1787 replies to this topic

[CoolColJ]

Camponotus suffusus 18+mm queen - colony

 

I can see 5 cocoons now, 3 more spun, but 2 look different whiter and thinner. So most likely belong to the other Camponotus species larvae I gave to them

 

 

--

 

Released the queenless Polyrhachis ammon colony I captured just then

 

Pulled over the rock where i found them to check, just before I release them, saw another poly!

Thought it might be a queen, but after double checking with her inside the test tube with the others, no dice.

Released them, and they all crawled back under the rock, even with all the  Aphaenogaster longiceps nest tunnels under there - so now you know A.longiceps and P.ammon can live side by side

Edited by CoolColJ, July 9 2018 - 11:15 PM.

[CoolColJ]

Got this founding nest today -

 

I plan to put one of my Pheidole antipodum queens in it, when spring rolls around, at least until they explode in growth

 

https://www.aliexpre....6ac04c4dV3Nwxf

 

It arrived fairly quickly

They also put in a cheap dentist style tweezer, angled head, pipette and some cotton wool
Spare magnet. Well packed

Feels solid, well made, and the top of the nest is mirror polished for a flush fit against the glass
Real glass and magnets, not bad for the price

 

Only issue is there is no dedicated hydration hole to squirt.
The hole at the front is an actual tunnel, that veers to the right.

Since there are already two exit tunnels on the left/right for external connection, I plan to plug the front tunnel with cotton/sponge
Which leaves a 1cm hole with no ant access, and then you can squirt water with a syringe into here.

 

The cotton/sponge can act as a little hydration buffer, but gypsum nests absorb and hold a lot of water so it's not needed.
Ants can also drink from here if they want.
Or remove the cotton when your done.

 

My other gypsum nest here can hold 3 or more full syringes and barely wet to the touch.
And still had 90% humidity after a month

 

-------------
pics - I haven't removed the protective brown bits from the outworld yet

 

You can see the tunnel to the front port.

I am going block this one off with cotton, and use this as the hydration port, squirt water with syringe here

I can stick the probe from my Ebay humidity meter into and use that as a guide as when to rehydrate as well.

 

click to enlarge

Edited by CoolColJ, July 10 2018 - 2:02 PM.

[sirjordanncurtis]

how do you hydrate this one?

 

and what kind of substrate for the outworld would you use?

Edited by sirjordanncurtis, July 10 2018 - 8:30 PM.

[CoolColJ]

how do you hydrate this one?

Well gypsum, absorbs and holds a lot of water, so you just squirt water directly onto the nest medium itself.
Hence my post above, about using one of the 4 ports to do this, and blocking the front one with cotton, so ants can't get out while I do this.
So the water spreads to the queen's chamber in the centre.

You can also use one of the ports to attached a test tube of water or a nest mate type setup.
But that may cause the ants to put all the brood around that area

[DaveJay]

That looks pretty good, especially considering some of the prices asked for formicariums. I noticed they've sold two and are now currently unavailable!
Did you see the 'pipe' for catching queen bees? I'm thinking they might be handy for ants and scorpions too, I might order a couple I reckon.

[CoolColJ]

That looks pretty good, especially considering some of the prices asked for formicariums. I noticed they've sold two and are now currently unavailable!
Did you see the 'pipe' for catching queen bees? I'm thinking they might be handy for ants and scorpions too, I might order a couple I reckon.

It was cheaper when I bought it, but the seller removed this and a lot of items off the market, based on the nests in my wishlist...
Wish I had bought two when I did, especially now, all stuff bought from overseas gets slapped with a 10%GST.
Can always get it from Taobao as well.

For ants I use my Ebay sourced feathweight forcep set. Off course it only works on slow and stationary ants
Can't live without that set, I use it for everything, the thin one especially. Allows me to grab ants, brood, food without crushing it

https://www.ebay.com...=p2047675.l2557

That pipe looks like a glorified test tube?

Edited by CoolColJ, July 10 2018 - 10:16 PM.

[DaveJay]

That looks pretty good, especially considering some of the prices asked for formicariums. I noticed they've sold two and are now currently unavailable!
Did you see the 'pipe' for catching queen bees? I'm thinking they might be handy for ants and scorpions too, I might order a couple I reckon.

It was cheaper when I bought it, but the seller removed this and a lot of items off the market, based on the nests in my wishlist...
Wish I had bought two when I did, especially now, all stuff bought from overseas gets slapped with a 10%GST.
Can always get it from Taobao as well.

