Now on to a neighbouring ant kingdom, that
I've been dying to update you all on. They've truly been pioneering hardcore, and
I feel are well on their way to becoming a successful ant kingdom. I have some key updates on our huge, aggressive,
and queenless Diacamma ant colony, whom I call the Bullet Ants of Asia, living quietly
in the Shire, and AC Family, I can't wait to show you how they've been. Please SUBSCRIBE to my channel, and hit the
bell icon! Welcome to the AC Family. Enjoy! The Shire has had a couple months now to develop
and blossom into a land of its own, with lush nerve plants growing in thickened adolescent
soils, and arms of solid driftwood twisting through the kingdom of our young Diacamma
ant colony. The territories might look abandoned and unoccupied
right now, but don't be fooled by the stillness for any moment now, the colony is set to emerge. It's hunting time! Surfacing from an opening in the nest moves
a mighty ant warrior, to greet the misty morning air, waving her long antennae! She smells food. Fellow ants emerge from a number of openings
in the nest to begin foraging the premise for the day's meal. AC Family, you will see in this video just
how crazy these ants are at stalking and hunting their prey, but man, what I managed to capture
will totally blow your mind! Stay tuned for the grand arrival of some uninvited
but welcomed guests! If you're new here, and you're wondering what
is keeping these aggressive stinging ant warriors inside the kingdom, a band of fluon which
is super slippery for the ants, keeps these girls inside and my mind at complete ease. But before we go ahead and feed these ants,
which I've since been referring to as the Bullet Ants of Asia, this warrior Diacamma
colony needs an official name. Please take moment to leave your vote here,
for your favourite from my top 5 picks from name suggestions from you the AC Family. Thank you AC Council for your input. So on today's menu: a roach nymph. I love watching the colony find food and take
it back to the nest. The degree of cooperation is just amazing! Have a look at them! Since our last update on this colony, it seems
the nest has expanded from its original layout, now with multiple entrances and exits. Each exit is inconspicuous, likely for security
purposes. After all, you wouldn't want to advertise
for a predator where your nest entrance is. Speaking of which AC Family, let's peek into
nest, shall we? Alright. Moving this rock rampart to the side, and
wow! We see ants in there and they're busy eating. It's hard to tell how many are in the colony
now because we can only see into two and a half chambers. The colony has decided to completely block
out all other rooms from our view by piling soil against the glass. No worries. These ants want their privacy, too. It also does seem that the colony has extended
their nest into the surrounding soil around this main nesting area. But because they've cut off most of our access
to viewership inside the nest, I actually have a bit of a problem now, and it's this:
I don't know if the gamergate is alive. If you haven't seen our last video on this
colony, and don't know what a gamergate is, in short, these Diacamma ants are super unique
in the ant world because their colonies are queenless! Yes, you heard correct. This colony here is composed of all workers,
however, the way they reproduce is by a gamergate. A gamergate is one dominant worker ant who
takes on the important task of egg-laying, giving birth to new workers. It's a highly coveted rank in the colony,
but this gamergate defends her egg-laying throne by wrestling with young worker ants
that dare to challenge her, and even more crazy, by physically plucking off special
body parts known as gemmae, which keep the ants of this species fertile and capable of
bearing young! In other words, as soon as adult ants emerge
from their cocoons the gamergate is there along with helpful workers to castrate the
new ant so it doesn't become a future gamergate challenger. Isn't that totally Game of Thrones-ish and
super cut-throat?! It's all part of the normal Diacamma social
system. So far, I have never personally seen the almighty
gamergate, but I know she was in here back when they first moved into the Shire, because
there was a tonne of brood in one of the rooms. Now, I see no brood at all, so I don't know
if the gamergate has passed away and new potential gamergate candidates are waiting for a male
to come along to mate with so the colony can continue growing, or if the gamergate and
her brood pile are still around, but just hidden away somewhere in one of the many concealed
chambers of the nest. The only thing I can do now is, try to find
a male Diacamma alate every now and then, and release him into the nest, so he can locate
any gamergate-to-be if the initial gamergate died. We'll just have to see. I've gotten to know more about these ants
over the time they've been under our care. First, I find these ants love their home damp
and humid at all times. In fact, I find the ants will not emerge from
their nest if the territories are too dry. I've also added more soils to help maintain
this desired wet environment. They also like their nest constantly humidified. These clumps of moss are awesome because they
