Captive ant colony, queen and all being fed a highly venomous female black widow spider. This video can be difficult to watch at times and is not intended for those who are easily offended.
The spider was nesting on my front door and had to be removed. Black widows are plentiful here and I will not simply release such a dangerous spider around where animals may get bitten.
For those interested, not all ants contain venom. This particular variety of ants is known as Solenopsis Xyloni, or the native fire ant. Although difficult to tell, they are less aggressive than their invasive cousins Solenopsis Invicta. Those living in places further down south like Texas will know Invicta well.
This ant colony began with nothing more than the queen which was caught after a nupital flight mid July. Anyone interested in keeping an ant colony may do the same. Look after a recent rainstorm in the summer months and you are likely to find newly fertilized queen ants.
Protein from other insects plays a crucial role in the health of an ant colony. The ants themselves do not require it but rather the growing larvae. While feeding already dead insects does satisfy this requirement, occasional live feeding keeps a colony more active. Observation of ant predatory behavior is fascinating but merely one aspect of their social behavior.
