12 replies to this topic

[RobertJ]

I currently have two P. rugosus queens that are happily laying eggs in their test tubes. My question is if I should offer them some poppy seeds or sugar water or maybe some cricket bits during this time? Also, How well can they climb? I am going to be transferring them into THA Mini Hearths that have the top outworld instead of the side outworld and I am curious if they will be able to climb up the ceiling and into the joining tube to get out into the outworld? Thanks for any and all help folks.

 

Robert

[RobertJ]

@Scrixx have you any input??

[FSTP]

P. rugosus is fully claustral as far as I'm aware. They'll be fine. Start offering foods when they have workers.

Edited by FSTP, November 13 2018 - 9:49 AM.

[Scrixx]

I currently have two P. rugosus queens that are happily laying eggs in their test tubes. My question is if I should offer them some poppy seeds or sugar water or maybe some cricket bits during this time? Also, How well can they climb? I am going to be transferring them into THA Mini Hearths that have the top outworld instead of the side outworld and I am curious if they will be able to climb up the ceiling and into the joining tube to get out into the outworld? Thanks for any and all help folks.

 

Robert

@Scrixx have you any input??

 

Hi, just so you know tagging people with @ doesn't send messages or notifications.

 

Like FSTP said, Pogonomyrmex rugosus are fully claustral and do not need to be fed while founding. When did you catch them? At this month last year all my Pogonomyrmex rugosus slowed down and didn't develop new brood. Even my colony right now has slowed down with no brood despite being heated. If they don't develop new brood just keep them until it starts warming up again.

 

Even though they're fully claustral I have offered them cricket legs and they accepted it during founding. It's safer not to feed but I'm just sharing that I've had queens eat protein while founding. If you do feed be careful of mold. They're also fine accepting dried cricket legs which may help prevent mold as well.

 

Good luck!

[venator]

Here you go: https://www.asu.edu/...mrex queens.htm

[FSTP]

Here you go: https://www.asu.edu/...mrex queens.htm

 

 

that's a good read. But man those setups look primative. However I do know there is no utility in aesthics in a lab environment. But still. I think a common thing for founding seems to be that a dirt/substrate based founding setup seems to be prime and likely to have the most success. . All my Pogonomyrmex rugosus queens are in a shot gun blast of varius founding setups from commericailly available sutups to home made ones I've deatialed how to make in my journal, to simple test tubes. so for only the test tube and homemade style founding systems have eggs but I'll see how everything else goes. 

[RobertJ]

I have one of them in a test tube and the other in a THA Mini Hearth. The test tube one eats her eggs while the THA one has a pile. She is super active and responsive as well which is great.

[YsTheAnt]

I got 15 queens recently, put 3 in dirt a week ago. Today I saw one of them has 25+ eggs. My Pogonomyrmex subdentadus queens have all laid huge egg piles the moment they entered the dirt as well, easily 20 probably more. Dirt seems to be the best way to found these in my experience.

[RobertJ]

The P. rugosus queen that had the large egg pile ate them after carig for them for two weeks...I don't know what is going on going on with them. They are heated as well and not disturbed...I'm confused.

[LearningAntz]

The P. rugosus queen that had the large egg pile ate them after carig for them for two weeks...I don't know what is going on going on with them. They are heated as well and not disturbed...I'm confused.

Might be due to a lack of food? My semi-claustral queens can consume 2-3 fruit flies a day and even more when they have larvae. How much and how often are you feeding them?

[FSTP]

 

The P. rugosus queen that had the large egg pile ate them after carig for them for two weeks...I don't know what is going on going on with them. They are heated as well and not disturbed...I'm confused.

Might be due to a lack of food? My semi-claustral queens can consume 2-3 fruit flies a day and even more when they have larvae. How much and how often are you feeding them?

 

 

 

Pogonomyrmex rugosus is fully claustral, so naturally feeding isn't required until she has her first nanitics. Stress can often cause queens to consume their eggs. What those stressors are I'm not sure. But merely observing them can be stressful for some overly sensitive queens, the "observer effect" for instance.

[RobertJ]

Well one issue may be due to them possibly not being fertile. These were caught in a flight that occurred in October after a rain. They were all caught while being observed digging founding chambers. There has been a lot of speculation as to whether or not they are fertile seeing as they didn't fly during their normal time of July-August. However they did lose their wings after being caught so that may be a clue.

Edited by RobertJ, November 26 2018 - 12:15 PM.

[LearningAntz]

The P. rugosus queen that had the large egg pile ate them after carig for them for two weeks...I don't know what is going on going on with them. They are heated as well and not disturbed...I'm confused.

Might be due to a lack of food? My semi-claustral queens can consume 2-3 fruit flies a day and even more when they have larvae. How much and how often are you feeding them?

Pogonomyrmex rugosus is fully claustral, so naturally feeding isn't required until she has her first nanitics. Stress can often cause queens to consume their eggs. What those stressors are I'm not sure. But merely observing them can be stressful for some overly sensitive queens, the "observer effect" for instance.

Ah, saw Pogonomyrmex and thought semi-claustral. Forgot that exception. I apologize.

Still, my fully claustral Formica queens caught in July weren’t laying eggs and I recently fed all of them a bunch of fruit flies and now 20+ have eggs, larvae, and pupae.