very favorable habitat for our rasbora fish, who enjoyed the natural cover it offered. Our rasbora fish, by the way, began as a school of ten, but after counting them today, their numbers had increased to twelve! They had been breeding in here! And look at how bright and vividly colored the males were! It was clear the rasboras really took to this River of Dragon’s Tears. So did the shrimp! The red cherry shrimp was the predominant genetic color phase that survived over the generations. But perhaps the most impressive were the amano shrimp! Check out how big they got! The amano shrimp were almost two inches long! I had no idea they would get this big! Looking all around, there were no signs of Polyrhachis ant bodies anywhere in the water. The rasbora fish couldn’t have eaten them, as they were much too small. Could the shrimp have eaten all evidence of their drowned cadavers? Perhaps, but again, all of them drowning seemed a bit of a stretch to me.

So now, there was only one other option left. Could they have simply relocated somewhere else on El Dragon Island? After all, from past experience, the Black Dragons were quick to decide to relocate, seemingly on a whim. So now, I had to dissect El Dragon Island and look for the Black Dragons. AC Family, here we go… I opened the tank, and that’s when I saw it! Oh no… a leaf was touching the LED bank! AC Family, I completely did not anticipate this. Failing to inform my housekeeper to also make sure the canopy of the paludarium was clear of leaf contact was completely my mistake. This was the bridge!

Alright, so let’s reassess the possibilities now. Invading Pharaoh ants still seemed unlikely because, knowing Pharaoh ants, had they moved in and eaten our Black Dragons and brood, they would have stuck around and not moved out of the Ant Room. We also would be seeing them on the island. This leaves us with the most likely situation: AC Family, the Black Dragons had moved out of El Dragon Island and relocated their whole colony somewhere in my Ant Room! OMG! I looked around—all around my ceiling and the other terrariums. They could literally be anywhere here! So many places in which they could have nested, unless they actually marched out one of the open windows and back into the outside world. Oh man! I stopped to think about this for a second. Could the Black Dragons really be gone?

Well, the good thing about all this was that there was a good chance the Black Dragons were at least unharmed. And returning back into the wilderness from where they originally came could be seen as a good thing for them, right? If I ever did find them in the Ant Room, I would surely let you guys know about it ASAP. But, AC Family, I think we solved the mystery of their disappearance. This was the bittersweet end of our journey, at least for now, with the Black Dragons. Goodbye, Black Dragons. We’ll really miss you.

But, as we’ve seen time and time again, when one good thing heads out the window, it makes room for another to enter. When a good friend of mine heard that our Black Dragons had reportedly disappeared, he told me of a friend of his who was offering me a colony, in case of the worst, to replace the Black Dragons. And when I found out the Black Dragons were indeed gone, I contacted him and took him up on his friend’s offer. So, AC Family, behold… our new friends!

Within this test tube is an active colony of Polyrhachis ants. How neat, right? Sure, they’re not our Black Dragons and never will be, but they’ve come to us. Let’s pick them up and take a closer look. The test tube was jam-packed with about 50 or so worker ants. This species, also belonging to the genus Polyrhachis, was similar to our Black Dragons, but instead of being all black and shiny, their gasters were a beautiful silvery gold color! And suddenly, as if bearing herself in all her majestic glory, the queen of the colony stepped out into the open for us to see. Wow, isn’t she just amazing?

But it was then that I spotted something that made my heart sink! Something that completely caught me off guard. AC Family, have a look. Do you guys see what I see? If you haven’t noticed yet, I’m using a new upgraded camera to film this episode because I would eventually like to start uploading these ant videos in 4K. The incredible clarity of the camera has allowed me to see what exists in the microworld a whole lot better. And, AC Family, do you see the droves and masses of parasites? Mites, AC Family. This Polyrhachis colony was completely infested with mites. Oh man! It looked absolutely repulsive and agonizing. Some ants were scratching themselves and showing concerning signs of discomfort!

