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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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#441 Offline ANTdrew - Posted January 4 2021 - 6:32 AM

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Update 1-4-2021

 

 I'm happy to see this journal entering its fourth calendar year! Since joining GAN last spring, I've had far more interest in queen ant sales. Several customers are already asking for new colonies, so I decided to start up a few of my new Crematogaster cerasi queens yesterday, 1/3. This is about three weeks earlier than I usually start these, but they have been hibernating since early October.

 

 

I will put these in a plastic box and wrap them in a towel. I run a loop of heat cable under one side of the box to create a nice mini-greenhouse effect. This technique works like a charm for me every winter. This species takes about six weeks to get nanitics in conditions like this. It will be fun to have some cute mini- colonies soon! :)


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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.

#442 Offline Ants_Dakota - Posted January 4 2021 - 7:09 AM

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ah yes. i am looking at doing this as well. could you show a pic of your system?


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#443 Offline ANTdrew - Posted January 4 2021 - 7:35 AM

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This is what I do. The cable goes under the side opposite the water in the test tubes. I put a shoebox over everything for more darkness/ insulation as well.


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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.

#444 Offline ANTdrew - Posted January 6 2021 - 6:38 AM

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Here you can see how warm this mini-greenhouse gets for founding test tubes. B)

 


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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.

#445 Offline ANTdrew - Posted January 11 2021 - 8:59 AM

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Update 1-11-2020

 One week in, and my new 2021 queens have laid eggs. I won't take any pictures yet, as there's not much to see, and I don't want to disturb them. Should be five more weeks until the first adorable heart-butt nanitics. 

 

A queen I mailed last week got baked the very first day by a customer overdoing it with a heat cable. It has me seriously considering not selling through GAN anymore because it's almost a death sentence for the queens. In any case, go slow with heat, guys!

 

p.s. Can I get some help getting this journal back to 5 stars? A troll/ trolls dinged it last week.


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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.

#446 Offline KitsAntVa - Posted January 11 2021 - 9:03 AM

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its five stars now, I wonder who did that :D DEFINITLY NOT MEE


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We don’t talk about that

#447 Offline ANTdrew - Posted January 11 2021 - 9:05 AM

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My man!!!


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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.

#448 Offline TennesseeAnts - Posted January 11 2021 - 9:13 AM

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My man!!!

I contributed before he did!


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#449 Offline ANTdrew - Posted January 11 2021 - 9:27 AM

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Attaboy!
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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.

#450 Offline Kaelwizard - Posted January 11 2021 - 9:29 AM

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My man!!!

I contributed before he did!

 

Teacher's pet.  :wink:


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#451 Offline TennesseeAnts - Posted January 11 2021 - 9:33 AM

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My man!!!

I contributed before he did!

 

Teacher's pet.  :wink:

 

Better than some things I've been called on the internet... :lol:


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#452 Offline ANTdrew - Posted January 21 2021 - 7:18 AM

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Update 1-21-2021

 

Welp, only one of the three new queens has laid eggs so far after more than two weeks on heat. I'm more than a little bit disappointed because I could really use something interesting happening with my ants given the crap-fest going on in our country at the moment. Oh well, I still have one last queen on standby in my fridge. I hope she'll work out.


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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.

#453 Offline RushmoreAnts - Posted January 21 2021 - 8:01 AM

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Update 1-21-2021

 

Welp, only one of the three new queens has laid eggs so far after more than two weeks on heat. I'm more than a little bit disappointed because I could really use something interesting happening with my ants given the crap-fest going on in our country at the moment. Oh well, I still have one last queen on standby in my fridge. I hope she'll work out.

Ah, I know that feeling.


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#454 Offline ANTdrew - Posted January 26 2021 - 7:47 AM

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Update 1-26-2021

It is week three for my new queens, and still only one has brood. She has a nice pile, though, and is getting really physogastric! I took my last remaining queen out of the fridge yesterday and tapped her into a new tube this morning. I hope she is successful!

 

 


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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.

#455 Offline Temperateants - Posted January 26 2021 - 8:23 AM

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Lucky guy having enough crematogaster to sell on GAN! I only managed to find 1 queen last year after looking at noon-early afternoon for weeks. About selling, if you can deliver a queen physically, I'd do so. Be sure to have a supply of hand sanitizer, and wear plastic gloves+mask. I always send my customer a short guide on the basics of keeping ants. 


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#456 Offline Kaelwizard - Posted January 26 2021 - 10:26 AM

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Lucky guy having enough crematogaster to sell on GAN! I only managed to find 1 queen last year after looking at noon-early afternoon for weeks. About selling, if you can deliver a queen physically, I'd do so. Be sure to have a supply of hand sanitizer, and wear plastic gloves+mask. I always send my customer a short guide on the basics of keeping ants.

I have 4 somewhere in my house lol. Not sure where or if they are alive.

#457 Offline AleeGuy - Posted January 29 2021 - 1:57 PM

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Update 1-26-2021
It is week three for my new queens, and still only one has brood. She has a nice pile, though, and is getting really physogastric! I took my last remaining queen out of the fridge yesterday and tapped her into a new tube this morning. I hope she is successful!

Good luck! Is she on sale?

#458 Offline ANTdrew - Posted January 29 2021 - 2:08 PM

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I have a few people interested already. If I get several going, I can definitely sell you one.
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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.

#459 Offline AnthonyP163 - Posted January 29 2021 - 5:23 PM

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I remember reading a study a long time ago which found that more heat increased egg mortality in Solenopsis invicta. 

 

Obviously, that is very different from your queens, and I can't be certain about anything, but it's something I keep in mind as it could be similar for other ants. I never overdo the heat on founding queens for this fear. I do wonder if excessive heat prevents queens from being willing to lay eggs.

 

Perhaps it's worth slightly cooling down the founding queens some for the sake of egg-laying?


Edited by AnthonyP163, January 29 2021 - 5:24 PM.

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#460 Offline ANTdrew - Posted January 29 2021 - 5:45 PM

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That’s a good point, Anthony. I’ve had 100% success rate with seven queens of this species the last two winters heating them in the same way. Crematogaster are such heat crazy ants in general, so I’m not sure. I think I just got some dud queens, but I’ll keep waiting. There is also a heat gradient in their box because the back of the tubes is closer to 82. The one queen with eggs has them all bunched up closest to the heat at the front of her tube.
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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.
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