Try forcefully dumping sand into her tube. They need it to cocoon.
There was red dirt in the tube, she brought it in. But she wasn't helping the larvae spin either.
Try forcefully dumping sand into her tube. They need it to cocoon.
There was red dirt in the tube, she brought it in. But she wasn't helping the larvae spin either.
Current ant colonies -
1) Opisthopsis Rufithorax (strobe ant), Melophorus sp2. black and orange, Pheidole species, Pheidole antipodum
Journal = http://www.formicult...ra-iridomyrmex/
Heterotermes cf brevicatena termite pet/feeder journal = http://www.formicult...feeder-journal/
Summer 15th December 2018
Iridomyrmex species - 2x 7-8mm queens
16mm test tube - heat cable
So smaller Iridomyrmex and Nylanderia species were flying at 10-12pm here.
I just captured 4 Iridomyrmex queens for sh*ts and giggles
2 wouldn't play ball, so I only set up a dual queen setup.
Fed one to my R.aspera queen. And the other to my Myrmecia fulvipes queen
Edited by CoolColJ, December 14 2018 - 6:34 PM.
Current ant colonies -
1) Opisthopsis Rufithorax (strobe ant), Melophorus sp2. black and orange, Pheidole species, Pheidole antipodum
Journal = http://www.formicult...ra-iridomyrmex/
Heterotermes cf brevicatena termite pet/feeder journal = http://www.formicult...feeder-journal/
Pheidole Colony G - 2x Phediole sp. red head/black body 8-9mm queens
16mm test tube - heat cable
40 workers - first major pupa, second major larvae pupating, lots of brood
First major pupa looks pretty brown, so should eclose soon.
Second major larvae has fully turned into a pupa, and it's a big one
Having two queens seems to get rid of the lull with a single queen, where the brood arrive in waves.
Now it's just a continuous stream of workers eclosing, and even majors one after the other it seems
Edited by CoolColJ, December 14 2018 - 6:36 PM.
Current ant colonies -
1) Opisthopsis Rufithorax (strobe ant), Melophorus sp2. black and orange, Pheidole species, Pheidole antipodum
Journal = http://www.formicult...ra-iridomyrmex/
Heterotermes cf brevicatena termite pet/feeder journal = http://www.formicult...feeder-journal/
Melophorus sp.- black orange 7-8mm queen
Acrylic founding nest - heatcable
2 workers. 1 cocoon, 2 medium, 3 small larvae
I saw they had a new cocoon yesterday!
So these girls are rolling pretty smoothly now, much faster than my other Melophorus species.
But so far all workers look about the same, so not sure if they will be as polymorphic.
Melophorus sp.- red black 6-7mm queen
refillable gypsum plugged test tube connected to outworld - heatcable
1 minor worker, 1 large, 1 medium, 1 small cocoon, 2 large, 1 medium, 3 small larvae, 4 eggs
I can't believe the size difference between the 3 cocoons.
The large cocoon is likely a major and much larger than the single worker.
The small one is way smaller... and the medium looks to be the same size.
A few more large larvae have appeared so things are starting to move a bit.
Current ant colonies -
1) Opisthopsis Rufithorax (strobe ant), Melophorus sp2. black and orange, Pheidole species, Pheidole antipodum
Journal = http://www.formicult...ra-iridomyrmex/
Heterotermes cf brevicatena termite pet/feeder journal = http://www.formicult...feeder-journal/
Current ant colonies -
1) Opisthopsis Rufithorax (strobe ant), Melophorus sp2. black and orange, Pheidole species, Pheidole antipodum
Journal = http://www.formicult...ra-iridomyrmex/
Heterotermes cf brevicatena termite pet/feeder journal = http://www.formicult...feeder-journal/
Summer 16th December 2018 - Queen update
Meat ant queen - Iridomyrmex purpureus 14mm queen
16mm test tube - in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
7 pupa, 3 medium larvae, 30+ brood
7 pupa after a month in the incubator.
I reckon nanitics this week!
Still tons of brood
click to enlarge
Queen is so chunky and muscular
Rhytidoponera cf aspera queen 8-9mm queen
16mm Test tube - in small outworld - heatcable
10+ eggs/small larvae, 2 brood boost cocoons
I've been seeing her carry the 2 cocoons outside into the corner of the container.
And then back after a few hours. I think she is warming them up.
She must consider her outworld safe
Camponotus suffusus bendigensis 17-18mm queen1
20mm Test tube - in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
1 hatched egg, 2 eggs - raw honey dish
Camponotus suffusus bendigensis 17mm queen 2
20mm Test tube - in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
16 brood - 6 cocoons - raw honey dish
6 cocoons after 6 weeks in my incubator, soon to be 7.
I will definitely donate 2-3 to the queen above, who still only has 3 eggs.. need to get her going before winter lands...
Aphaenogaster longiceps 12-13mm queen2
16mm test tube - heat cable
20+ eggs, 2 brood boost pupa and 2 larvae
One really dark pupa and one half dark.
