Selwo Marina, Nr Malaga, Spain
Posted: Thu Mar 24, 2016 8:03 pm
I travelled to Benalmadena, near Malaga this week to deliver three Acromyrmex colonies for display at the Selwo Marina and at Madrid Zoo. I met Cecilia and Nacho, who will be looking after the colonies and who, they have told me, will join here within the next day or so.
Pictures of the empty set up...
These were the colonies before being unpacked. Nacho spent some time after we left preparing the nest tank for them so the ants were still in their travelling box at the time I departed.
Also, these ants were brought to this zoo to replace, in part, a colony of Atta which had 'died out'. At the end of the visit Nacho asked what should be done with the ants that were left. I told him the best thing would be to euthanize them by freezing them. I had a quick look and in a plastic pipe in the tub I saw there was fungus. I tapped this out and, believe it or not, out popped a very healthy queen!! So now Selwo Marina will be the only establishment to have both Atta and Acromyrmex on public display in Spain. What a result!
This is a picture of the Atta colony we found after emptying the pipe of fungus and ants. The fungus was in good shape!
Amazing luck!
Pictures of the empty set up...
These were the colonies before being unpacked. Nacho spent some time after we left preparing the nest tank for them so the ants were still in their travelling box at the time I departed.
Also, these ants were brought to this zoo to replace, in part, a colony of Atta which had 'died out'. At the end of the visit Nacho asked what should be done with the ants that were left. I told him the best thing would be to euthanize them by freezing them. I had a quick look and in a plastic pipe in the tub I saw there was fungus. I tapped this out and, believe it or not, out popped a very healthy queen!! So now Selwo Marina will be the only establishment to have both Atta and Acromyrmex on public display in Spain. What a result!
This is a picture of the Atta colony we found after emptying the pipe of fungus and ants. The fungus was in good shape!
Amazing luck!