57 replies to this topic

[Ferox_Formicae]

I currently own two colonies of Aphaenogaster carolinensis, both of which are not doing too well. The larger colony currently has about 30 or so workers, but at one time it had nearly 70, but more than half of the colony died due to a mishap in the freezer when I was chilling them. I feel really bad for them, but the colony is doing a lot better now. They actually just got their first pupa! They currently have three pupa and some very large larva. They also have several piles of eggs, coming to a total of around 50 eggs! This colony is doing a lot better, but my other colony is not. My other colony consists of around 5 workers, but it once contained around 20. The colony was doing just fine, until workers started escaping. Now they only have about 5. I really need to get them a new outworld, or the workers will continue to escape. The colony is extremely sensitive to light and they will pick up everything and leave if I disturb them at all. The colony currently has around 15 eggs and a single, small larva. I will continue to update on the process of these colonies.

Edited by Ferox_Formicae, June 9 2019 - 2:33 PM.

[Ferox_Formicae]

It seems to me as if this species prefers very wet nests. I need to hydrate the nest daily, or else they will move into the outworld until I hydrate it again. I will keep this in the back of my mind and continue to hydrate the nest daily. Also, I put a medicine bottle cap full of sugar water in the outworld, and when I checked it in the morning, they had filled it with dirt! I assume this is the sponge thing I've heard about with this genus, where they put soil onto food and then take the soil back to the nest after it's absorbed enough liquid. I find they do this all of the time any time they eat. I've even caught them in the act of placing soil on their food. It's one of my favorite things about these ants.

[Ferox_Formicae]

Moved the small colony into a much smaller formicarium and hydrated it diligently. I counted the workers and they are currently at 4. When they moved out of their other formicarium last week, they actually left all of their brood behind, and all the brood died. On the other had, my larger colony is currently at 6 pupae that I can count. They have a ton of brood and it's hard to keep track of them at this point! Some of the eggs have hatched also.

[Ferox_Formicae]

While I was walking in the woods with my girlfriend yesterday, I decided to flip over a rock, and I found a good sized colony of what are most likely Aphaenogaster carolinensis, but I haven't gotten a good look at them yet, but I can be 99% certain that they are in the rudis complex and I am 70% certain that they are Aphaenogaster carolinensis going off of their coloration. I also realized just how small these ants are in a pretty funny way. When I was at Saluda Schoals, I collected an Aphaenogaster lamellidens worker in my aspirator, and I collected the Aphaenogaster (rudis complex sp.) in the same aspirator. When I put them in the clear container to get a better look at them when I got home, I saw that the Aphaenogaster lamellidens was still in there, and absolutely huge compared to them! The Aphaenogaster (rudis complex sp.) Actually don't seem to mind her. When they approach her, the Aphaenogaster lamellidens sits still, lightly swaying her antennae while the Aphaenogaster (rudis complex sp.) lightly tap her with their antennae while keeping their abdomens raised. They just walk away after a few seconds of doing this. It's pretty surprising since there's one of her and around thirty of them. 

[TennesseeAnts]

You were supposed to get Strumigenys!

Edited by Ant_Dude2908, May 2 2019 - 10:01 AM.

[Ferox_Formicae]

You were supposed to get Strumigenys!

I looked, but unfortunately, I couldn't find any. I'm gonna go to the woods behind my park tonight, so maybe I can find some then! 

[ponerinecat]

It seems to me as if this species prefers very wet nests. I need to hydrate the nest daily, or else they will move into the outworld until I hydrate it again. I will keep this in the back of my mind and continue to hydrate the nest daily. Also, I put a medicine bottle cap full of sugar water in the outworld, and when I checked it in the morning, they had filled it with dirt! I assume this is the sponge thing I've heard about with this genus, where they put soil onto food and then take the soil back to the nest after it's absorbed enough liquid. I find they do this all of the time any time they eat. I've even caught them in the act of placing soil on their food. It's one of my favorite things about these ants.

 

They could actually be trashing the sugar. I find my apheanogaster prefer crystallized sugar and ignore liquid sugar.

[Ferox_Formicae]

 

It seems to me as if this species prefers very wet nests. I need to hydrate the nest daily, or else they will move into the outworld until I hydrate it again. I will keep this in the back of my mind and continue to hydrate the nest daily. Also, I put a medicine bottle cap full of sugar water in the outworld, and when I checked it in the morning, they had filled it with dirt! I assume this is the sponge thing I've heard about with this genus, where they put soil onto food and then take the soil back to the nest after it's absorbed enough liquid. I find they do this all of the time any time they eat. I've even caught them in the act of placing soil on their food. It's one of my favorite things about these ants.

 

They could actually be trashing the sugar. I find my apheanogaster prefer crystallized sugar and ignore liquid sugar.

 

Hmm, I'm gonna try and feed them something else then. I could collect some wireworms for them to eat. Also maybe some honey.

[ponerinecat]

use unfiltered honey, it's more solid and easier for ants to drink

[TennesseeAnts]

Aphaenogaster don't have social stomachs. They can not share liquid food like other ants.

[Ferox_Formicae]

use unfiltered honey, it's more solid and easier for ants to drink

I'll try that.

 

Aphaenogaster don't have social stomachs. They can not share liquid food like other ants.

Yeah, that I know. Seems like an evolutionary disadvantage to me.

[TennesseeAnts]

They need to hurry up and evolve!

[Ferox_Formicae]

They need to hurry up and evolve!

Give them a few hundred thousand or a few million years. They'll get there eventually. 

[TennesseeAnts]

I think we'd be dead by then...

[Ferox_Formicae]

I think we'd be dead by then...

Probably

[Ferox_Formicae]

I've pretty much given up of my smaller colony of Aphaenogaster carolinensis. All of the workers have escaped somehow, and all of the other ones have died. I'm not sure what to do with the queen. I could maybe brood boost her and start over. I hope she can start over with a new colony.

[ponerinecat]

.Some apheanogaster are polygynous. maybe you could try that

[Ferox_Formicae]

.Some apheanogaster are polygynous. maybe you could try that

Okay, I will try that...

[Ferox_Formicae]

Looking closer at the Aphaenogaster (rudis complex sp.), coloration-wise, they look very similar to my Aphaenogaster carolinensis, but they are quite a bit smaller. I'm thinking they're either A. miamiana or A. rudis. I'll get a better look at them when I get them into their formicarium tomorrow. I'm actually surprised how similar the queen is to my A. carolinensis queen, but she's smaller and stouter.

[ponerinecat]

 

.Some apheanogaster are polygynous. maybe you could try that

Okay, I will try that...

 

chill them first