Fire ants are truly a dangerous insect when in huge numbers, especially these red tropical fire ants native to the Amazon! This week, I went into the Selva de Fuago, my massive tropical paludarium, home to my pet fire ant colony. They were aggressive and stung me for hours, but in the end, the final design of their habitat was all worth the stings. I most especially love the feature shown at the end of this video! Hope you guys enjoy this week’s episode featuring the Fire Nation, the most famous and fierce ant colony on this channel.

Fire Ants vs. My Arm

Ahhh!

Look at what a ruthless fire ant colony can do to your arm! And I was lucky I didn’t get worse than this or get sent to the hospital!

This week, I went in to make some long-needed renovations to the Selva de Fuego, the massive paludarium home to the Fire Nation, my pet fire ant colony with millions of angry, aggressive, and hungry fire ants!

Every time I work around these warrior ants, I hold my breath because each of them is armed with a hypodermic stabber capable of injecting a potent cocktail of venom, including a burning, vile substance called solenopsin.

In today’s episode, I learned the hard way that beauty definitely comes with a price, as we beautify and functionally improve my fire ants’ half-river, half-jungle ant kingdom, the Selva de Fuego, and AC Family, the biggest surprise of them all happens at the end!

Put on your gloves and have a front-row seat, as we dive hands-first into a fire ant nest, here at the AntsCanada Ant Channel! Please SUBSCRIBE to my channel, and hit the BELL icon. Welcome to the AC Family!

Fuego

Enjoy!

The Selva de Fuego is a terrarium build and tropical world creation that I’ve had a love-hate relationship with for over 3 years. It’s home to my pet fire ants, a colony I’ve watched develop from just a colony of a couple of hundred to some 3+ years later, a giant megacolony of millions of ants!

If you’re thinking, well, it doesn’t look like millions of ants, well, just wait. You’ll see in a bit when I get them all to come out to say hello to us!

But first, I wanted to show you guys what their territory looks like at the moment. Overall, the Selva de Fuego is still design-wise quite impressive and functionally a great home for the fire ants. It’s time we take a long-needed walk through the territories, AC Family, to show you what’s new.

Fire Mountain Loop

Let’s start here, at a place called the Eye of Solis. Some ants frolic down the mountainside, passing tufts of white hair, remnants of when they completely decimated a dead mouse I fed them a few months back.

The ants are heading to a special place that I’ve recently discovered they love, and you guys will find it pretty amazing!

This here is Fire Mountain, and as I looked down at their great waterfall, which fed clean, filtered water into the colony’s river, I discovered something completely incredible that the ants had established entirely on their own.

Have a look!

Welcome, AC Family, to the Fire Nation’s sacred watering hole at the foot of their waterfall. Check out how crazy this is! I only discovered this secret drinking station they’ve set up in a shadowy location at the edge of their waterfall this week, but look!

Here they’ve created a raft using their bodies all linked up in order to access the freshest and cleanest of waters, spewing forth from their waterfall spring, and man, are they serious about their water collection! Look!

Forget mountain climbing—the fire ants are literally water climbing, using their bodies as a flotation blanket so everyone can have a drink comfortably without being swept away by the currents! Isn’t it just amazing?

Colony members are all drinking together, helping each other fill up their social stomachs like water porters to carry back to the nest and distribute this clean collected water to the rest of the colony underground. It’s pretty amazing if you think about it!

Now speaking of the river, before we get back to the ants on land, I wanted to go for a little swim. Put on your wetsuits, guys, and let’s dive below the surface of these crystal waters.

Down here, we find incredible life! We have a perpetuating colony of shrimp grazing the moss like an aquatic herd of wild goats, always busy eating up organic edible bits from every surface possible, including the underwater mountains.

This busy one uses its highly specialized appendages to gather up food from the rock surface.

Now check out how amazingly this system works! Any dirt, debris, or garbage the ants might dump into the water gets carried by the river’s current through these massive balls of moss and algae that act like giant nets, filtering the water of organic bits that the shrimp routinely seek out and devour.

It seems over time, the shrimp have developed a routine way of life within the rivers of the Selva de Fuego. Water makes its way further downstream, where it finally ends up at the end of the river, where floating duckweed, water lettuce, and Sagittaria below the surface do some final filtering and absorption of harmful nitrates from waste, before being sucked up into the filter’s intake tube, down to a canister filter for further filtration, eventually making its way back into the heart of Fire Mountain to feed the waterfall that continues the cycle over and over again.

It turns out giving the Fire Nation a paludarium, meaning a terrarium that is part land, part water, was an excellent choice because water is at the center of their fire ant lifestyle.