My immediate response to this was to reject these ants. I had to give them back! I couldn’t take these mite-infested ants in. But then, my mind brought me to lay eyes on the neighboring Golden Empire, our huge and brilliant colony of yellow crazy ants. If you’ve been part of the AC Family for a while, you’ll know that the Golden Empire in its beginnings were also victims of a mite plague. It was devastating to discover, but with persistence and collective remedies from you, the AC Family, we managed to successfully eradicate the mites naturally. I imagined that, had we taken the easy route and given up on the Golden Empire when we discovered they had mites, we wouldn’t have this amazing, thriving ant colony we call the Golden Empire today!

We’ve successfully battled mites before, and if there was anyone who could save these Polyrhachis ants, it would be us, AC Family. Fate delivered them to our doorstep, and a part of me felt like if we were to not take these ants in, they would surely die. Without having to run a poll, I already knew you ant-loving AC Family were with me on this. We needed to give these ants a fighting chance against these mites, and we were their only hope!

And so, I went ahead and made the executive decision to move these Polyrhachis ants onto El Dragon Island to start their rehabilitation against this mite infestation. My plan was to place this test tube directly onto the island and hope the ants would take to the various hiding places on the island to nest. So, AC Family, here we go. I placed the test tube inside. Alright, and now it was time to remove the cotton blocker. 1… 2… 3! The Polyrhachis were free to explore the island.

At first, the ants seemed weary to rush out and explore their new surroundings, but eventually, they began to wander around. Check them out! At first, they hung out in the area around the test tube but soon began to venture further and explore. They climbed the branches, inspected the plants, and ventured off into El Dragon’s wilderness to report their findings back to the colony. Even after several minutes, the colony still seemed reluctant to leave their test tube. But what better way to encourage the ants to come out of hiding than a little bit of tasty honey?

Shall we, AC Family? Placing a drop of honey onto a spot on the driftwood, it wasn’t long before one of them discovered it! Wow! Look at it, AC Family! Now that the ant was keeping still, I could actually see its amazing body and anatomy! Not only did this species of Polyrhachis have an amazing iridescent metallic-colored gaster, but it also bore the most incredible armored spines ever! It looked almost dangerous to touch, with those sharp hooked body spines. As more ants came to drink from the honey drop, I could also see how bad the mite infestation was. Check them out, AC Family. Mites encrusted the lining of their eyes and various parts of their bodies. And, guys, look at this worker. It began to twitch and convulse, likely from the discomfort caused by these body mites.

Now, guys, if you’re new to the channel and the odd world of mites, here’s a crash course on the two possible outcomes of this mite infestation.

Worst Case Scenario: These mites are lethal blood-sucking mites. These types of parasitic mites latch onto soft areas of a host insect and, like a vampire, use their specialized mouthparts to pierce into the insect to drink their hemolymph (the technical term for insect blood). I once had a colony of Camponotus ants with these blood-sucking mites, and they died in a matter of days upon spotting the mites. If these mites on these Polyrhachis ants were blood-sucking mites, then chances are this ant colony would not last much longer.

Best Case Scenario: The mites are simply phoretic mites. These are mites that have transformed into specialized body-latching forms for the purpose of being transported to new, more favorable lands. When an environment becomes too dry, too wet, or lacks food, scavenging mites that feed on decaying material and fungi transform into a deutonymph stage, where they latch onto larger insects to hitch a ride. Once they reach a more suitable habitat, the deutonymph mites transition to their next life stage, fall off the host, and return to being harmless scavengers. While they are body-latchers, phoretic mites do not feed on the host’s blood. In fact, they don’t eat at all in this stage, as they lack functional mouthparts or anuses.

The mites that infected the Golden Empire in the past were these phoretic mites. According to my acarologist friend, Dr. Kaitlin Campbell from the University of North Carolina, phoretic mites are not as deadly as blood-sucking mites, but they can still become dangerous if they reach extreme levels, particularly for the queen and brood. Imagine trying to eat, shed, or grow as a larva or lay eggs as a queen while covered in mites—it’s not ideal. However, when we moved the Golden Empire into their Hacienda Del Dorado last year, the mites eventually fell off. So, my hope was that the mites infecting this Polyrhachis colony were also just phoretic mites, and the lush environment of El Dragon Island would help the mites fall off naturally.

