1787 replies to this topic

[CoolColJ]

Summer 16th January 2019

 

Meat ant queen - Iridomyrmex purpureus 14mm queen
16mm test tube - heat cable
14 workers, 10+ pupa, 10+ larvae, 20+ eggs
 
15th worker should eclose tonight.

There are 8 pupa with dark eyes that should eclose in a weeks time, so just like that, over 20 workers.

It's amazing how white and clean they keep their water cotton!
I swear the workers are actively grooming the cotton dam, and plucking away any hint of mold...

And whenever I open the test tube inside a fluon lined container to feed them, the workers dump all the rubbish outside.

Then a few go wandering around exploring, no shyness here despite being a small colony, and then return after 15 mins and then one stands guard

I can't think of a more responsive and active ant to keep. They eat around the clock, always a bustle of activity in the nest.

 

They are classified as an expert keeper ant, due to their aggression and explosive growth, but IMO pretty good begineer species

 

Pheidole antipodum 14-15mm queens x 10
in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
All setups have a styro foam double chamber entrance

1) Triple queen - red dirt - cleared all the red dirt and heaped up it into a low wall at the middle of the test tube
huge stack of eggs, larvae and some pupa
2) Dual queen - cardboard insert and aquarium filter wool water dam
big stack of eggs
3) queen with coco coir - moved all the coco coir against the cotton dam, wicking the water into it
big stack of brood - 4 nanitics, 10+ pupa, 30+ larvae, 50+ eggs
4) Queen with red dirt - moved the red dirt to block up the double chamber entrance
small clump of 15+ eggs
5) Queen - bare test tube
huge stack of brood, 75% larvae, a few pupa
6) Queen - bare test tube, former partner of queen 6
big stack of eggs , 30-40% larvae with some large ones
7) Queen - bare test tube, former partner of setup 2
big clump of eggs

 

Setup 1 looks to have a yellow pupa, so they may get their first nanitic soon

Queen 7 has a big stack of eggs now! Damn, and in only a few days since I put her in her own test tube!

 

Queen 3 has her 4th nanitic eclose.

I gave them some raw honey and honeycomb, but they haven't started foraging yet.

.

The nanitics are the same size as the regular workers of my black Pheidole species colony, about 2mm

So the normal minor workers should be larger, maybe 3mm

Although one of the nanitics is already slightly larger than the others.

 

Apparently the workers and majors have a stinger

Edited by CoolColJ, January 16 2019 - 2:43 AM.

[Rstheant]

Good, you MUST get more gold bums ( Iridomyrmex), because those were like, “cooperative” and would make you feel good, and lay lots of eggs..

 
Well generally speaking I'm not as drawn to non polymorphic species that grow fast
Having a massive amount of identical looking ants doesn't tickle my fancy quite the same way
 
Slower growing ants with lots of character like Polyrhachis and Myrmecia are ok

Again, opinions....

[CoolColJ]

Summer 16th January 2019
 
Meat ant queen - Iridomyrmex purpureus 14mm queen
16mm test tube - heat cable
15 workers, 10+ pupa, 10+ larvae, 20+ eggs

Another worker eclosed.
Have a buyer of lined up for next week

click - quite an assortment of colours

[CoolColJ]

Pheidole Colony G - Phediole sp. red head/black body 8-9mm queen
16mm test tube - styrofoam double chamber entrance - heat cable
100+ workers, 4 majors, lots of brood

4th major eclosed, and 5th not far off.
Starting to get a touch crowded in here!
Hoping to sell them.... if no buyers... will release them instead.
The only regular Pheidole colony I want to keep is the maroon headed major one I see in my yard... still no luck in finding a queen despite all these queens I have kept so far looking similar, yet the majors end up looking different
 

 

 

Edited by CoolColJ, January 17 2019 - 3:21 PM.