turn brown when they dry up, so when I do see them browning out, I simply water them. They're like natural moisture indicators reminding
me when it's time to water the nest. The nest itself is made of a highly absorbent
brick material called ytong, used for building human homes, but commonly used as nests by
some ant keepers. These ants are actually quite meticulous with
their home. I always see workers going over all areas
of the nest making sure all is perfectly maintained. These ants seem to pride themselves at nest
grooming. Look at how they survey the nest exterior
making sure everything is perfectly in place. And AC Family check this out, they're even
picky with the particular clump of dirt used to set around the nest, and they travel to
other areas of the territories to get the perfect piece! Careful where you're putting that. They're even fussy about where they place
their dead! This particular ant here has started searching
before sunrise for the best place to lay her deceased sister. Several hours later... still searching... and Still looking... Still looking! and looking still... ...finally, it wasn't until afternoon that
she decided... here! In the corner. But this isn't to say this will be her final
decision. She may change her mind again for the nth
time. You know, I often wonder if ants feel sorrow
when their family members die. After all, ants like humans are extremely
social animals and must experience some kind of bond with one another, even if on a simplistic
insect level. Now placing a superworm inside. You would expect the colony to pounce on every
little bit of meat I place inside, but what you may find interesting is that even with
food, this ants are extremely choosy! Seems they're not interested in superworm
meat today. Like some humans, they don't like to eat the
same thing two days in a row. They just had a superworm yesterday so, now
they kind of gathered around it only to eventually leave it behind for the springtails. Fine! Let's just give it to a colony that isn't
so picky. Golden Empire, enjoy these leftovers, I mean,
untouched superworm meat. Here's something else you might find funny. Check out this ant that is taking back what
it believes to be a prized catch, but what it doesn't realize is that it is actually
a piece of dried up leftover discarded by one of the colony members a couple days ago. It proudly drags it up to the nest entrance,
but when it goes to check out the best way to carry it into the nest, another worker
comes by, identifies that this was the other day's discarded leftovers, and fights in a
tug of war, in order to bring it back, far away from the nest. Haha so funny! And now AC Family, for the crazy event that
happened out of nowhere that left me shook! For the various social insects, it's Nuptial
Flight season here in the Philippines where I live. As you saw in recent videos the Fire Nation
Nuptial Flights are in full effect every night. This fire nation alate must have died overnight
and this Diacamma worker found her. Watch as she check out this new alate. I thought she was taking her into the nest
to eat, but later found the alate being carried away to be dumped somewhere, for the mites
and springtails. Guess the ants don't have a taste for Fire
Nation alates today. But tonight also happens to be a big night
for another type of insect, and I was about to find out that our Diacamma ants love the
taste of their flesh. It just so happens that termites in the Philippines
have chosen this very night for their annual nuptial flight! Only on a few chosen nights of the year prior
to the rainy season, on all 7,641 islands that make up the Philippines, the notorious
termites launch enormous mating flights, with alates seen in all homes and buildings nationwide
flying around the lights. These are all male and female alates, kings
and queens to found the next generation of termites. Once or twice a year, I spot them flying around
the lights of my home, and the resident wildlife of my place like cellar spiders have an absolute
feast! The ant kingdoms of the ant room are no exception! The termite alates cannot resist the allure
of the bright lights of the various ant kingdoms in the ant room, and interestingly enough,
they are even attracted to reflections of lights, which also includes on the surface
of water. The brightest, most lit kingdom of the ant
room, the Hacienda Del Dorado was the largest termite alate magnet, and so tonight our Golden
Empire shall feast! The Selva de Fuego's river reflected enormous
amounts of light so numerous alates were doomed to be food for the Fire Nation. And, well, of course, our bullet ants of Asia
are also set for a feast, but this will be the very first time they experience such a
termite buffet! I was interested to see all the action unfold! The termite alates have incidentally already
begun to end up in the Shire, and like parachuters landing on enemy territory and disengaging
their landing gear, as soon as the alates land, they are instant at shedding off their
wings which no longer serve them a purpose, making them dealates on a race for survival. The landed termite kings and queens are on
a mission to find a mate to pair up with for life, and are exposed to tonnes of predators