They travel masterfully across the wetlands by way of floating plants and driftwood bridges. But AC Family, now that we’ve had a look at how excellent the water portion has contributed to life in the Selva de Fuego, let’s now look at the land territories.

Land Territories

Have a look at this area here! Do you know what this is?

This is the Fire Nation’s graveyard! Millions of fire ant body parts all pile up, waiting to biodegrade into the soil to nourish the plant life.

And speaking of plant life, the Selva de Fuego now only houses some pothos growing hydroponically within the river and this philodendron plant, which looks a bit distorted because it’s been cut back so many times, as has this philodendron.

In fact, over time, I watched as the Selva de Fuego gradually got uglier and, well, uglier. Leftover chicken bones from whole chicken parts littered the territories. They didn’t hurt the colony being there, but they were an eyesore, and removing them always caused me to get bitten, so I would always put off cleaning up these chicken bones until they were truly 100% stripped.

It’s incredible to think that once the Selva de Fuego looked like this! But now it looks like this! Yikes!

Furthermore, it seems gravity has had a toll on the soil levels of the lands, as the earthline had dropped considerably below the waterline. I’m not too sure how that happened, but I’m guessing the soil packed downward over time. Plus, I feel soils may have been relocated to other parts of the Selva de Fuego.

This lowered soil level wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it did look a bit strange, don’t you guys find? So guys, I felt the Fire Nation’s land territories needed a serious beautifying and functional renovation!

But the question now was, how was I going to do it? Millions of fire ants versus me going in to rearrange things!

At the center of this rough and unruly landscape lies the central Mothernest, in which we find the heart of the fire ant colony, where the Fire Nation’s royal queen, her Highness Queen Solis, likely resides, laying all the eggs. The Mothernest is discreetly hidden within this area of the territories.

AC Family, let’s get them to come out, shall we? All we need is a little water to anger the fire. Now let’s watch!

Like a massive army of soldiers ready for battle, the fire ants came boiling out of the Mothernest, rampaging through every square centimeter of the grounds. This barrage of nature’s fiery fury was what I was up against!

Oh man! Each of these fire ants would not think twice about hopping on and stinging me non-stop, with a single light brush of my skin onto any of the surfaces inside this terrarium.

Working around a colony of this size and species required me to be fast, accurate with my movements, tactful with strategy, and most of all, vigilant to ensure any ants crawling up my arms were brushed away ASAP!

I, your Creator of Worlds, had to go in and make these lands great again! This paludarium renovation was going to be dangerous but oh-so epic!

Now before I proceed, I must warn everyone watching that I do not recommend trying this at home! To be honest, fire ants make easy and great pets to keep when small, but if you ever do grow them to enormous sizes like the Fire Nation here, they become pretty hazardous to work around.

They are definitely not for the faint of heart, and of course, absolutely not for anyone allergic to insect stings. Again, do not try this at home!

Preparation

The first step! I needed protective hand gear! Surgical gloves were thick enough to keep me from being stung but thin enough that I could feel my way around rocks, soil, plants, and driftwood to make the necessary arrangements to the landscaping.

Next, I needed baby powder—and lots of it—so the ravaging ants would slip off my gloves as I worked around the tank. I also placed some on my arms, but I knew my sweat would eventually render it useless.

Done! I grabbed my trusty trowel. This trowel was my main tool of choice for the job!

And now, AC Family, all was set for me to go in…

Wait, hold up! I know what you’re thinking! AntsCanada, millions of stinging fire ants, and you go into battle shirtless?!

Yes, I forgot to mention that the Antiverse is always at over 30 degrees C, and even the breeziest shirt causes me to sweat buckets, which the fire ants, of course, smell and which makes them even more angry and aggressive!

The longer it took the ants to realize a celestial beast from the skies was going in to wreak havoc on the lands, the better it was for me!

Alright, so when I was ready, I went in and went straight for the Mothernest!

The main driftwood piece within which the Fire Nation was nesting en masse was lifted into the air and was my first operational move for the renovation. I was careless, and a part of my wrist had touched some random surface, and the fire ants already began stinging me, so I dropped the driftwood in the location I was intending to place it.

Fire Ants

AC Family, behold—the mighty Fire Nation boiling forth from the Mothernest!

Besides being frightening, the sight of all of the ants was also truly breathtaking. Fire ants boiled forth from subterranean tunnels that were now disconnected from the relocated Mothernest!

They were mad, they were prepared to kill, but most of all, they were acting out of survival—to protect the lives of the entire colony! Even in the most distant areas of the Selva de Fuego, fire ants were being dispatched to the emergency regions in need of reinforcements.

Having already been badly stung right at the get-go of this operation, I was beginning to feel that perhaps this was all more than I had bargained for.