[CoolColJ]

Camponotus suffusus bendigensis 17mm queen 2
20mm Test tube - heat cable
6 nanitics - 7 cocoons, 12 eggs
 
6th nanitic has eclosed, and queen continues to lay eggs, up to 12 or so now.
 

 
 
Pheidole antipodum 14-15mm queen 3
20mm test tube with coco coir, styrofoam double chamber entrance - heat cable
- moved all the coco coir against the cotton dam, wicking the water into it
5-6 nanitics, 10+ pupa, 30+ larvae, 50+ eggs

Another 1-2 nanitics have eclosed, hard to tell exactly

Last time I reported there was some small clumps of hairy mold from the coir growing on the glass.
I can't see them anymore, so the workers might have cleaned them away

Hard to get a good photo of the workers as this test tube seems to have some strong distortion blurring the image
yes the queen has a dent in her gaster
The nanitic workers look like mini majors

Edited by CoolColJ, January 17 2019 - 7:07 AM.

[CoolColJ]

checked up on my ants in the incubator

Summer 18th January 2019

 

Camponotus suffusus bendigensis 17-18mm queen1
20mm Test tube - in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
2 nanitics, 5 cocoons, 1 small larvae, 8 eggs - raw honey dish

 

Large larvae has cocooned.

Damn things are moving fast now!

Camponotus cf nigriceps 19mm queen 1
20mm test tube, in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
1 cocoon

 

woah, cocoon has been spun, that was quick!

But that is all she has....


Camponotus cf nigriceps 18mm queen 2
20mm test tube, in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
no eggs


Camponotus aeneopilosus aka golden tail sugar ant - 12mm queen
16mm test tube - styrofoam double chamber setup - in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
1 cocoon, 11 larvae

cocoon spun

Camponotus consobrinus 16-17mm queen 1
20mm test tube, in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
zero

 

Ugh, she ate all her small larvae!!

I wasn't going to keep her anyway, and they are so common, I just needed an excuse to release her!!

 

Colobopsis macrocephala 9mm queen
16mm test tube - in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
4 eggs

 

Still at 4 eggs, and hanging out at the test tube exit cotton as before


Pheidole antipodum 14-15mm queens x 9
in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
All setups have a styro foam double chamber entrance

1) Dual queen - red dirt - cleared all the red dirt and heaped up it into a low wall at the middle of the test tube
1 nanitic - huge stack of eggs, larvae and some pupa
2) Dual queen - cardboard insert and aquarium filter wool water dam
big stack of eggs
3) queen with coco coir - moved all the coco coir against the cotton dam, wicking the water into it
big stack of brood - 6+ nanitics, 10+ pupa, 30+ larvae, 50+ eggs
4) Queen with red dirt - moved the red dirt to block up the double chamber entrance
small clump of 15+ eggs
5) Queen - bare test tube
huge stack of brood, 75% larvae, a few pupa, one starting to yellow
6) Queen - bare test tube, former partner of queen 6
big stack of eggs , 30-40% larvae with some large ones
7) Queen - bare test tube, former partner of setup 2
big clump of eggs
 

Oh boy things are happening this week

 

Week 6 update

Setup 1 has a nanitic... but a queen has died

Either she died or they killed her, but she remains intact, so maybe a natural death.

Some of the brood is scattered... so maybe a fight occured?

But what a way to die, just when the colony started!

She was one of the larger of the 3 queens as well... she measured 15mm....will pull her body out.

 

Setup 2 still at eggs...

 

Queen 3 doing well, and has over 6 nanitics now. One of the small nanitic majors from first batch is now dark yellow and should eclose soon.

 

Queen 4 still a failure, with a tiny amount of eggs that don't hatch

 

Queen 5 is amazing, started way behind the others after separating her from queen 6, and one pupa is starting to yellow already!