during this critical search. These dealates have no idea what dangers they're
about to face, and it put me on the edge of my seat the whole time while filming this. I watched with bated breath as some of the
dealates traveled over the nest and even crossed the nest openings. The termites are lucky at the moment, as it
is an off period for the ants and they're not out hunting, but the bad thing is, the
termites are giving off pheromones of their own to help them find each other and pair
up, but this biochemical termite version of tinder, attracts one suspicious worker to
the surface. Something smells fishy, or rather termite-y. She knows someone's been here and her antennae
can smell it! She instantly dives into the nest to tell
the colony. The termites' fates are now sealed. An initial round of workers emerge to investigate
the claims. After some snooping, one definitely senses
the presence of game, and returns to call for more help to initiate the hunt. As more and more dealates and ants appeared
on the scene, the intensity level kicked up! I held my breath during nail-biting moments
when the dealates and ants came so close to each other, barely missing an altercation. I am sure at this point, the termites could
sense they were in danger but the drive to find a life mate and breed was stronger than
any fear they had. The toxic smell of termite pheromones causes
this ant to investigate the premise. She knows food has just been here and she's
out to find it! Check her out, AC Family, she is totally in
stalking mode! The entire demeanor of these ants change when
they are stalking prey. They appear a bit more on edge, senses heightened,
and ready to pounce at any moment! She smells a termite has been here. She's absolutely sure of it! Bang! Like lightning she caught the running termite
dealate unaware, and carried it deep into the nest to be the start of a great feast! More ants are out hunting now. This ant cleans her antennae so that her smell
is as accurate as possible. Like black panthers, the Diacamma ants quietly
stalk the termites which they can smell all around them. I couldn't believe this! My heart was pounding! I continued to watch as workers collected
termite wings, phyiscal proof of the dealates' presence. They won't eat these wings, but it seems the
workers still deem them important enough to bring back to the nest, perhaps to show the
rest of the colony the evidence! This dealate snuck by quietly unnoticed, and
discreetly tried to wander off screen, but bang! Seized! A second prized catch for the feast! With the termite dealate buffet now officially
confirmed, more ants continued to emerge and patrol the premises. Perhaps the most intense scene was with this
termite. AC Family, prepare to be on the edge of your
seat! Captured?! No, it's just wings. The ants continue on their search for the
termite they smell in the vicinity. I watched as the termite ran and headed straight
for the nest hole! Oh no! This would be the termite's certain death
if it fell in. It held on for its life clinging at the brink
of death on the steep surface! By some miracle it managed to regain its bearings
and footing and continued on its sprint. Two ants were hot on its tail. A part of me felt bad for the termite, but
another part of me told me not to interfere and let nature play itself out. I don't know why this termite alate insisted
on running around the nest! It made no sense! Ants droned all around it hunting it down! And suddenly, oh no! Here comes an ant! Bang! Went in for the pounce. It was dead for sure. Oh! Wow! By some miracle, it had escaped, but it squeezed
into the space leading into the nest! This termite was lucky and unlucky all in
a single moment! The ant paced about shocked that the termite
had slipped from its clutches! I looked into the nest and that smarter little
bugger! It stayed around the chambers that were blocked
up with soil. It was safe for now and carefully made its
way out the side of the nest to run off somewhere else. Another ant was hot on its tail! It was then that a movement under some moss
caught my eye. There was something hiding beneath! Looking closer, I saw what it was. It was another termite dealate! And suddenly in that moment, it all made sense! No wonder this other termite dealate kept
running around the ants' nest! It was trying to find its mate! I wasn't sure who was a king and who was a
queen. Perhaps the termite in the moss was the queen,
and this seeker was the king. Whatever the case, it was clear that they
were trying desperately to find each other so they could finally pair up and seek shelter
together somewhere else to get on with founding their colony. You see, unlike ants, who typically have massive
mating sessions during nuptial flight after which the males die leaving the queens to
found colonies on their own, in termites, the male is a king who actually lives on to
choose one queen to remain with 'til death do them part, no other partners, no infidelity,
nobody else, just a king and a queen bound for life to found an entire colony, and the
idea of them going to extreme lengths like this just to find each other moved me inside. As the ants began inspecting the mosses, and
the king termite dealate turned once again back towards the nest, I suddenly felt my