Over the course of four long hours, I continued to renovate, rearrange, and landscape the lands, constantly being stung and brushing fire ants off me. I received stings to my arms.

Some fire ants ended up on the floor as I took decorations out, and ants climbed up my legs to sting my ankles, and for the very first time in my whole life, one pesky fire ant managed to sting me… from inside my underwear!

Ahhhhh!

But AC Family, when it was all done, the result had made all the pain worth it. Behold—the new and improved Selva de Fuego!

Gosh, isn’t it quite something? The new kingdom of the Fire Nation was now more lush than it had ever been in Selva de Fuego history.

Have a look, guys! I just couldn’t stop staring at the tropical splendor that was the new dense, jungle terrain that the Fire Nation could now call home.

There’s a lot to look at here, so let’s start with the Mothernest!

Man, I get goosebumps from the sight of their main lair! It was almost hypnotic watching the ants moving everywhere along invisible lines and pathways only they knew.

This Mothernest was definitely one I never wanted to touch or bother again! The ants were just gorgeous as they went about their business on the nest surface.

It brought me an indescribable satisfaction to watch the fire ants moving calmly after what had been a big, catastrophic, and transformative event for their kingdom.

Just look at them. Don’t they all look just awesome?

I knew that each entrance into the Mothernest led to an intricate network maze of tunnels and chambers that extended into this giant driftwood and deep into the soils below and beyond.

Somewhere in there was Queen Solis, laying her non-stop clusters of eggs, growing the colony.

The Amazing Plant Life

And now, AC Family, let’s have a look at all the amazing plant life that now exists in this tropical space.

This medley of vegetation has got to be the most broad array of tropical plants I’ve ever collected together in a single vivarium. It’s a lot, and I’ve chosen each for color, shape, and preference in growing conditions.

Let me show you what I’ve added here!

I’ve added clumps of Selaginella, a low-lying lesser clubmoss. I’ve scattered nerve plants (Fittonia albivenis) here and there at various parts of the territories, and even added a red variety for hot flare and color!

Also an attractive plant, I’ve added gorgeous green bursts of baby Dracaena. I’ve added some ivy to create some intricate vining through the territories, which will expand and grow more beautiful over time.

To truly give the lands that tropical feel, I’ve added some baby palm tree-like plants and planted them toward the back of the vivarium. Here’s some Syngonium and beautiful creeping carpets of aquamarine, aka Pilea glauca, which love terrarium environments like this.

And finally, thick strings of Spanish moss hanging from a driftwood limb up high in the skies of the Selva de Fuego.

These awesome air plants don’t need soil to grow, just moisture from the air. More about that coming up!

And the ensemble of plant life all together created an attractive, chaotic but harmonious assembly of flora. I expect this rainforest landscape to look even greater as the plants continue to grow into their spaces a bit more and flourish.

Now, there are a few functional renovations that I’ve implemented into the design of the Fire Nation’s new ant kingdom. First, you may notice that, though a lot of the land is covered in vegetation, I have left some plots of earth bare in case the ants decide they need to create some ant hills.

There’s also another greater section here with lots of room to give the ants space to build upwards should they choose to do so. I’ve also added some sphagnum moss here to obscure the presence of the filter’s intake tube, and there used to be a big rock here, but I’ve removed it to give more room for water lettuce roots.

I’ve also changed the background to add a little depth and context to the lands, of cascading waterfalls, waters which, of course, lead to the Selva de Fuego.

Surprise

But AC Family, remember how I mentioned at the start of this video that there would be a big surprise?

Well, I’m about to show you that surprise now. You see, with all these plants now in the territories, more care will be needed to ensure the soils don’t dry out, that these plants continually receive the water they need.

And if you recall from a previous video, I did outfit these lands with a rain system, but sadly the machinery failed after a few months of use, and I had to resort to manual watering.

Well, it turns out I have watering all figured out now, thanks to inspiration from another ant kingdom from a distant point of the Antiverse. And guess what?

It just so happens that a great storm is brewing over the Selva de Fuego.

Storm coming in 5… 4… 3… 2… 1!

A thick mist blew throughout the lands, blanketing every plant, driftwood, surface, and soil top with rich, purified waters.

The Mothernest took a hydro-beating of water as the misty storm blew through. Like a true rainstorm, everything was drenched, and it was truly magnificent to watch.

The mist was administered by way of water jets fixated towards the top back of the vivarium, and I just loved watching the clouds of mist billowing about from within the Selva de Fuego.

And then, one minute later, the storm stopped, and the great mist began to dissipate. But how were the ants doing after this torrential downpour?

Aftermath

Just fine. In fact, the rains and added moisture had caused the activity at the Mothernest to increase somewhat. But if you look carefully, you’ll notice the ants weren’t moving in a panic like when I’d first disturbed them by pouring water or relocating the wood. No.

