Jump to content

  • Gallery
  • Members
  • Member Map
  • Chat
  •  
  •  

Welcome to Formiculture.com!

This is a website for anyone interested in Myrmecology and all aspects of finding, keeping, and studying ants. The site and forum are free to use. Register now to gain access to all of our features. Once registered and logged in, you will be able to create topics, post replies to existing threads, give reputation points to your fellow members, get your own private messenger, post status updates, manage your profile and so much more. If you already have an account, login here - otherwise create an account for free today!

Photo

ANTdrew's Crematogaster Divas Journal -Reboot!

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

  • Please log in to reply
680 replies to this topic

#421 Offline Kaelwizard - Posted October 8 2020 - 2:39 PM

Kaelwizard

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 2,852 posts
  • LocationPoway, California
Wow just wow. My trio escaped through a hole smaller than them and my single queen died.

#422 Offline TennesseeAnts - Posted October 8 2020 - 2:50 PM

TennesseeAnts

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 4,925 posts
  • LocationNashville, Tennessee

Yeah, C. lineolata have really small colonies when kept monogyne.


  • ANTdrew likes this

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

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

#423 Online ANTdrew - Posted October 8 2020 - 4:04 PM

ANTdrew

    Advanced Member

  • Moderators
  • PipPipPip
  • 9,930 posts
  • LocationAlexandria, VA

Wow just wow. My trio escaped through a hole smaller than them and my single queen died.

What!?!?!
  • That_one_ant_guy likes this
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#424 Offline Kaelwizard - Posted October 9 2020 - 11:05 AM

Kaelwizard

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 2,852 posts
  • LocationPoway, California

Wow just wow. My trio escaped through a hole smaller than them and my single queen died.

What!?!?!
Hopefully they turn up. I’d rather not have 3 loose queens in my room that could survive and invade my other pets enclosures.

#425 Online ANTdrew - Posted October 11 2020 - 5:15 AM

ANTdrew

    Advanced Member

  • Moderators
  • PipPipPip
  • 9,930 posts
  • LocationAlexandria, VA
Yesterday I found several myrmecophile crickets living with Tapinoma sessile in my wood pile. I managed to catch one, and decided to try introducing it to my mega-colony. I chilled the cricket with some workers in my fridge overnight, then dumped them in the foraging area this morning. The ants got pretty aggressive, so I don’t know if they’ll accept the poor critter.
  • Boog and Dry_Twig like this
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#426 Online ANTdrew - Posted October 11 2020 - 5:11 PM

ANTdrew

    Advanced Member

  • Moderators
  • PipPipPip
  • 9,930 posts
  • LocationAlexandria, VA
I think the cricket ended up as lunch. I can’t see it anymore in ant case.
  • TennesseeAnts and Boog like this
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#427 Online ANTdrew - Posted October 24 2020 - 7:37 AM

ANTdrew

    Advanced Member

  • Moderators
  • PipPipPip
  • 9,930 posts
  • LocationAlexandria, VA

Update 10-24-2020

 This journal recently hit the two-year mark. I hope to keep it running many more years, God willing. Sigyn's colony has grown tremendously in the past two months, perhaps at a quicker rate than ever before. I can hardly keep up with their nectar consumption. The largest size byFormica mega-feeders get emptied in four days. I figured it's time now to take them off heat and start preparing them for diapause. It will be really nice having a break from these girls for a few months, but I think next season will bring awesome things for this colony. The sky is the limit at this point.

 

A photo and a GIF depicting how full their massive outworld is. They go all Braveheart whenever I lift the lid and stream up the sides: "FREEDOM!"

 
 
I put my new queens in the fridge last week wrapped up in a towel. For whatever reason, seeing big fat Crematogaster queens makes me happier than any other species.

 

 

 

 


  • nurbs, FeedTheAnts, skocko76 and 4 others like this
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#428 Offline Spazmops - Posted October 24 2020 - 7:56 AM

Spazmops

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 558 posts
  • LocationDenver, Colorado

The GIFs really show the constant activity of this colony, much better than a still image could.


  • ANTdrew and Boog like this

Co-owner and founder of Mountain Myrmeculture and The Menagerie Discord Server. 

Ants I have:

1 Formica fusca group- 0 workers

1 Tetramorium immigrans colony-20 workers

1 Dorymyrmex insanus- 1 queen, used to have workers

 

1 large P. occidentalis colony- around 50 workers, plenty of brood

 

 

#429 Offline Kaelwizard - Posted October 28 2020 - 8:07 AM

Kaelwizard

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 2,852 posts
  • LocationPoway, California

:o


  • ANTdrew likes this

#430 Online ANTdrew - Posted November 24 2020 - 7:03 AM

ANTdrew

    Advanced Member

  • Moderators
  • PipPipPip
  • 9,930 posts
  • LocationAlexandria, VA

Update 11-24-2020

 

 Sigyn and her Divas are finally in sleepy time, hopefully counting aphids in their dreams. You haven't lived until you've driven 3,000+ ants across town to hibernate. Honestly it was quite stressful and a bunch of water sloshed up out of their water towers during the drive (I wish I had thought to empty them beforehand). Crematogaster never freak out about anything, though, so it's all good. I'll probably be leaving them down in the cold basement until March or even later if I want more of a break. Stay tuned.