Dark one under the queen that should eclose tonight, queen is cleaning her now
I see some mold on the left side test tube surface, but the aquarium filter wool I use won't go moldy
Myrmecia fulvipes, bull ant, 17-18mm queen
20mm test tube - in small outworld
1 egg
No change
Pheidole antipodum 14-15mm queens x 11
in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
All setups have a styro foam double chamber entrance
1) Quad queen - red dirt - cleared all the red dirt and heaped up it into a low wall at the middle of the test tube
huge single stack of eggs
2) Triple queen - cardboard insert and aquarium filter wool water dam
stack of eggs
3) queen with coco coir - moved half the coco coir against the cotton dam. The other half remains where she pushed it, up against the styrofoam double chamber entrance
big stack of eggs
4) Queen with red dirt - moved the red dirt to block up the double chamber entrance
small clump of 15+ eggs
6) Queen - bare test tube
small clump of eggs
7) Queen - bare test tube, former partner of queen 6
3 eggs?
Whoo, queen 6 finally moved into the inner chamber and has laid a small clump of eggs
Didn't check the other queens, but all setups have eggs now.
Still wanting to split a single queen off the quad queen setup.
Iridomyrmex species - dark red head/throax, iridescent bronze gaster, 10-11 queen
16mm test tube - in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
30 eggs
Whoa she has over 30 eggs now after a week in the incubator!
Camponotus nigriceps 18-19mm queen
20mm test tube, in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
No eggs yet...
Camponotus aeneopilosus aka golden tail sugar ant - 12mm queen
16mm test tube - styrofoam double chamber setup - heatcable
12 eggs/small lsarve
Eggs looks to have hatched into small larvae.
She keeps carrying her brood to the front chamber and hangs out there for a few hours and then moves back...
Iridomyrmex species, 2x 7-8mm black queens
16mm test tube - heat cable
After just 1 day and exposed to light they have 8 eggs already
Edited by CoolColJ, December 15 2018 - 11:54 PM.
Current ant colonies -
1) Opisthopsis Rufithorax (strobe ant), Melophorus sp2. black and orange, Pheidole species, Pheidole antipodum
Journal = http://www.formicult...ra-iridomyrmex/
Heterotermes cf brevicatena termite pet/feeder journal = http://www.formicult...feeder-journal/
Summer 17th December 2018 - Queen update
Pheidole Colony G - 2x Phediole sp. red head/black body 8-9mm queens
16mm test tube - heat cable
1 major, 40+ workers - second major pupa, lots of brood
First major eclosed last night - it's the largest one I have seen of all my colonies for a first one.
Biggest head, and over 50% of the queen's length.
They usually get larger after the first one.
She's getting filled up already and being used as a replete, at least while she is young
click to enlarge
Current ant colonies -
1) Opisthopsis Rufithorax (strobe ant), Melophorus sp2. black and orange, Pheidole species, Pheidole antipodum
Journal = http://www.formicult...ra-iridomyrmex/
Heterotermes cf brevicatena termite pet/feeder journal = http://www.formicult...feeder-journal/
Aphaenogaster longiceps 12-13mm queen2
16mm test tube, aquarium filter wool - heat cable
1 worker, 20+ eggs, 1 brood boost pupa and 2 larvae
Hooray a worker has eclosed from one of the brood boost larvae!
I hesitate to call it a nanitic, but it's probably also not full size
Way smaller than the queen. 5-6mm
Will either sell or release them, not interested in keeping these
Current ant colonies -
1) Opisthopsis Rufithorax (strobe ant), Melophorus sp2. black and orange, Pheidole species, Pheidole antipodum
Journal = http://www.formicult...ra-iridomyrmex/
Heterotermes cf brevicatena termite pet/feeder journal = http://www.formicult...feeder-journal/
Nice and productive night tonight.... but it looks like I missed the nigricep flights, as when I turned up there was no activity at the nests... at around 8:30pm
I walked down the road towards a known Camponotus nigricep nests and spotted one alate with one wing 5m up road!
She removed the other wing in my capture tube. This is a big one, 2cm it looks like.
Then later down the trail 5m up from another nest location, I spotted a polyrhachis and was trying to capture her to study, and then suddenly a wingless nigricep alate came running up the tree towards me - had I not stopped to look at this poly I would have missed her!
This one looks shorter and thinner than the first one...
As I was about to get into my car, I decided to turn on my torch at max brightness and sit it on the parking curb, which borders bushland.
Within minutes all kinds of drones, alates and termites can swarming around the torch!
Next time I'll bring along that portable blacklight from Ebay and hang a white sheet on my car!
This was around 9-9:30pm
LOL a R.metallica, C.humilior and C.consobrinus worker came along to grab some drones for a snack
Saw a few Anonychomyrma alates
I wasn't sure if any were mated, and I waited around 20 mins to see if they would mate.
I captured 3 of what looks like Colobopsis alates - orange with a greenish striped gaster under lights
Don't think mine are mated, and I wasn't sure which drones were theirs.
