31 replies to this topic

[Myrmicinae]

This journal will document the progress of my Pheidole ceres colony.

 

This colony was reared from a single queen, collected on the evening of July 14, 2013 from the sidewalk across the street from my house (Fort Collins, Colorado).  As I recall, there had been no rain for several days beforehand.  There were small numbers of P. ceres queens alighting on the same short patch of pavement.  Many still had males attached and I observed several chewing on the males' abdomens, presumably to pull them off.  I collected one of the dealate queens from that spot and placed her in a traditional test tube setup.  Her first workers eclosed on August 9, 2013.

 

Here is a photograph of the young colony in their test tube on December 31, 2013 (I didn't really hibernate them over the winter).  They already had two major workers by this point.
 

 

The photograph below (March 1, 2014) was taken shortly after they were moved into their new hydrostone formicarium.

 

 

I will add another post with the most recent images.

Edited by dspdrew, July 20 2014 - 5:45 PM.

[Myrmicinae]

Does anyone know how to make the photos show up as full size?

Edited by Myrmicinae, July 19 2014 - 8:16 PM.

[Atom Ant]

You have to upload them to a site like photobucket or imgur and then post the link here with the [img] code. 

[Myrmicinae]

You have to upload them to a site like photobucket or imgur and then post the link here with the [img] code. 

 

Thanks!  I'll try that out when I find the time.

[Myrmicinae]

These are some photos I took of the colony earlier today.  There are about 100 workers now, including quite a few majors.

 

[Mathiacus]

Nice work! I hope your colony continues to grow.

[dspdrew]

Does anyone know how to make the photos show up as full size?

I'm going to look into this I think. The way I use the gallery here AND make the photos show up full-sized, is I just go to the full-sized photo from the gallery (right click on the image and select "direct link to this image file"), and copy the URL to use in the image tag, the same way you would if the photo was uploaded on any other photo sharing website.

[Myrmicinae]

I'm going to look into this I think. The way I use the gallery here AND make the photos show up full-sized, is I just go to the full-sized photo from the gallery (right click on the image and select "direct link to this image file"), and copy the URL to use in the image tag, the same way you would if the photo was uploaded on any other photo sharing website.

Thanks! I'll probably try editing everything tonight. I was hoping to avoid setting up a new account on another website.

Edited by Myrmicinae, July 20 2014 - 12:05 PM.

[dspdrew]

It looks like this is not an option, I am ready to sit down for a while today and do some hacking of the forum code. They WILL post in larger size when I am finished.

 

Edit: Well after hours of fiddling with it, I haven't properly fixed it, but I have done something in the meantime that seems to work. If you have any other threads you want "fixed", all you need to do is go to edit your post, but don't change anything, and  then just hit "Save Changes", and the images should appear large.

[Myrmicinae]

It looks like this is not an option, I am ready to sit down for a while today and do some hacking of the forum code. They WILL post in larger size when I am finished.

 

It seems that it worked.  Thanks!

[Gregory2455]

What camera do you use?

[Myrmicinae]

What camera do you use?

 

I use a Canon DSLR with a macro lens.

[Gregory2455]

I am curious for new pictures.

[Myrmicinae]

I am curious for new pictures.

 

I'll try to get a few at some point this week.  All of my colonies are beginning to slow down for the winter.

[dean_k]

What does a major worker do? It looks [censored]. It looks more like a brute.

[Gregory2455]

Seed cutting, carrying, severing things from dying prey, although Pheidole are not usually aggressive towards larger animals, just insects.

[Myrmicinae]

What does a major worker do? It looks [censored]. It looks more like a brute.

 

In the ant species that have them, they tend to be specialized for defense.  To tell you the truth, I'm not sure what Pheidole ceres majors do.  Based on what I know of the species, my guess would be that they are mainly specialized for crushing seeds and transporting heavy food items.

Edited by Myrmicinae, October 13 2014 - 9:18 AM.

[Alza]

nice pictures!

[Myrmicinae]

I apologize for not updating this journal.  Unfortunately, the hydrostone nest is beginning to fall apart.  I haven't taken this colony out of the fridge yet, as I have no idea how to move them out of a rapidly crumbling formicarium without risking escape.  Any thoughts?

[Crystals]

I would put them in a large rubbermaid bin (or any container big enough to hold the nest) with an escape barrier at the top.  You can connect a tube leading to a new nest.  They will move as it dries out, or as you pick out larger pieces that fell off.

If possible, raise the nest on some dowels and take the glass off if it is that far gone.  They will swiftly move.