 

Queen 6 larvae should be starting to pupate

 

Queen 7 laying more eggs, going well after being separated from setup 2 last week

 

 

click

 

Setup 1 - queen 3 RIP

 

Queen 5 - looks like there is something on her gaster... maybe a mite? If so the workers are small enough to get rid of it

 

 

Edited by CoolColJ, January 17 2019 - 10:41 PM.

[CoolColJ]

Pheidole antipodum 14-15mm queen 3
20mm test tube with coco coir, styrofoam double chamber entrance - heat cable
- moved all the coco coir against the cotton dam, wicking the water into it
6+ nanitics, 10+ pupa, 30+ larvae, 50+ eggs

A few more nanitics have eclosed I think.
A small major is getting cleaned up as I type.
The coir in the test tube is a pain in the [censored] and is making it hard to see - worst idea ever

Anyway workers have started to get frisky, saw one on the honey dish.
Dropped a peice of cricket near it, a worker ran back and sounded the alarm... whoops.
Queen came forward to take a look.

They have started blocking up the the styrofoam double chamber entrance with loose dry bits of coir left near there
The workers do have pretty big mandibles for minor workers, like mini majors

excuse the yellow colour balance, forgot to reset it after having it set up for photos...


click

Edited by CoolColJ, January 18 2019 - 3:28 AM.

[CoolColJ]

Pheidole Colony G has been sold

[CoolColJ]

Summer 19th January 2019
 
Meat ant queen - Iridomyrmex purpureus 14mm queen
16mm test tube - heat cable
16 workers, 10+ pupa, 10+ larvae, 20+ eggs

Worker 16 has eclosed, and 17 should tonight.
Brood pile is growing at an alarming rate!

Have a buyer lined up.
So consider them sold until further notice.


Pheidole antipodum 14-15mm queen 3
20mm test tube with coco coir, styrofoam double chamber entrance - heat cable
- moved all the coco coir against the cotton dam, wicking the water into it
10 nanitics, 10+ pupa, 30+ larvae, 50+ eggs

Dang, they are up to about 10 or so workers now
There is one small major in there or a larger minor worker, this species is extremely polymorphic, so who knows.
Hard to get a good look

They keep covering up the cricket bits with loose coir.....
Not even one week and they are already busy and exploring.

[Rstheant]

Has the myrmecia cocoon eclosed yet?

[CoolColJ]

Has the myrmecia cocoon eclosed yet?

nope

Probably gonna take at least a month

[Leo]

 

Has the myrmecia cocoon eclosed yet?

nope

Probably gonna take at least a month

 

I swear to god if your cocoon encloses first...

[CoolColJ]

Has the myrmecia cocoon eclosed yet?

nope

Probably gonna take at least a month

I swear to god if your cocoon encloses first...

Well smaller species are faster

[CoolColJ]

Colony update - Summer 20th January 2019

Opisthopsis Rufithorax (strobe ant) 10mm queen
Atom C nest inside circular outworld - tip ofheat cable pressed against side of nest
40+ workers, 10+ cocoons, 10+ larvae, 20+ eggs



Melophorus sp.- red black 6-7mm queen
refillable gypsum plugged test tube connected to outworld - heatcable
1 Major, 1 medial, 3 minor workers - 1 naked pupa, 1 major larvae, 1 large, 1 medium, 7 small, 20 eggs.

Water leaked inside the yesterday inside the nest and yeah half the brood is stranded in the wet areas
Had to rescure the major and a minor worker.
The ants are now hanging out near the exit behind their big dirt pile there.
The have a couple of large larvae and some eggs on the heat cbale near the middle, but a cocoon and the rest of the brood are soaked wet on the other end....
Hopefully when it dries, the brood will be ok


Melophorus sp.- black orange 7-8mm queen
Acrylic founding nest - heatcable
5 workers, brood?

