Ant Captive Rearing

Description

Ant Captive Rearing, please see ITT Brief for more information about scope and outputs. Lot 1: The chosen contractor will be expected to establish captive nests from scratch, with collection of males and queens, maintain these nests through to stage where they can be considered self-sustaining. Experience of captive rearing insects is essential and experience of captive rearing ants is highly desirable. Space to house at least 50 colonies is required and this needs to be of a standard to provide sufficient light and warmth, maintain stable conditions and adjust accordingly for winter months when the nests are less active. Where relevant, costs associated with creating such a space for the ant colonies must be itemised in the tender for this project, alongside all other overheads, e.g., electricity, ant food etc. The chosen contractor will need to be able to commence fieldwork in June to collect winged queens and males of the target species. This will require a knowledge of the Cairngorms National Park and the habitats that support the target species. Ability to identify the target ant species is essential. Knowledge of the ecology of mound-building Formica ants in Scotland is essential, as is understanding their biology and how nests reproduce. Fieldwork will involve multiple visits to sites on Deeside and Strathspey. Narrow-headed ants are anticipated to be collected from RSPB Abernethy and Mar Lodge Estate for ultimate release at Mar Lodge Estate. Wood ants are likely to be collected from a number of locations in Deeside and Strathspey.