1787 replies to this topic

[CoolColJ]

someone might be sending me a Myrmecia nigrascapa queen in a few weeks time, free, as a thanks for my help

He collected some 14 alates and drones from two different nests and mated them

 

or could be Myrmecia gulosa, they look very similar

 

 

There is no trophallaxis but workers lay trophic eggs (non viable yolk sacs), which constitute the main channel of food exchange in the colony

 

click to enlarge

Edited by CoolColJ, February 5 2019 - 6:58 PM.

[Leo]

Bruh

[Rstheant]

I would die for some of those. You Aussies get the pick of the litter. Lucky....

[CoolColJ]

Summer 7th February 2019

Meat ant - Iridomyrmex purpureus 14mm queen
20mm test tube - styrofoam and heat cable incubator
5 nanitics, 5 pupa, 15+ larvae and eggs

Wasn't paying attention yesterday and boom just like that I now see 2 extra nanitics!
One looks to have eclosed today and so is not moving much yet

[CoolColJ]

I would die for some of those. You Aussies get the pick of the litter. Lucky....

Only missing a greater choice of Carebara ants, leaf cutter ants, and harvester/Messor type ants but everything else we have a choice or a substitute for

[YsTheAnt]

Another kind of ant AU doesn't have are honeypots, since Australian ones aren't legally catchable.

Edited by YsTheAnt, February 6 2019 - 10:52 PM.

[CoolColJ]

Another kind of ant AU doesn't have are honeypots, since Australian ones aren't legally catchable.

We have a Camponotus inflatus and Melophorus bagoti
The later is legal to catch

[CoolColJ]

Polyrhachis rufifemur 9mm queen
16mm test tube - heat cable
1 nanitic - 1 cocoon, 1 medium, 5 small larvae, 2 eggs

Sweet, the large larvae has started spinning a cocoon.
Please let this one get to maturity before opening it up.....

click

[CoolColJ]

Overview of some of my ant test tube setups sitting outside on a heat cable

Polyrhachis rufifemur, Camponotus suffusus bendigensis, Iridomyrmex pupureus, Pheidole antipodum queen 5

[CoolColJ]

Pheidole antipodum 14-15mm queens x 8
All setups have a styro foam double chamber entrance

in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
2) Dual queen - cardboard insert and aquarium filter wool water dam
big stack of eggs, some donated brood from queen 5, a few pupa
4) Queen with red dirt - moved the red dirt to block up the double chamber entrance
10+ nanitics, small clump of 15+ eggs, 5+ donated brood from queen 5 - mostly pupa
6) Queen - bare test tube, former partner of queen 5
5 nanitics, big stack of brood
7) Queen - bare test tube, former partner of setup 2
small clump of eggs, some donated brood from queen 5 and 6

Heat cable
1) Dual queen - red dirt - cleared all the red dirt and heaped up at the middle of the test tube
15+ nanitics - huge stack of brood
5) Queen - bare test tube
25+ nanitics - huge stack of brood



Setup1 - The dual queen setup with red dirt, the workers have flattened down and spread all the dirt on the floor yesterday.... for some reason...

Queen 5 - I saw multiple workers and mini majors riding on the queen for the first time:)
Starting to exhibt Carebara/Pheidologeton tendencies

click to enlarge

[CoolColJ]

Summer 8th February 2019

Camponotus suffusus bendigensis 17mm queen 2
20mm Test tube - heat cable
12 workers - 6 cocoons, 2 large, 10+ small larvae/egg
 
2 cocoons spun yesterday, so back up to a nice number of cocoons.

Should start seeing some medial or larger head workers soon.

[CoolColJ]

Meat ant - Iridomyrmex purpureus 14mm queen
20mm test tube - styrofoam and heat cable incubator
7 nanitics, 4 pupa, 15+ larvae and eggs

6th nanitic has eclosed, and the 7th should tonight.


Camponotus nigriceps 19mm queen
20mm test tube, in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
1 nanitic - 8 small larvae/eggs

First nanitic has eclosed, and it's definitely C.nigriceps.