This here was the movement of happy fire ants.

It seems all of this valuable moisture that fell from the skies was exactly what the Fire Nation needed to help support further nest construction, and the fire ants were clearly eager to start building, wasting no time!

Just look at how happy the Fire Nation was, marching to and from the Mothernest, going about various newly assumed projects after the rainstorm!

It filled my heart with such joy to know we were helping the ants live out their best lives! Even the ants at ground level were already beginning the construction of future ant hills.

Below the water’s surface, they had no idea what was going on above ground this whole time. The baby elephant snails had no way of knowing that just above them, the lands were now more rich, more lush, more beautiful, and overall a better Selva de Fuego for all the inhabitants on land.

Now, for those of you who might be worried that the water system may overwater the territories and cause flooding—don’t worry, as the misting system only expels a single cup of water, which was a little more than the amount I used to add into the Selva de Fuego daily.

I’ll be sure to keep an eye on moisture levels over time and tweak the amount of rain given daily during these mist storms, accordingly.

As for now, with all areas of the Selva de Fuego wonderfully moistened and hydrated, the Fire Nation was clearly having a party, rejoicing at their newly improved kingdom, fit for a majestic and respect-demanding colony of fire ants that has brought us all wonder, shock, and awe over the years.

Love-Hate Relationship

Now at the beginning of this video, I mentioned that I’ve had a love-hate relationship with the Fire Nation, and yes, it’s true. I took some serious battle scars from this process and even considered going to the hospital. But in the end, watching the ants go about their lives innocently and happily within a world we created for them was the greatest feeling ever and filled my heart with only ant love.

I have since been staring and watching the Fire Nation for hours each day, at the Mothernest, watching them swarm above ground to devour their insects and celebrate in the rain each evening. It was almost therapeutic to watch!

The amazing thing is that these ants will also help fertilize and nourish the plants around them by way of their poop, garbage, and graveyard. Their tunnels will also help aerate the roots.

It was a complete interdependent system of life contained in a single kingdom we proudly call the Selva de Fuego.

And knowing that I could gaze into this beautiful chunk of nature we’ve set up any time I wanted made the burning stings I suffered all worthwhile.

This entire restoration and revitalization project of the Fire Nation’s kingdom made me realize that we each have a responsibility to protect the sanctity of the planet we live in—our Earth Nation—which we share with fellow life, because in the end, the resulting world would be beautiful and perfect.

And perhaps if there was a big Creator of Worlds out there, gazing at us from beyond the expanse, I’m sure He or She would be as joyful as I was.

So as I sat back and gazed lovingly at the Selva de Fuego from afar, one last time before bed—that’s when I got my second underwear sting!

Outro

Ahhhh!

AC Family, did you enjoy today’s episode?

I love how the Selva de Fuego turned out, but do you guys like it? Let me know in the comments!

Next week, we give you an update on an ant colony we haven’t heard from in a while that a lot of you have been asking about, so guys, you know what to do! Smash that SUBSCRIBE button and BELL ICON for notifications now, so you don’t miss out on these epic stories of the Antiverse!

And don’t forget to hit the LIKE button every single time, including now! It would really help a lot!

Speaking of ants, it’s officially nuptial flight season in the Northern Hemisphere, and a lot of you are catching queen ants now. And in case you didn’t know, we’ve got all the top-of-the-line ant-keeping gear for you ant keepers at all levels, from beginner to advanced, as well as a ton of new and exciting products for the ant-keeping community not available anywhere else. So head on over to AntsCanada.com and browse through our shop.

We ship worldwide and offer full email support if you need us. We also have ant colonies with a queen available in most regions, so go check us out and pick up your ant farm kit and ant gear today!

If you’re new to the channel and want to catch up on all your AntsCanada lore, feel free to binge-watch this complete storyline playlist here, which traces the origins of all the ant colonies of the ant room so you can follow their stories and better appreciate how these ant kingdoms came to be and why we love them so much!

AC Inner Colony, I have left a hidden cookie for you here if you’d like to see extended play footage of the Fire Nation living in the new Selva de Fuego. It’s all super satisfying to watch, especially every time the rainstorm blows through the lands!

And now it’s time for the AC Question of the Week!

Last week, we asked:

Which was your favorite species of ant at Antstore?

Congratulations to David DeBacker, who correctly answered:

My favorite species has to be the Camponotus. That tricolor is amazing!

Congratulations, David—you just won a free e-book handbook from our shop!

In this week’s AC Question of the Week, we ask:

Name one substance found in fire ant venom?

Leave your answer in the comments section, and you could also win a free e-book handbook from our shop!

Hope you can 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!