sympathies shift. It occurred to me how valiant it was of the
termites to be risking their lives like this, just to find one another. AC Family, it was then that I decided to do
something, I usually never do. I saved them. In a separate container, I watched as the
King and Queen termites united and began to perform a behaviour known as tandem running. It was an amazing sight to witness! This was essentially the officialization of
their life bond together forever, their termite pairing for life, a sacred mating ritual their
ancestors have performed for millions of years before them. AC Family, from here on in these two would
be inseparably bonded. Inside, I felt happy I did this. I peeked into the ant nest. I saw the colony feasting on the termite alates
they had managed to capture. It was good that the ants were receiving this
great nourishment to last them the next couple of days. But this entire scene completely opened my
eyes as to how some animals truly risk it all for the sake of love, mating, life pairing,
whatever you want to call it, for that single opportunity to found a new generation of young,
putting their very lives on the line for the continuation of their species. I find it amazing to the think that nature
has installed such a drive into termites. It was something rather moving, actually. What's also quite beautiful is that it's well
known to science that termites are among the most monogamous animals in the world. This means, that termite alate kings and queens
expose themselves to dangers, during that intense dash after nuptial flight, to find
their one life partner to remain with forever to build a massive kingdom, both literally
and figuratively, from the ground up. It was on this day that I realized, even the
insect world can prove humans' long standing proverb, that true love is worth dying for. And speaking of which... wait for it... wait for it... and still looking. Alright AC Family, what do you think? Should I keep this termite breeding pair? Oh man! Termites are ants' ultimate arch enemies,
but perhaps they can offer an extra food source for our ants? Or would that be cruel? Whatever the case, as I figure out the ethics,
let me know what you guys think I should do with these officially married termites, and
be sure to hit that SUBSCRIBE button and bell icon now so you don't miss out on this huge
ongoing epic story, and hit the LIKE button every single time, including now. Also, if you're new to the channel and want
to catch up on all your AntsCanada Lore, I've put together a complete story line playlist
so you can watch how all of the ant colonies you love on this channel, came to be, all
their challenges and hardships, all their successes and life events, their entire story
lines can now be watched from the very start so you can better appreciate the journey these
ants, as well as us watching them, have been embarking on. It's incredible how epic the lives of ants
are! Also, just a quick reminder to all those wanting
to get into ant keeping, we offer a tonne of easy-to-use ant keeping gear and pro ant
farms at our shop at AntsCanada.com. We ship worldwide, and offer full email customer
support if you need it. AC Inner Colony, I have left a hidden cookie
for you here, if you would just like to watch extended play footage of the Diacamma ants
hunting termites! You might be surprised what you find! Before we continue with the AC Question of
the Week, I would like to plug my daily vlogging channel, daily vlogs of my travels around
the world which often includes a lot of nature stuff. I am actually in Toronto, Canada right now
and looking forward to meeting you guys at Dixie Mall, Mississauga. That's tomorrow Sunday, May 27th from 2-5
PM, so if you're in Ontario this weekend, feel free to drop by and chat with me about
ants. I would love to meet you there, AC Family! And now it's time for the AC Question of the
Week. Last week we asked: How does the new setup
help make the waters in the Selva de Fuego a better
home for its inhabitants? Congratulations to Dylan Griffin who correctly
answered: The new setup helps the Selva De Fuegans
stay healthy because it helps filter the water, which keeps the fish alive and happy and
keeps the ants' drinking water clean.? Congratulations Dylan you just won a free
e-book handbook from our shop. In this week's AC Question of the Week, we
ask: How are termites and ants different
in terms of what happens after a nuptial flight? 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 8AM EST. Please remember to LIKE, COMMENT, SHARE, & SUBSCRIBE
if you enjoyed this video to help us keep making more. It's ant love forever!
I'm so confused. 1.8 million subscribers and 600k+ views on this video ---- and it's turning ants doing ant things into Game of Thrones.
I have no idea if this is awesome or just weird. But I'm still watching...
watched the whole thing and was hit with feels i never would have expected from a title post and video like this. fantastic editing
Go to the ant you slacker, observe its ways and become wise.
lol #GamerGate ants
edit: Also as a resident of the southern US, the termite massacre pleases me. I fuckin hate these swarming bugs
Like meerkat manner for ants
what a love story!