3 weeks in cocoon stage, and 7 weeks total in my incubator @ 27C degrees

 

About 7-8mm so a little smaller than my C.suffusus nanitics.
She also laid another 2 eggs since Sunday

Gave them some raw honeycomb on a 3D printed dish.

I don't know if I will keep them...

click to enlarge

Edited by CoolColJ, February 8 2019 - 1:21 AM.

[Zeiss]

I guess I'm unaware of this, but why are Camponotus inflatus unobtainable?  I'm not aware of them being on any sort of list of protection.

[CoolColJ]

I guess I'm unaware of this, but why are Camponotus inflatus unobtainable?  I'm not aware of them being on any sort of list of protection.

 

Just a rumour, something to do with them found on aboriginal land

But having a look at sample locations, they seem to be found in quite a few different areas all around Australia....

 

In any case I have never seen them myself

Edited by CoolColJ, February 8 2019 - 1:26 AM.

[CoolColJ]

Camponotus suffusus bendigensis 17-18mm queen 1
20mm Test tube - in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
5 nanitics, 3 cocoons, 3 large, 1 medium larvae, 6 eggs/small larvae - raw honey dish
 
1 nanitic eclosed, but cocoon seems to have disappeared...
So 2 workers are all of her own, but I can't see much a difference between hers and the 3 donated brood workers.
 
3 workers still group nibbling on the piece of roach I gave them on Sunday
 
 
Pheidole antipodum 14-15mm queens x 8
All setups have a styro foam double chamber entrance

in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
2) Dual queen - cardboard insert and aquarium filter wool water dam
1 nanitic - big stack of eggs, some donated brood from queen 5, a few pupa, some yellow
4) Queen with red dirt - moved the red dirt to block up the double chamber entrance
10+ nanitics, small clump of 15+ eggs, 5+ donated brood from queen 5 - mostly pupa
6) Queen - bare test tube, former partner of queen 5
7 nanitics - some yellow pupa,  big stack of brood
7) Queen - bare test tube, former partner of setup 2
2 nanitics - small clump of eggs, some donated brood from queen 5 and 6 with a few yellow pupa

Heat cable
1) Dual queen - red dirt - cleared all the red dirt and heaped up at the middle of the test tube
15+ nanitics - huge stack of brood
5) Queen - bare test tube
25+ nanitics - huge stack of brood
 
I checked up on all the setups and they all have workers

But some from donated brood, so Setup 2 and queen 7 still have to prove their own brood will develop.

 

Dual queen Setup 2, the two largest and prettiest orange banded gaster queens, finally get a single nanitic, but a few yellow pupa as well. can't tell if they own brood has finally hatched into larvae or not...

Queen 7 has two nanitics, 1 minor and 1 mini major. A few more yellow pupa should eclose soon. Also a question mark on her own eggs, but she did lay a few weeks after the others.

Queen 6 has 2 more nanitics, 7 total.

 

I will likely sell 1-2 setups this weekend - queen 4 and maybe 5.

But queen 5 has the most workers for now, so I might keep them around longer for observation until setup 1 catches up.

Edited by CoolColJ, February 8 2019 - 2:08 AM.

[CoolColJ]

Melophorus sp.- black orange 7-8mm queen
Acrylic founding nest - heatcable
6 workers -  1 cocoon, large larvae, brood?

 

Finally a cocoon has been spun. A small one.

Still no sign of any majors

 

If this species is not polymorphic I will sell them.

[CoolColJ]

Summer 10th February 2019

Camponotus suffusus bendigensis 17mm queen 2
20mm Test tube - heat cable
12 workers - 7 cocoons, 2 large, 10+ small larvae/egg
 
Another cocoon spun last night!
I gave them small roach yesterday and their still munching on it.
So I won't need to feed them next week.

[ponerinecat]

I guess I'm unaware of this, but why are Camponotus inflatus unobtainable?  I'm not aware of them being on any sort of list of protection.

It's supposed to be a major sugar source for aboriginals.

[CoolColJ]

Colony update - Summer 10th February 2019

Opisthopsis Rufithorax (strobe ant) 10mm queen
Atom C nest inside circular outworld - tip of heat cable pressed against side of nest
60 workers, 15+ cocoons, tons of brood

Can't tell how many brood they have anymore, but a lot
They have been taking in small roaches twice this last week.


Melophorus sp.- black orange 7-8mm queen
Acrylic founding nest - heatcable
6 workers - 1 cocoon, large larvae, brood?

I thought all workers were the same size, but actually a few are larger

Polyrhachis rufifemur 9mm queen
16mm test tube - heat cable
1 nanitic - 1 cocoon, 1 medium, 5 small larvae, 2 eggs


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

Released them... put their test tube outside, open, under some loose rocks.
Will check back up on them, if they haven't moved out by next Sunday I'm dumping them out...


Camponotus suffusus bendigensis 17-18mm queen 1
20mm Test tube - in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
5 nanitics, 3 cocoons, 3 large, 1 medium larvae, 6 eggs/small larvae



Camponotus suffusus bendigensis 17mm queen 2
20mm Test tube - heat cable
12 workers - 7 cocoons, 2 large, 10+ small larvae/egg


Meat ant - Iridomyrmex purpureus 14mm queen
20mm test tube - styrofoam and heat cable incubator
7 nanitics, 8 pupa, 15+ larvae and eggs

Damn, another 5 pupa popped up.
Anyway I will be selling these girls this week.




Camponotus aeneopilosus aka golden tail sugar ant - 12mm queen
16mm test tube - styrofoam double chamber setup - in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
1 drone - 15 larvae

Damn none of the larvae are near cocooning yet...need to find out if all are drones or not..


Camponotus cf nigriceps 19mm queen
20mm test tube, in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
1 nanitic - 6 small larvae, 2 eggs

Gave them their first protein meal last night.
Stuck a piece of roach on the dish, the queen dragged the whole thing, dish and all to the water side!
Had to get the dish, and that piece of cricket out today...
They like to hang out right next to the exit cotton, so yeah makes it hard to feed... guess they like it dry...


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

Still no eggs yet


Pheidole antipodum 14-15mm queens x 7
All setups have a styro foam double chamber entrance

in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
2) Dual queen - cardboard insert and aquarium filter wool water dam
1 nanitic - big stack of eggs, some donated brood from queen 5, a few pupa, some yellow
4) Queen with red dirt - moved the red dirt to block up the double chamber entrance
10+ nanitics, small clump of 15+ eggs, 5+ donated brood from queen 5 - mostly pupa
7) Queen - bare test tube, former partner of setup 2
2 nanitics - small clump of eggs, some donated brood from queen 5 and 6 with a few yellow pupa

Heat cable
1) Dual queen - red dirt - cleared all the red dirt and heaped up at the middle of the test tube
15+ nanitics - huge stack of brood
5) Queen - bare test tube
30 nanitics - huge stack of brood

Sold queen 6

Setup 1 has a lot of brood, but not too many ready to eclose yet
Setup 2 the largest and prettiest queens still have a lot of unhatched eggs.
Just the single nanitic from donated brood.
Pinning my hopes on these two!

Queen 5 has the most workers, around 30 and a good sized amount of brood

Edited by CoolColJ, February 10 2019 - 2:54 AM.

[CoolColJ]

Queen update - Summer 10th February 2019

My only workerless queen left - I need to start capturing more

Colobopsis macrocephala 9mm queen
16mm test tube - in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
1 pupa and 1 large larvae, 4 eggs

Wow she has a pupa already!
That was so quick from that small larvae to pupa, 1 week.
The other large larvae is also pupating, and all her eggs have also hatched.

 

She still hangs out at the cotton exit so she's like my nigriceps queen, they like it dry.

Since these are wood dwelling aboreal species I can see why.

Gonna be a pain to feed....

 

click to enlarge

Edited by CoolColJ, February 11 2019 - 1:59 AM.