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96 replies to this topic

#21 Offline NickAnter - Posted June 12 2019 - 5:51 AM

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Yeah, I like seeing other interesting finds of queens, especially when you are not looking for them!

Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 


#22 Offline ANTdrew - Posted June 12 2019 - 2:44 PM

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My free range colony of Tapinoma were feeding on a mouse I caught in a trap with Nutella. Rather revolting.
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#23 Offline Polyacanthus - Posted June 12 2019 - 6:40 PM

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Yeah, Nutella is gross ;)
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#24 Offline Polyacanthus - Posted June 13 2019 - 3:59 PM

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Happy to find this afternoon they decided the grout nest was the place to be. Holy pupae! I like to see them excavate the dirt but I definitely like being able to actually see them more.

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#25 Offline Polyacanthus - Posted July 5 2019 - 7:06 PM

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The Tapinoma are still producing tons of brood. I don't see any alates anymore.

Formica are doing okay, have a few new workers that are a little smaller so I'll have to try to get them to eat better. But they're still producing brood.

C. pennsylvanicus. queen seems to be doing great. Took her out for a pic. Plenty of larvae and one pupa.

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#26 Offline Polyacanthus - Posted July 27 2019 - 6:24 PM

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She has her first nanitic. Isn't that just precious?

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#27 Offline ponerinecat - Posted July 27 2019 - 8:43 PM

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that was really quick!



#28 Offline ANTdrew - Posted July 28 2019 - 2:57 AM

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Excellent!
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#29 Offline Acutus - Posted July 28 2019 - 8:40 AM

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Very cool!

Billy

 

Currently keeping:

Camponotus chromaiodes

Camponotus castaneus

Formica subsericea


#30 Offline Polyacanthus - Posted June 29 2020 - 8:26 PM

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Well I had some setbacks last year.

When I returned from vacation, the T. sessile habitat was bone dry and everything inside deceased :(

The C. pennsylvanicus queen was up to about 15 workers when the colony suddenly all died. I believe I accidentally gave them water with a pipette I used previously for aquarium dechlorinator. The ant watering pipette is clearly labeled now!

The Formica cf. pallidefulva were living in plastic tubs all summer and producing small workers. After a bit too long without checking on them I noticed there was no more brood and no queen to be found. In the fall I was able to coax them into a tube setup by letting their tubs dry out. I sealed up the tube and put them in the cool basement for the winter months. I brought them upstairs this spring and connected them to the outworld I had originally made for the T. sessile and they are still living out their lives with no queen.

Edited by Polyacanthus, June 29 2020 - 8:27 PM.


#31 Offline ANTdrew - Posted June 30 2020 - 3:30 AM

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Ant colonies require lots of vigilance to thrive. Not too late to find new queens and start over, though.
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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.

#32 Offline Polyacanthus - Posted July 2 2020 - 2:59 AM

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Indeed! Just wanted to finish logging where I left off before new updates 😁

The Formica outworld is sitting on a heating pad that turns on and off with the aquarium light timer, so just on during the day. It gets up to about 90F by afternoon. They seem to enjoy it, always a few running around in there. Recently I set up a fresh new tube in case they wanted to move but of course they're sticking with the gross one.

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#33 Offline Antkid12 - Posted July 2 2020 - 4:20 AM

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Nice!


Ants I have: Tapinoma sessile(2 queen colony). RED MORPH Camponotus neacticus(now has pupae!), Tetramorium immigrans (x3), Aphaenogaster sp, Temnothorax sp, Brachymyrmex sp.   possibly infertile   :(,  Ponera pennsylvanica, and Pheidole morrisi!  :yahoo: 

 

Other insects: Polistes sp. Queen

                    

Ants I need: Pheidole sp., Trachymyrmex sp., Crematogaster cerasi , Dorymyrmex sp. Most wanted: Pheidole morrisii

 

                    

                   

 

 


#34 Offline Polyacanthus - Posted July 2 2020 - 7:46 PM

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So this year I was prepared to catch queens. I heard Camponotus pennsylvanicus were seen flying the evening of the 24th here in MI so the next day after work I started looking around the house. I didn't see anything so was just observing the ants on the driveway and I see what looks like a queen running along a seam in the concrete. I had a container in hand so I collected it. Sure enough looks like a Formica pallidefulva queen!

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Seemed really early for Formica to be out like that but I'm glad I happened to be out looking!

I captured her in a plastic portion container and she was laying eggs before I even got her into a proper test tube that evening! Here she is a week later with a pile of eggs.

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#35 Offline Polyacanthus - Posted July 3 2020 - 3:53 PM

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For future reference here are the data:
Collected May 25
First egg May 25
First larva June 4
First pupa June 18
First nanitic June 29

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She was up to about 10 eggs at one point, 6 made it to larva, and 5 made it to pupa. 2/5 of the pupae formed cocoons. She has her second nanitic now, and one new egg.
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#36 Offline Polyacanthus - Posted July 5 2020 - 8:05 PM

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I was prepared for Camponotus season this year. Last year I think I was late to the party and ended up with the stragglers- I had 3 pennsylvanicus, two died, one survived only until fall. This year I caught 12 pennsylvanicus and was given one nearcticus found in a pool. Sadly the nearcticus and a couple penns passed, now I have 9 pennsylvanicus queens healthy and producing lots of brood.

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Recently the Tetramorium immigrans were out so I grabbed some queens from the driveway, I have 7, all laying eggs.

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Here is my setup right now. I have all the test tubes between two folded blankets on a shelf.

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We keep the house around 75F, I wanted to warm them a bit so I picked up a reptile heat lamp. It turns on during the day and warms the top blanket a bit, a thermometer inside with the tubes shows about 86F so that probably helps.
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#37 Offline Polyacanthus - Posted July 6 2020 - 8:08 PM

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After her first nanitic eclosed I gave the Formica queen a drop of sugar water which she quickly slurped up, then ran over to the nanitic to feed her.



A few days later with a second nanitic present I gave them a little flake of boiled egg white, here the one on the right is working on it.

IMG_20200705_222527593~2_resize_11.jpg
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#38 Offline Polyacanthus - Posted July 7 2020 - 7:34 PM

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WOW the Tetramorium really go for it! No wonder they're everywhere.

IMG_20200707_202721400~2_resize_22.jpg
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#39 Offline ANTdrew - Posted July 8 2020 - 2:25 AM

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Yeah, they don’t screw around!
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#40 Offline RushmoreAnts - Posted July 8 2020 - 7:09 AM

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Keep in mind that most of these eggs are trophic, and will be eaten by the queen and/or larvae. The amount of nanitics is comparable to most other species.   


"God made..... all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds (including ants). And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:25 NIV version

 

Keeping:

Tetramorium immigrans

Formica cf. pallidefulva, cf. incerta, cf. argentea

Formica cf. aserva, cf. subintegra

Pogonomyrmex occidentalis

Pheidole bicarinata

Myrmica sp.

Lasius neoniger, brevicornis






Also tagged with one or more of these keywords: tapinoma sessile, formica pallidefulva, camponotus pennsylvanicus, prenolepis imparis, camponotus nearcticus, lasius aphidicola, crematogaster, formica subsericea, temnothorax, tetramorium immigrans

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