 

 Here's me driving them. I kept one hand on the Nucleus III the whole way to keep it from moving. The only thing comparable was driving my newborn human larvae home from the hospital for the first time.

 

 

Attached Images

  • IMG-8663.JPG

Edited by ANTdrew, March 2 2021 - 10:42 AM.

  • AnthonyP163, Boog, RushmoreAnts and 2 others like this
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#431 Online ANTdrew - Posted December 6 2020 - 11:16 AM

ANTdrew

    Advanced Member

  • Moderators
  • PipPipPip
  • 9,930 posts
  • LocationAlexandria, VA

Update 12-6-2020

 

 My Crematogaster mega-colony is happily hibernating now in my parents' unheated basement. The temperature down there should steadily drop into the mid 40s as winter progresses. I took advantage to do a deep cleaning of their foraging container. Seeing it this clean and empty is deeply satisfying. You gotta love diapause!

 

Before:

 
After:

 

 


  • AnthonyP163, Boog, RushmoreAnts and 2 others like this
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#432 Offline Spazmops - Posted December 6 2020 - 1:19 PM

Spazmops

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 558 posts
  • LocationDenver, Colorado

I'm envious of how clean that outworld is! It must be nice to get a break from the constant escape attempts.


  • ANTdrew and Swirlysnowflake like this

Co-owner and founder of Mountain Myrmeculture and The Menagerie Discord Server. 

Ants I have:

1 Formica fusca group- 0 workers

1 Tetramorium immigrans colony-20 workers

1 Dorymyrmex insanus- 1 queen, used to have workers

 

1 large P. occidentalis colony- around 50 workers, plenty of brood

 

 

#433 Offline Ants_Dakota - Posted December 7 2020 - 7:10 AM

Ants_Dakota

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 2,376 posts
  • LocationSioux Falls, South Dakota

crematogaster is just like my myrmica. really messy. 


  • ANTdrew 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

#434 Offline RushmoreAnts - Posted December 7 2020 - 8:08 AM

RushmoreAnts

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 4,244 posts
  • LocationSioux Falls, South Dakota

Pogonomyrmex are actually fairly neat in terms of their outworlds.


  • ANTdrew likes 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

#435 Online ANTdrew - Posted December 7 2020 - 8:29 AM

ANTdrew

    Advanced Member

  • Moderators
  • PipPipPip
  • 9,930 posts
  • LocationAlexandria, VA

Yeah, Crematogaster are total slobs.


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

#436 Offline M_Ants - Posted December 7 2020 - 1:20 PM

M_Ants

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 1,413 posts
  • LocationSan Diego CA

Really? So far my colony is pretty clean. 


Veromessor pergandei

Veromessor andrei

Crematogaster sp. 

Pogonomyrmex cf cali and rugosus

Various Pheidole

C. yogi 

https://www.youtube....FG7utFVBA/about

#437 Offline RushmoreAnts - Posted December 7 2020 - 2:04 PM

RushmoreAnts

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 4,244 posts
  • LocationSioux Falls, South Dakota

Really? So far my colony is pretty clean.

How large is it?

"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

#438 Offline DDD101DDD - Posted December 7 2020 - 2:18 PM

DDD101DDD

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 684 posts
  • LocationNew York

Here's something I heard you should try next year. When they put their trash in places you don't like, move their trash to somewhere you want them to put it and they might put their trash in the area you put their old trash if you keep on doing it.


  • ANTdrew and Ants_Dakota like this

He travels, he seeks the p a r m e s a n.

#439 Online ANTdrew - Posted December 7 2020 - 2:19 PM

ANTdrew

    Advanced Member

  • Moderators
  • PipPipPip
  • 9,930 posts
  • LocationAlexandria, VA

Really? So far my colony is pretty clean.

You have a different species, too, I believe.
  • Ants_Dakota likes this
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#440 Offline M_Ants - Posted December 7 2020 - 2:26 PM

M_Ants

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 1,413 posts
  • LocationSan Diego CA

They are fairly small right now. Maybe 20 workers or so. When they were in a test tube they made food disappear.  


Veromessor pergandei

Veromessor andrei

Crematogaster sp. 

Pogonomyrmex cf cali and rugosus

Various Pheidole

C. yogi 

https://www.youtube....FG7utFVBA/about

Back to Ant Keeping Journals · Next Unread Topic →



Also tagged with one or more of these keywords: antdrew, crematogaster, journal, divas

1 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 1 guests, 0 anonymous users