78 replies to this topic

[MrPurpleB]

Using a water dropped to directly hydrate the nest of my P.Californicus of an stom nest through one of the extension holes. I overwatered once and killed them, the colony was growing well.

Allowing my C.Fragilis to escape.

[FSTP]

not joining this forum sooner. I lurked for like almost two years before joining, lol

[Hightlyze]

Meeting Leo

[Mettcollsuss]

I have killed/almost killed a few colonies in my time by forgetting to water them  : /

[Manitobant]

My biggest mistakes were dropping and breaking my tube of solenopsis molesta and the whole colony subsequently dying from stress, not feeding a tetramorium simillimum queen thinking she was fully claustral (she was not), and killing off numerous formica subsericea colonies I found by experimenting with new setups and DIY formicariums.

[Ferox_Formicae]

Found my first ever Odontomachus queen, Odontomachus ruginodis, and set her down on a large table outside so I could open a container. She started freaking out for a few seconds and then died. I picked her up and felt the table and it was extremely hot. Yes, I boiled an Odontomachus ruginodis queen...

[Pumpkin_Loves_Ants]

When I started heating my ants I thought little heat = good so lots of heat = even better! Turns out enjoying the heat is much harder when your test tube is flooding. RIP Two Tetramorium Immigran and a Formica queen.

Edited by Pumpkin_Loves_Ants, September 18 2019 - 7:24 AM.

[ANTdrew]

My biggest regrets are the times I released a Monomorium minimum and a Solenopsis molesta queen thinking they were too small. I’ve learned that these are fun ants to keep, but I didn’t find any new queens this year.

[Ferox_Formicae]

Once, I found a colony of Linepithema humile at a pool when I was still very new to the hobby, and found a small colony of yellowish, slow moving ants within the mass, all laid out in a circle and moving around very slowly. I had no idea what the were, so I just left them alone. In hindsight, I just let an entire Strumigenys membranifera colony go to waste...

[Major]

Taking a break from ant keeping for almost a year. And then selling all my bugs for ridiculously low prices. I sold a massive true hair tarantula plus four smaller tarantulas for 40 bucks total when i could have sold all for like 350. And then selling my mantids, roches, mealworms, and of course ants. 

[DJoseph98]

I found a six worker Camonotus pennsylvanicus colony in a small log that I decided to place in a jar. When it got really cold in my dorm I left them on top of a wax melter intending to leave them only for a few minutes. I was letting my xbox run to get warm so I could put them next to it but decided to get them warm quick since my dorm was around 65F. I fell asleep for about two hours and when I woke up all of the colony was at the top of the log scratching at the lid, the wood had been charred on the bottom, and their leftover insect meals had sort of melted and charred. They must have thought it was armageddon.
Needless to say, they did not survive my very idiotic and frequent mistakes leading me to join this forum when they finally perished so I could do better next time around.

[ponerinecat]

Killing a formica queen and eating some S.xyloni workers.

[Guy_Fieri]

Killing a formica queen and eating some S.xyloni workers.

You can't just tell us you ate Solenopsis and not give us some context.

[Silq]

I sliced the back of a tetramorium queen. You could see the white inside. I was moving a tube connector and she was hiding under it and I didn't see her. She walked away and seemed fine but then she had a worker riding her wound. She was cut in half the next day.

Sent from my LM-G710 using Tapatalk

[Silq]

Killing a formica queen and eating some S.xyloni workers.

You can't just tell us you ate Solenopsis and not give us some context.

Details coming out on your next episode

Sent from my LM-G710 using Tapatalk

[Dnail]

threw away Odontoponera queen who I thought was dead, after pokking her so many times and she remained silent so I thought she was dead.

after I threw it away, I saw her running. she faked her death 

[Manitobant]

Killing a formica queen and eating some S.xyloni workers.

did they sting you? That must've hurt lol

[Ferox_Formicae]

I've had aspirator mishaps twice before. The first time I was collecting some Brachyponera chinensis queens, but the mesh wasn't fine enough. They got sucked right into the back of my throat and both of them stunk my uvula... That was an absolutely miserable night and it was incredibly difficult to breathe. More recently with my new aspirator, two very small, brightly colored Solenopsis invicta workers crawled up into the suction tube of my aspirator. When I was trying to collect a Cyphomyrmex rimosus worker, the two ants were sucked into my mouth and one of them stung my tongue.

[ponerinecat]

 

Killing a formica queen and eating some S.xyloni workers.

You can't just tell us you ate Solenopsis and not give us some context.

 

They decided my aspirator tube was nice enough to start nesting in

[NickAnter]

Knocking over a mini-hearth, shattering the outworld, smashing the only worker pupa the colony had made in months, and now I am left with a single Camponotus hyatti queen,
Worker dead .