After releasing this video, I plan to have Dr. Kaitlin review it to confirm whether these mites are phoretic mites. Looking at the ant colony, it seemed the ants were becoming more comfortable exploring the outside. Peeking into the test tube, I saw one ant holding a single mature larva. Was this the only brood they had left? The queen must have stopped laying eggs. This one larva was crucial for the colony’s survival, as it was needed to spin the silk necessary for constructing their nest. This larva was precious and could not be allowed to die.

Suddenly, a commotion in the test tube caught my attention. Workers were returning to the colony and reporting something exciting they had discovered outside. Returning workers vibrated vigorously, spreading the news throughout the colony. It was amazing to witness news spreading like this. Could they be communicating about the honey drop? Not quite. It seemed the ants had found something of greater significance. I noticed ants entering and exiting the dragon’s skull with great enthusiasm and vigor. AC Family, the Polyrhachis ants had officially decided to move into the dragon’s skull. How awesome!

It seems the Black Dragons and this colony share similar tastes for housing. When I returned a few hours later, the test tube was nearly empty, with only a small group of ants still hanging out. Peeking into the skull, I saw them huddled together in its cavities, cleaning themselves, feeding each other, and resting. But perhaps the most shocking discovery was this—it seemed the ants had found the Black Dragons’ old nest and were currently exploring inside. By the next morning, the Polyrhachis ants had fully moved into the nest, with those who couldn’t fit remaining huddled around the outside. El Dragon was officially this Polyrhachis colony’s new home. They even showed signs of territorialism, aggressively defending the premises from my threatening tweezers. It was so funny!

Now that the ants were settled in, it was time to come together and devise a mite rehabilitation plan. What should we do? In the past, we tried several therapies, and it’s hard to pinpoint which worked best, but perhaps it was a combination of remedies. One was lemon therapy. Many of you, AC Family, suggested this in the past, claiming that lemons contain certain agents that deter mites. Another remedy was introducing the ants into a lush terrarium, which we’ve already done. A third method was colony fusion, introducing healthy, uninfected workers into the colony. However, this would only work if this Polyrhachis species was polygynous (allowing more than one queen per colony) and tolerated colony fusion, as most ant species do not. In most cases, introducing two unrelated colonies would result in war. I would need a proper identification of this species from my myrmecologist friend to confirm whether fusion was an option. But given how rare this species is, I don’t anticipate attempting colony fusion anytime soon.

So, what do you think, AC Family? Should we proceed with lemon therapy? Or was taking in these mite-infested ants a mistake? Should I retire El Dragon Island and transform it into a terrarium for another ant colony? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section. The fate of El Dragon and these ants is in your hands.

Didn’t I tell you this episode was a lot? I personally have high hopes for this Polyrhachis colony and feel we can help them battle the mites. But the colony is still young, and they’re off to a rough start. If they do make it, would you be okay if we call this colony the Black Dragons II? Let me know! Be sure to hit the SUBSCRIBE button and BELL ICON so you don’t miss out on this epic ongoing ant story, and hit the LIKE button, including now! If you’re new to the channel and want to catch up on all your AntsCanada lore, I’ve put together a complete storyline playlist. You can watch how all the ant colonies you love came to be—their challenges, hardships, successes, and life events. It’s incredible how epic the lives of ants are!

AC Inner Colony, I’ve left a hidden cookie for you here if you’d like to watch the full process of the ants moving into El Dragon and take a closer look at how bad the mite infestation really is. Assess it for yourselves. Before we move on to the AC Question of the Week, I’d like to plug my daily vlogging channel. I upload a vlog every day of my travels around the world, which often includes a lot of nature content.

And now, it’s time for the AC Question of the Week! Last week, we asked: Why is a path like the one in this video a great location to find queen ants? Congratulations to Bals Patric, who correctly answered: A path is a great location to find queen ants because when the queen is looking for a place for her nest, she will go out into an open field (the path) where it is easier to notice her. Congratulations, Bals Patric! You’ve just won a free e-book handbook from our shop.

This week’s AC Question of the Week is: Why do we hope these mites are phoretic mites? Leave your answer in the comments section, and you could also win a free e-book handbook from our shop. Be sure to subscribe to the channel, as we upload every Saturday at 8 AM EST. Please remember to LIKE, COMMENT, SHARE, and SUBSCRIBE if you enjoyed this video to help us keep making more. It’s ant love forever!