Woah 5 workers, an extra over what they had last week.
Not sure where the 5th came from!?
I cannot see anymore brood


Polyrhachis rufifemur 9mm queen
16mm test tube - heat cable
1 nanitic - 2 large, 1 medium, 8 small larvae

Larvae has to be close to cocooning, it's been months!
All my other ants old and new have overtaken these girls....
At least the rest of the brood have developed a bit

click to enlarge



Pheidole Colony H - Pheidole sp, light red head, dark red body, 6-7mm
16mm test tube, styro foam chamber entrance - heatcable
10 workers, small clump of brood

I can barely see any brood...they have been spinning wheels for a while.
If they don't progress I will release them




Meat ant queen - Iridomyrmex purpureus 14mm queen
16mm test tube - heat cable
16 nanitics, 10+ pupa, 10+ larvae, 20+ eggs

Another nanitic eclosed, and two more should tonight.
I will likely have these sold tommorrow


Camponotus suffusus bendigensis 17-18mm queen 1
20mm Test tube - in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
2 nanitics, 4 cocoons, 2 large, 1 medium, 4 small larvae, 6 eggs - raw honey dish

Brood is coming along nicely. Queen is laying more eggs.
cotton getting pretty moldy




Camponotus suffusus bendigensis 17mm queen 2
20mm Test tube - heat cable
5 nanitics - 7 cocoons, 1 medium, 5 small larvae, 6 eggs

Going well, second gen brood starting to hatch out now into larvae
Queen is bloated as hell, lots of eggs and food in her.
These girls sure love their raw honey comb.

[CoolColJ]

Queen update - Summer 20th January 2019


Myrmecia fulvipes, bull ant, 17-18mm queen
20mm test tube - in small outworld
1 cocoon

No change, and she hasn't touched any of insects bits I give her.


Camponotus cf nigriceps 19mm queen 1
20mm test tube, in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
1 coocon

Her only larvae left cocooned a few days ago...so poor nanitic will have no friends


Camponotus cf nigriceps 18mm queen 2
20mm test tube, in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
no eggs

releasing her this week


Camponotus aeneopilosus aka golden tail sugar ant - 12mm queen
16mm test tube - styrofoam double chamber setup - in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
1cocoon, 11 larvae

First coocoon spun this week. A few more large larvae in line.


Camponotus consobrinus 16-17mm queen 1
20mm test tube, in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
zero

She ate all her brood this week... releasing her soon...


Colobopsis macrocephala 9mm queen
16mm test tube - in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
4 eggs

Still at 4 eggs


Pheidole antipodum 14-15mm queens x 9
in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
All setups have a styro foam double chamber entrance

1) Dual queen - red dirt - cleared all the red dirt and heaped up it into a low wall at the middle of the test tube
1 nanitic - huge stack of eggs, larvae and some pupa
2) Dual queen - cardboard insert and aquarium filter wool water dam
big stack of eggs
3) queen with coco coir - moved all the coco coir against the cotton dam, wicking the water into it
big stack of brood - 10+ nanitics, 2 nanitic small majors, lots of brood
4) Queen with red dirt - moved the red dirt to block up the double chamber entrance
small clump of 15+ eggs
5) Queen - bare test tube
huge stack of brood, 75% larvae, a few pupa, one starting to yellow
6) Queen - bare test tube, former partner of queen 6
big stack of eggs , 30-40% larvae with some large ones
7) Queen - bare test tube, former partner of setup 2
big clump of eggs


Week 6 update
Setup 1 has a nanitic... but a queen has died
Setup 2 still at eggs...
Queen 3 doing well, and has over 10 nanitics now. Two nnaitic smaller majors have eclosed.
Queen 4 still a failure, with a tiny amount of eggs that don't hatch
Queen 5 is amazing, started way behind the others after separating her from queen 6, and one pupa is starting to yellow already!
Queen 6 larvae should be starting to pupate
Queen 7 laying more eggs, going well after being separated from setup 2 last week

Same write up as a few days ago nothing much has change
Although Queen 3 has a couple of small nanitic majors

Edited by CoolColJ, January 20 2019 - 12:16 AM.