So I let them go, later, back at home
Next time I will blacklight into a funnel and container, so drones and alates alike will be captured together in a neat package!
There was a lone C.nigricep drone I think or consobrinus, so he missed the action
Current ant colonies -
1) Opisthopsis Rufithorax (strobe ant), Melophorus sp2. black and orange, Pheidole species, Pheidole antipodum
Journal = http://www.formicult...ra-iridomyrmex/
Heterotermes cf brevicatena termite pet/feeder journal = http://www.formicult...feeder-journal/
The two captured Camponotus nigricep queens -
first one is 19mm, the second one is 18mm.
First one looks noticeable bigger and chunkier, with a lighter coloured gaster, like the majors I have seen.
Both are nice and clam, no running around and pulling on the cotton
Second one with the rough wing tear job
click to enlarge
Edited by CoolColJ, December 17 2018 - 5:56 AM.
Current ant colonies -
1) Opisthopsis Rufithorax (strobe ant), Melophorus sp2. black and orange, Pheidole species, Pheidole antipodum
Journal = http://www.formicult...ra-iridomyrmex/
Heterotermes cf brevicatena termite pet/feeder journal = http://www.formicult...feeder-journal/
Edited by CoolColJ, December 17 2018 - 9:45 PM.
Current ant colonies -
1) Opisthopsis Rufithorax (strobe ant), Melophorus sp2. black and orange, Pheidole species, Pheidole antipodum
Journal = http://www.formicult...ra-iridomyrmex/
Heterotermes cf brevicatena termite pet/feeder journal = http://www.formicult...feeder-journal/
Edited by CoolColJ, December 23 2018 - 5:23 AM.
Current ant colonies -
1) Opisthopsis Rufithorax (strobe ant), Melophorus sp2. black and orange, Pheidole species, Pheidole antipodum
Journal = http://www.formicult...ra-iridomyrmex/
Heterotermes cf brevicatena termite pet/feeder journal = http://www.formicult...feeder-journal/
Summer 19th December 2018
two queens made the jump to colony status this week
Will likely sell both, but may not get any buyers for the A.longiceps
Aphaenogaster longiceps 12-13mm queen2
16mm test tube - heat cable
1 worker, 20+ eggs, 1 brood boost pupa and 1 larvae
One of the brood boost larvae died and went moldy, which you can see at the bottom of the pics
First worker looks really small compared to the queen
Second worker should eclose tomorrow
See how much neater the eggs are clumped together, than with the other queen that I released.... this queen is for sure not infertile.
click to enlarge
Rhytidoponera cf aspera queen 8-9mm queen
16mm Test tube - in small outworld - heatcable
2 workers, 4 small larvae?
The brood boost cocoons finally eclosed!
And I see 4 larvae of her own, but she had over 10 eggs at one stage, so likley fed them to her larvae.
As I hardly ever see her drag the food I give her in.
Well I fed them one of the queens from the dual queen Iriodmyrmex setup
Queen stung her a lot and then dragged her back
Already have a buyer lined up so if I decide to sell, it's good as gone
Pheidole Colony G - 2x Phediole sp. red head/black body 8-9mm queens
16mm test tube - heat cable
1 major, 45+ workers - second major pupa, lots of brood
Colony is growing fast, second major pupa is starting to yellow a little.
And 3 more major larvae already well underway
video of the colony
https://www.instagra.../p/BrkQuJwFGP2/
Current ant colonies -
1) Opisthopsis Rufithorax (strobe ant), Melophorus sp2. black and orange, Pheidole species, Pheidole antipodum
Journal = http://www.formicult...ra-iridomyrmex/
Heterotermes cf brevicatena termite pet/feeder journal = http://www.formicult...feeder-journal/
Current ant colonies -
1) Opisthopsis Rufithorax (strobe ant), Melophorus sp2. black and orange, Pheidole species, Pheidole antipodum
Journal = http://www.formicult...ra-iridomyrmex/
Heterotermes cf brevicatena termite pet/feeder journal = http://www.formicult...feeder-journal/
the Glass on your test tubes are alwasy so clean.
Current ant colonies -
1) Opisthopsis Rufithorax (strobe ant), Melophorus sp2. black and orange, Pheidole species, Pheidole antipodum
Journal = http://www.formicult...ra-iridomyrmex/
Heterotermes cf brevicatena termite pet/feeder journal = http://www.formicult...feeder-journal/
Maybe I'm just used to my Pogonomyrmex spp. that like to paint the ceiling with excrement.
Looks like you need to be a member to check it out... got an imgur album with those photos by any chance? I might try my hand at keeping mantids at some point in the future... but I'm curious to see what the north eastern species look like.
Edited by CoolColJ, December 19 2018 - 9:52 PM.
Current ant colonies -
1) Opisthopsis Rufithorax (strobe ant), Melophorus sp2. black and orange, Pheidole species, Pheidole antipodum
Journal = http://www.formicult...ra-iridomyrmex/
Heterotermes cf brevicatena termite pet/feeder journal = http://www.formicult...feeder-journal/
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