For ants I use my Ebay sourced feathweight forcep set. Off course it only works on slow and stationary ants
Can't live without that set, I use it for everything, the thin one especially. Allows me to grab ants, brood, food without crushing it

https://www.ebay.com...=p2047675.l2557

That pipe looks like a glorified test tube?

I'll have to order some of those forceps, I've modified mine using foam draft excluder so they are soft but it makes them a little bulky for small insects, thanks for the heads up, I'd forgotten such a thing existed, I haven't seen them since high school biology!

The difference between the 'pipe' and a test tube is that the opening is on the side so that it is placed over the insect and it crawls in, it has no choice. Then I guess you put a test tube over the stem end let it slide or crawl into the test tube, maybe blowing it for encouragement?
At $1.40ea I reckon it would be worth checking them out, good for bull ants and small scorpions I'm guessing.

[CoolColJ]

That looks pretty good, especially considering some of the prices asked for formicariums. I noticed they've sold two and are now currently unavailable!
Did you see the 'pipe' for catching queen bees? I'm thinking they might be handy for ants and scorpions too, I might order a couple I reckon.

It was cheaper when I bought it, but the seller removed this and a lot of items off the market, based on the nests in my wishlist...
Wish I had bought two when I did, especially now, all stuff bought from overseas gets slapped with a 10%GST.
Can always get it from Taobao as well.

For ants I use my Ebay sourced feathweight forcep set. Off course it only works on slow and stationary ants
Can't live without that set, I use it for everything, the thin one especially. Allows me to grab ants, brood, food without crushing it

https://www.ebay.com...=p2047675.l2557

That pipe looks like a glorified test tube?

I'll have to order some of those forceps, I've modified mine using foam draft excluder so they are soft but it makes them a little bulky for small insects, thanks for the heads up, I'd forgotten such a thing existed, I haven't seen them since high school biology!

The difference between the 'pipe' and a test tube is that the opening is on the side so that it is placed over the insect and it crawls in, it has no choice. Then I guess you put a test tube over the stem end let it slide or crawl into the test tube, maybe blowing it for encouragement?
At $1.40ea I reckon it would be worth checking them out, good for bull ants and small scorpions I'm guessing.

the Ebay seller of the forceps is on holiday so the listing has been stopped for now

OK I can see some use then

[CoolColJ]

Winter 11 July 2018

Camponotus suffusus 18+mm queen - colony

I was busy with the package of ants my friend sent me today, but when I had some time to glance across my suffufus nest.... oh no...

I saw the queen's dead body slumped out, as a worker had dumped her body outside!!

 

RIP

 

WTF!!! Two dead suffusus queens in a row! 

First one was my fault, but this one, she just died all of a sudden, when everything was going great!

 

I did notice her body looked odd a day ago, liked splayed out, but didn't think anything of it.

So she may have died a day ago or even two days ago...

 

All this brood they have as well...

 

 

 

---

 

 

I do have a bunch of queens here that my friend sent me, so it is bitter sweet.

Will post in detail later

[CoolColJ]

Yesterday I received a bunch of ants and queen from a friend. and since they were basically free, any loses didn't bother me too much, but he is a noob when it comes to ants, so didn't exactly pack them the ideal way....

 

20 Iridomyrmex  8.5mm queens in a container with sphagnum moss. 8 dead, 2 looked to be killed from fighting, severed gasters.

Either I separate them into groups of 3, or one big setup?

Some of them have naturally grouped together in the container, best to keep those together.

 

 

He had a small Camponotus humilior colony, Polyrhachis femorata colony and a small black with gold gaster Polyrhacis colony all in the same tin container, albeit separate by their bark nests there were found in and loose bark, and some sphagnum moss for hydration, but they felt dry to me... 

They were all found on the same tree next to each other, but they did fight. Some dead ants, some ants missing limbs and antenna.

 

Inside were also few beetle and one small ant sized wingless wasp!

 

Man a lot of the brood was mixed up at the bottom of the tin can.

I stacked them all on the C.humilior nest back when I separated the ants out, and over night the humilior only took their brood, which left the two others

I then gave the funny ridged larger larvae to the P.femorata colony, as they had some similar looking ones.

 

So third time lucky for another Camponotus humilior colony?!

They do have a major, and two dead ones. over 10 workers, and a queen I think, plus some brood.

Darker looking than my previous two colonies

 

Small gold bum Polyrhachis colony, not sure if they have a queen. 14 ants and one badly injured one.

These were making the tin can rattle, as they thump their gasters against it when alarmed

These might be Polyrhachis vermiculosa

 

Polyrhachis femorata colony, appears to have 3 queens!

So they are polygynous?! 

There are 3 large ants with ocelli, so must be queens. And 15 workers

For Polyrhachis ants, these are pretty big. And have a more Camponotus appearance.

Queens are like 11-12mm, and workers around 9-10mm

 

quick pics, no queens here, will take pics of queens later

You can see some missing antenna and limbs...

 

click to enlarge

Edited by CoolColJ, July 11 2018 - 5:29 PM.

[Major]

Are you going to try to start a colony with the wasp? I’ve caught one that looked exactly like that while on vacation. Try putting it in a test tube setup with some dirt.

[CoolColJ]

Polyrhachis femorata colony, triple 11-12mm queens

 

OK this colony has 18 members, and 3 are definitely queens. 2 queens shown here, minus 1 queen and 2 workers. far left and the one looking at the camera.

The larger size, ocelli on head and wing scars, make them queens for sure

 

These ants freeze instead of running around madly when alarmed

 

click to enlarge

 

Are you going to try to start a colony with the wasp? I’ve caught one that looked exactly like that while on vacation. Try putting it in a test tube setup with some dirt.

 

Nope, let it go already, don't think it's a queen in any case

Edited by CoolColJ, July 11 2018 - 7:22 PM.

[Jaraii]

Wonderful coloration on those ants!  Love the reddish leg colors with the dark bodies.

[CoolColJ]

Wonderful coloration on those ants!  Love the reddish leg colors with the dark bodies.

 

They also have an interesting combo of matt thorax and glossy gaster. Plus big enough to notice the details

 

--

 

Well the Polyrhachis vermiculosa colony does not appear to have a queen

I looked at each member (5-6mm) and cannot see any signs of a queen.

So will likely release them

 

Cute and gentle critters though

And they thump their gasters on the ground when alarmed, making an audible sound

 

click to enlarge

Edited by CoolColJ, July 11 2018 - 7:22 PM.

[CoolColJ]

Iridomyrmex queens - 8.5mm
 
Finally got around to processing the 8.5mm long Iridomyrmex queens I have
 
Put them into a fluon lined container and observed them for an hour.
And natural groups formed, some were angry and remained solo and just ran around causing ruckus.
 
I euthanized all the ones that were missing antennas and limbs.
 
After that I formed up test tubes setups with aquarium filter wool dam with cotton wool double chamber setups of a solo queen, double queen, triple queen.
Of the ones left - two groups of 3 and 4 formed that just sat there.
Then one decided to break off and ran around like mad, so I put her in a test tube setup.
 
The rest formed one passive 5 queen group.
These I put in another test tube, all 5.
 
Right now they are all chill and cuddling together in the cotton chamber setup
 
I put one triple and one solo queen into the red transparent test tube rack, the rest I will keep exposed to light and see how things turn out.

Edited by CoolColJ, July 11 2018 - 11:57 PM.

[CoolColJ]

not sure on species, maybe bicknelli, but these queens are larger than the typical bicknelli queen I've had in the past, and my current Iridomyrmex queen.

Especially gaster size

 

click to enlarge

[CoolColJ]

Winter 13 July 2018

 

Polyrhachis femorata colony, triple 11-12mm queens

 

I moved them to my spare and only Mini Hearth. I am reminded why I hate it again... it's so hard to see inside, unless it's at head level, so yeah you have to bend way over to do so.

And without museum glass the reflections completely mask everything!
Plus it so dark inside

 

Have the heat cable running past the front glass, let's see if they notice it

 

Anyway I put that piece of bark the ants were sitting on into the Mini hearth outworld.

I rested it at an angle on top the fake plant, as there were ants under the bark as well.

 

And as I observed with my other young Polyrhachis rufifemur colony, one of the queens started the exploration and move first!

I think it's a semi claustral thing, the queens are just more active.

She went down into the main nest, checked it out, and then came back and grabbed a larvae, then a few workers joined her.

But the rest of the queens and workers were all lazing around. They had to be scolded repeatably, judging by the body language and jerking, to move out

Some of the workers were carried away as they curled into a ball.

 

Some remained on the bark, and I had to brush them off, then everyone moved down into the nest.

After that they started to come out and forage. Again it was two queens leading the charge.

They couldn't find the SunBurst in the Byformica mini liquid feeder .... but did take one of the dead Iridomyrmex queens I killed earlier

 

 

Camponotus suffusus - colony - QUEENLESS

 

So without a queen now, life goes on for them.

I noticed a dead worker inside the nest this morning.... it is most likely a nanitic dying of old age, but the timing is just a tad too close...

So 6 workers remain

 

A lot of the brood have spun cocoons recently

Guess I will leave them going until I see what happens to the brood/cocoons of the foreign Camponotus colony I gave them

Cocoons should not take long to eclose with the help of the heatcable.

Maybe in 2 weeks time.

 

[CoolColJ]

Winter 14th July 2018
 
Iridomyrmex queens - 8.5mm - multiple test tube setups with aquarium filter dam and cotton wool chamber wall/entrance

two singles, two dual, one quad queen - one dual and one single in red test tube rack, the rest exposed to light

 

Hmm 1 day on and things have changed - yeah you sorta have to expect that with queens, the attrition rate is high.

The 5 queen setup will soon be 4, as one of the queens is on her death bed. The triple queen one in the red test tube rack has become two as one queen is dead.

So it's 2x1, 2x2 and 1x4

 

These deaths are via natural causes, not by attacks.

 

The first solo setup queen was the hyper aggressive one, well she keeps pulling on the aquarium filter wool dam, which unlike cotton does not give much, so she is expending a lot of energy for no gain.

If she was smart, all she has to do is turn around and pull on the cotton wool chamber entrance thing

I put her in the red tube rack and the "darkness" didn't help clam her down.

 

Moved the other solo queen outside, she is still calm

 

 

Camponotus suffusus - colony - QUEENLESS

 

The recently dead worker is still in the nest, and I see one leg, so she has been munched on

I see 6 cocoons, and tons of larvae

 

The largest appears to be eclosing as the workers have pulled it aside and one is working her jaws on it.

Will confirm tonight.... or to kill/eat...

Edited by CoolColJ, July 12 2018 - 9:37 PM.

[CoolColJ]

Camponotus humilior - part 3,  queenless colony

 

I had their bark nest inside a small tupperware style container, with red dirt, a 16x100mm water feeder test tube (half filled)

And one Byformica mini liquid feeder with Sunburst, but later added a wax paper of raw honey, just in case.

 

I haven't seen much activity from them, except last night before I went to work, where  worker got through the fluon barrier, through a half closed lid and explored around a bit

And then she returned the same way she came out

 

Today I lifted the bark and saw some larvae on the ground, and then some alarmed workers.

I tapped them out onto the dirt.

 

They eventually settled inside the water feeder test tube - my plan.

While the other half with some larvae settled on the side of the container, and just dozed off there, sleepy Camponotus style...

Some of the workers from the test tube started coming to fetch the larvae and scold the dozed workers by the body language and jerking, even grabbing and dragging 

By tomorrow all of them should be crammed into the test tube sardine style, maybe

 

Anyway I saw two majors, maybe 3, and a fair few workers, maybe 40-50.

But no queen!

These are darker than the humilior I've had in the past.

 

Now I did release a humilior queen into a hole in my backyard with a few nanitics and covered em up, not so long ago

They should be still there, if still alive.

Maybe I dig the queen out and see if both parties unite?

 

If not I will release them.

[CoolColJ]

Winter 14th July 2018

Camponotus humilior 9-10mm queen, part 2
 
Well I dug out the C.humilior queen, and she is just fine, and alive. Just by herself, no workers seen
 
I put her into the outworld of the queenless C.humilior colony... and they snapped at her, didn't accept her at all...
 
Took her out, and put in a petri dish for holding.
Dumped the colony out of the test tube and took their larvae
 
Well they do have 3 majors, and one is quite a bit larger than the other two. Same for minor workers, some a larger than the regular minors, so maybe a medial worker.
Damn, I didn't think C.humilior was this polymorphic. The pics and literature say they are just a dual worker class species....
 
Plan is to put all the larvae into a 20mm test tube with aquarium filter wool, double chamber cotton wool setup, and then put the queen in
I counted 31 larvae might be hard for to look after...

Edited by CoolColJ, July 13 2018 - 11:55 PM.