[CoolColJ]

Pheidole antipodum 14-15mm queen 3
20mm test tube with coco coir, styrofoam double chamber entrance - heat cable
- moved all the coco coir against the cotton dam, wicking the water into it
2 nanitic small majors, 10+ nanitics, lots of brood

Managed to clean out some of the coir in the test tube.
The ants did the rest and cleaned up the debris.

Yeap there are 2 nanitic smaller majors running around now
One of them is larger than the other.
Bigger than the minor workers, but still tiny compared to the queen!
Looking forward to the larger majors to come

Ugh this test tube has has really bad distortion, so hard to get clear and sharp images at max magnification

click to enlarge






Whee bum scatch

Edited by CoolColJ, January 20 2019 - 12:29 AM.

[CoolColJ]

Fed all my ants baby wood roaches today and they all heartily approved, except for one Melophorus colony...

I have so many baby wood roaches, over 200 at this stage that I will have to cull some roaches later on.

 

 

Summer - 21st January 2019
 

Camponotus suffusus bendigensis 17mm queen 2
20mm Test tube - heat cable
7 nanitics - 5 cocoons, 1 medium, 5 small larvae, 6 eggs

 

I noticed a dark looking cocoon last night and figured it would eclose soon, and boom there it is a new worker eclosed today

Brood and colony is growing before my eyes.

Edited by CoolColJ, January 21 2019 - 1:56 AM.

[CoolColJ]

Pheidole antipodum 14mm queen 3
20mm test tube with coco coir, styrofoam double chamber entrance - heat cable
- moved all the coco coir against the cotton dam, wicking the water into it
2 nanitic smaller majors, 15+ nanitics, lots of brood

Dang, just like that into week 2 and already at 15 workers or so

I fed them their first baby wood roach, well half of one.
After they settled down, and dragged it ontop the brood pile, the rest of the ants piled in after the queen approved and munched into it

Need the protein for the super majors!

 

Edited by CoolColJ, January 21 2019 - 6:57 AM.

[CoolColJ]

Meat ant colony has been sold.

ant desk is looking nice and clean again

Only 3 ants I want now -

Carebara affinis
large Melophrous species
Polyrachis hookeri

[CoolColJ]

Summer 22nd January 2019

Melophorus sp.- red black 6-7mm queen
refillable gypsum plugged test tube connected to outworld - heatcable
1 Major, 3 minor workers - 1 cocoon, 1 large, 1 small larvae, 6+ eggs?

The flooding incident a few days ago has dried out and the ants have returned to the moist end of the tube nest.
Before today they had rescued some of the larvae, but thee was a cocoon stuck on the flooded side all this time.
I think it died as a I see a shriveled white thing they dumped outside

On the other hand another large larvae has cocooned which I see on the heat cable with a worker hugging it.
It's larger than the minor worker, so it's either a medial, major or something inbetween

As for the rest of the brood I have no idea how many exactly they have now after the flood...

I think one of the workers has died, I only see 3 instead of the 4 (well one was larger than the rest)
I saw a worker moving erratically a few days ago, so maybe this one died


Pheidole antipodum 14mm queen 3
20mm test tube with coco coir, styrofoam double chamber entrance - heat cable
- moved all the coco coir against the cotton dam, wicking the water into it
2 nanitic smaller majors, 15+ nanitics, lots of brood

 

There is so much brood already from the queen's first batch that there is already a mini brood tower happening.

She did lay over 100 eggs!

 

They munched on their first small cricket today, half of one.
Nanitic smaller majors really got into it.

The 2 mini majors have darkened a lot, their heads are now are darker orange-red.

There looks to be another mini major about to eclose.

I find it amusing to see the tiny workers and mini majors climb up the queen's legs and onto her to give her a good clean and scratch

Edited by CoolColJ, January 22 2019 - 5:24 AM.