166 replies to this topic

[Subverted]

One of the P. californicus queens I had wasnt doing well in a tube, she just kept eating her eggs. I made this intending to use it for one of the other queens once they have nanitics but maybe this will be just as good. The white spot is the chamber the queen is digging at the bottom of the burrow i started for her with a flashlight shining from the back.

 

[dspdrew]

That ant farm looks nice. What are the dimensions?

[Subverted]

The glass is 8"x10", glad people think it looks nice!

[Subverted]

The queen has a nice chamber going and has plugged up the tunnel to the surface with dirt.

 

[drtrmiller]

I wonder if a light diffusing film on the back would make for better backlit pictures?

[Subverted]

I wonder if a light diffusing film on the back would make for better backlit pictures?

Almost certainly...that is a good idea! Even a sheet of white paper as a background with a light shining on it would be a great improvement. I havent really worked out the best lighting setup for this yet...I just wanted to snap a couple quick photos.

[drtrmiller]

https://www.inventab...-diffuser-films

[dspdrew]

I think covering the back with black paper would make for better pictures.

[Myrmicinae]

Did you start that T. sessile colony from a founding queen, or were they collected as a colony fragment from the wild?

 

Also, how is your Pseudomyrmex apache colony coming along?

Edited by Myrmicinae, June 30 2015 - 11:35 AM.

[Subverted]

The T. sessile were a small part off of a huge colony I found under a rock.

 

Unfortunately the P. apache arent exactly a colony, just some workers and brood. Two of the larvae pupated recently and one worker died so that leaves things with 7 workers, 11 larvae, 2 pupae, and some infertile eggs laid by a worker.

 

I will snap some new photos of the T. sessile soon.

[Subverted]

Pseudomyrmex apache - they're making a mess of their nest.

 

Tapinoma sessile

 

Pogonomyrmex californicus

[Subverted]

Some of my P. californicus are starting to get workers:

 

Not a whole lot to update aside from that... My L. occidentale all seem to have larva and they're growing fast, same with the S. xyloni queens.

[Gregory2455]

I feel like I have asked this before but where did you get your P.apache?

[Subverted]

I mention in this post earlier in this thread that I found them in a white sage (Salvia apiana) stem without a queen.

[Subverted]

I stuck one of the Pogonomyrmex queens with workers into a dirt ant farm setup and the colony has been settling in well:

 

[Ants4fun]

Wow, that is pretty nice visibility for a dirt nest!

[Subverted]

 

Few more updates on the way...if I remember.

[dspdrew]

That looks pretty good.

[Subverted]

Some more updates!

 

Drew was talking about his "yellow desert mold" and I had some on a queen of mine that had died...so I stuck it under the microscope, fairly sure it is an Aspergillus species...

 

40x:

 

100x:

 

400x:

 

Spores:

 

 

Pheidole gilvescens:

Edited by Subverted, August 24 2015 - 3:19 PM.

[Subverted]

Honeypots with pupae!

 

M. navajo on the left, the other 3 I don't have IDs for:

 

Mess of M. navajo:

 

Odd M. navajo with some pupae that have no cocoons: