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ANTdrew's Crematogaster Divas Journal -Reboot!

Started By ANTdrew , Oct 20 2018 5:49 PM
antdrew crematogaster journal divas

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680 replies to this topic

#361 Offline TechAnt - Posted August 27 2020 - 8:32 AM

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Yay, update! :D


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My Ants:
(x1) Campontous semitstaceus ~20 workers, 1 Queen
(x1) Camponotus vicinus ~10 workers, 1 Queen (all black variety)
(x1) Tetramorium immigrans ~100 workers, 1 Queen
(x1) Myrmercocystus mexicanus -1 Queen
(x2) Mymercocystus mimcus -1 Queen
(x1) Mymercocystus testaceus ~45 workers, 1 Queen

#362 Offline ANTdrew - Posted September 2 2020 - 6:48 AM

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Update 9-2-2020

 

 The world was a different place two years ago: live sports were still a thing, you could shake hands, American cities didn't look like war zones, and there were still places you could go "where everybody knows your name." And on this date two years ago, I found my Crematogaster queen, Sigyn, crawling on a picnic table.

 

 

 What a ride it's been!

 

 Since getting her first nanitics in March 2019, this colony has grown steadily, found ways to escape, gone through three different set ups, had male alates, and found MORE ways to escape. They remain a living link to a happier time for me, and they are still my favorite colony. This post is basically just a tribute to my Divas on their "Nuptial Day."

 

 
Timeline of Escapes:
 
<--May 2019: Overcame Fluon -- July 2019: Overcame Fluon again -- March 2019: Found a gap in their Nucleus -- April 2020: Chewed through hot glue --
- Early May 2020: Chewed another hole in hot glue -- Late May 2020: Chewed yet another hole in hot glue -- August 2020: Chewed through mounting putty-->
 
Current photos of the front of their Nucleus and their massive pile of larvae in the back. They are poised for a big population boom soon:
 
 

 


Edited by ANTdrew, September 2 2020 - 6:54 AM.

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"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#363 Offline Ants_Dakota - Posted September 2 2020 - 6:50 AM

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Massive amount of larvae and eggs! Awesome colony!


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Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. -Proverbs 6: 6-8

My Nationwide Ant Shop Here I have PPQ-526 permits to ship ants nationwide

Attention Ant-Keepers in South Dakota! Join the SoDak(Society Of Dakotan Ant Keepers)

My Formica sp. Journal

My Lasius sp. Journal

My Micro Ants Journal

My Pogonomyrmex occidentalis Journal

#364 Offline Antkid12 - Posted September 2 2020 - 7:07 AM

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Nice!


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Ants I have: Tapinoma sessile(2 queen colony). RED MORPH Camponotus neacticus(now has pupae!), Tetramorium immigrans (x3), Aphaenogaster sp, Temnothorax sp, Brachymyrmex sp.   possibly infertile   :(,  Ponera pennsylvanica, and Pheidole morrisi!  :yahoo: 

 

Other insects: Polistes sp. Queen

                    

Ants I need: Pheidole sp., Trachymyrmex sp., Crematogaster cerasi , Dorymyrmex sp. Most wanted: Pheidole morrisii

 

                    

                   

 

 

#365 Offline TennesseeAnts - Posted September 2 2020 - 11:54 AM

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My colony just died out. All 1k+ workers.


My Main Journal | My Neivamyrmex Journal | My Ant Adoption | My YouTube

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#366 Offline TechAnt - Posted September 2 2020 - 12:02 PM

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that's terrible! RIP. Any idea on how it happened?


My Ants:
(x1) Campontous semitstaceus ~20 workers, 1 Queen
(x1) Camponotus vicinus ~10 workers, 1 Queen (all black variety)
(x1) Tetramorium immigrans ~100 workers, 1 Queen
(x1) Myrmercocystus mexicanus -1 Queen
(x2) Mymercocystus mimcus -1 Queen
(x1) Mymercocystus testaceus ~45 workers, 1 Queen

#367 Offline ANTdrew - Posted September 2 2020 - 12:13 PM

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My colony just died out. All 1k+ workers.

No! How??
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#368 Offline ANTdrew - Posted September 7 2020 - 10:14 AM

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Photo Update 9-7-2020

 

 The Divas have a huge mound of larvae and pupae conveniently piled up on the floor of the their Nucleus. This photo doesn't really show how big it really is, but you can get an idea.

 

 Yesterday I fed them a female katydid. I felt kind of bad killing such a noble creature, but they loved it. It is entirely skeletonized now. It oddly turned brown when I flash boiled it.


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"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#369 Offline Kaelwizard - Posted September 7 2020 - 11:27 AM

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At least the katydid was not wasted.


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#370 Offline ANTdrew - Posted September 7 2020 - 11:58 AM

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At least the katydid was not wasted.

Definitely not! Cool moth profile pic.
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#371 Offline Kaelwizard - Posted September 7 2020 - 12:00 PM

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At least the katydid was not wasted.

Definitely not! Cool moth profile pic.
Thanks I found that moth months ago.
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#372 Offline AmazingAnts - Posted September 10 2020 - 1:15 PM

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This colony looks great, I hope that the it really booms. Do you how big do these colonies tend to get in captivity?

#373 Offline RushmoreAnts - Posted September 10 2020 - 1:19 PM

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My colony just died out. All 1k+ workers.

No! How??

 

Yes, what a tragedy....... I second ANTdrew's inquiry, though.


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"God made..... all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds (including ants). And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:25 NIV version

 

Keeping:

Tetramorium immigrans

Formica cf. pallidefulva, cf. incerta, cf. argentea

Formica cf. aserva, cf. subintegra

Pogonomyrmex occidentalis

Pheidole bicarinata

Myrmica sp.

Lasius neoniger, brevicornis

#374 Offline TennesseeAnts - Posted September 10 2020 - 2:19 PM

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My colony just died out. All 1k+ workers.

No! How??

 

Yes, what a tragedy....... I second ANTdrew's inquiry, though.

 

Idk, they just died.... It totally wasn't any sort of neglect... And I did NOT  let their water tower run dry by accident...


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My Main Journal | My Neivamyrmex Journal | My Ant Adoption | My YouTube

Join the TennesseeAnts Discord Server! https://discord.gg/JbKwPgs

#375 Offline ANTdrew - Posted September 10 2020 - 4:34 PM

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This colony looks great, I hope that the it really booms. Do you how big do these colonies tend to get in captivity?

Thank you! The two other keepers who had large colonies of these both just lost theirs within a week of each other. I think that makes this colony one of the largest in captivity. I will do my utmost to see how far I can carry them.
Few people get to very large colonies of these because the species is so good at escaping and the unfortunate bias many have against keeping small ants.

Edited by ANTdrew, September 10 2020 - 4:48 PM.

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"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#376 Offline KitsAntVa - Posted September 10 2020 - 4:39 PM

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I have a colony of crematogaster and maybe they will get this big one day!
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We don’t talk about that

#377 Offline Ants_Dakota - Posted September 11 2020 - 9:03 AM

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My colony just died out. All 1k+ workers.

No! How??

 

Yes, what a tragedy....... I second ANTdrew's inquiry, though.

 

Idk, they just died.... It totally wasn't any sort of neglect... And I did NOT  let their water tower run dry by accident...

Too bad :(  I do that all the time. My colonies are just really lucky. I am getting better though.


  • TennesseeAnts likes this

Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. -Proverbs 6: 6-8

My Nationwide Ant Shop Here I have PPQ-526 permits to ship ants nationwide

Attention Ant-Keepers in South Dakota! Join the SoDak(Society Of Dakotan Ant Keepers)

My Formica sp. Journal

My Lasius sp. Journal

My Micro Ants Journal

My Pogonomyrmex occidentalis Journal

#378 Offline RushmoreAnts - Posted September 11 2020 - 10:31 AM

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Unfortunately due to an increasingly busy schedule, I have been neglecting my ants as well. Tomorrow they’re gonna get some serious attention.
  • TennesseeAnts and Ants_Dakota like this

"God made..... all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds (including ants). And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:25 NIV version

 

Keeping:

Tetramorium immigrans

Formica cf. pallidefulva, cf. incerta, cf. argentea

Formica cf. aserva, cf. subintegra

Pogonomyrmex occidentalis

Pheidole bicarinata

Myrmica sp.

Lasius neoniger, brevicornis

#379 Offline ANTdrew - Posted September 20 2020 - 12:01 PM

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Update 9-20-2020

This colony is doing really great now. I feel like I wasted this season in a way, though. Early on, my wife asked me to move them out of the kitchen, where they were always super warm due to our cooking, and into our living room on some dedicated ant shelves. What woman wouldn't want her kitchen full of ants?? They did fine, but their growth sort of plateaued. But ever since I taped a heat cable on the back of their Nucleus a month ago, they have really taken off with tons of brood and new workers! They probably could have gotten more alates if I'd heated them the whole way through. Lesson learned.

Two funny things happened this week. The first was when I noticed a big pile of shredded cotton under one of the extra entrance holes in their outworld that I had plugged with a cotton ball. I realized that it was only a matter of time before they shredded enough for yet another jail break, so I replaced it with a solid rubber stopper. Back to the drawing board, Divas! Muahahahahahahah!

They also tipped over a large a byFormica liquid feeder that I filled with water. For some reason they started building some tunnels under some clumps of sand in their outworld, and somehow managed to knock the whole thing over. I found that pretty amusing. My life must be pretty dull.

Glamour shots and a GIF:





Edited by ANTdrew, September 20 2020 - 6:07 PM.

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"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#380 Offline Fatatoille - Posted September 20 2020 - 12:05 PM

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Good to see them back on track.


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Prawn and Mayo sandwiches taste nice.

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