52 replies to this topic

[TennesseeAnts]

I found a colony of these guys in a large rotting tree. I caught 7 queens and around 250-300 workers. I put them in a terrarium I made for my earwigs, and they have dug a small nest but the queens still hide in the old test tube with 20 workers guarding the huge amount of eggs. They are supposedly termite predators, but they eat crickets, mealworms, sugar water and other ants. (Camponotus subbarbatus alates.)

Edited by Ant_Dude2908, May 30 2019 - 4:37 AM.

[Rstheant]

Nice, I hear these pack a punch with the sting even though they are small. I didn’t know they have multiple queen colonies. Cool find though.

Jealous 101

[TennesseeAnts]

Very painful sting. A worker climbed up my forceps and stung me in the back of my thumb yesterday. Still red and it still itches.

[Rstheant]

That’s why it called needle ant. They should call it Asian killer ant or something. So much for not aggressive.

Edited by Rstheant, February 28 2019 - 3:28 PM.

[TennesseeAnts]

More like Asian Red Hot Needle Ant.

[Rstheant]

Are the earwigs still in the nest? The can potentially cause havoc in the nest if they discover it. Also, you might want to put them in a ‘tubes and tubs’ setup to increase visibility. Not to sure, haven’t done much research on these species.

Edited by Rstheant, March 2 2019 - 4:18 PM.

[TennesseeAnts]

I did not think so. Until the ants broke open the earwig nest. Everyone died...

[sirjordanncurtis]

Wait what now?

[Rstheant]

Wait, the ants and earwigs died?

[TennesseeAnts]

The earwigs...
They were all just babies too...

[TennesseeAnts]

3-4-19

 

The queens and eggs were moved into the nest today! They are eating a small beetle for today. Their nest now extends the entire terrarium. They have gotten more aggressive too...

[TennesseeAnts]

3-13-19

 

They ate a few drywood termites today! They went crazy for them. I am guessing they have lots of brood now, because they have been eating tons of protein lately.

[TennesseeAnts]

3-15-19

 

They definitely have some larvae, as they just ate 10 more termites. 

[ponerinecat]

most wood nesting speicies seem to like termites.

[TennesseeAnts]

My Camponotus chromaiodes don't really like them.

[ponerinecat]

huh. I,ve never tried termites on camponautus, but speicies like formica and most wood nesting semi-claustrals seem to like them. there's actually some ants that nest only in termite iinfested wood.

[TennesseeAnts]

I know the others love them. Not Camponotus though.

[Rstheant]

You might want to put them in a ‘tubes and tubs’ setup to increase visibility.

Edited by Rstheant, March 16 2019 - 11:28 AM.

[TennesseeAnts]

These ants don't do good at all in test-tubes.
3-16-19

I found a queen in a log, so I added her to this colony bringing the queen count up to 8.

[Rstheant]

Then put her in a firebrick or grout nest. Lol