85 replies to this topic

[TennesseeAnts]

Drew's signature.

[Ferox_Formicae]

I finally ordered the new containers for the small colony, and they should get here between June 8th and 14th. I just hope it gets here before the fungus gets really big, as I would prefer not to scoop the fungus out with fear of destroying or even killing it. If the colony doesn't move in within a few hours though, I will have to scoop out the fungus, as there is another colony awaiting their new nest, a large colony of Cyphomyrmex rimosus, another fungus farmer. I just hope the ants don't get disturbed too much. As for the other colony, they're doing a lot better than I thought! I decided to lift up the tank to see if I could spot anything, and there it was, the fungus, and it's looking really, really good! It's about two inches in all directions. I didn't see the queen, but she's there somewhere. I'll check on the chamber occasionally, but not too much as I don't want to disturb them too much. I'm expecting them to produce alates this summer if all goes well, but I'll have to see.

[Ferox_Formicae]

I just thought of something. I can't stand not seeing my large colony of Trachymyrmex in full clarity, so instead of using both containers for my small Trachy colony, one for nest and one for outworld, I'm going to excavate the large colony and keep them in one of the containers, that way I can see them better. I was not ready to keep ants in a naturalistic setup, especially one like this.

[Ferox_Formicae]

I've moved my larger colony into a temporary setup. They seem to like the tube better than the actual nest area, and since the tube is translucent, I can't see them very well. There are still a few ants in the nest though, tending to the fungus, making sure it's well cared for and taken care of. I got the fungus out in two pieces, and with luck, they'l settle in and fix up their fungus. I'll be giving them some new rose petals tonight.

[Ferox_Formicae]

I got the large colony their new nest! It's HUGE! I kept the smaller colony in their current nest as they seem to like it very much, and the colony is way too small to move into such an enormous nest, but then again, so is my largest colony, but they can grow up their fungus. They still got about 150 workers, and they're looking good so far. Here are some pictures of the nests...

 

My Trachymyrmex desk setup

The larger formicariums nesting area

The larger formicariums outworld with some freshly picked rose petals

The fungus garden, nicely lit

A close up of the fungus garden

The hygrometer at 90% humidity; Trachymyrmex septentrionalis nests must be kept at 75% humidity or above in order for the fungus to grow properly

The smaller nest

The smaller formicariums outworld

The nest

A close up of the fungus

The queen with the fungus

[Ferox_Formicae]

The larger colony has decided that the outworld was a more suitable home for them, and have moved the fungus to it overnight. They have made mounds at two separate locations at opposite ends of the outworld. The good news, they burrowed right up against the glass! I actually prefer this more, as I can see their natural behaviors both inside and outside of the nest. On one hand, I can see them build their mounds and prepare for nuptial flight (whenever that happens), and on the other hand I can see them farming their fungus and see what they do with fungus substrate once it's brought into the nest. It's really quite a beautiful prospect to witness. My other colony is doing quite well too! Their fungus seems to get bigger with every passing day, and I suspect that within the next few weeks, the fungus will take up the entire setup! I am really glad that these colonies are doing very well, and I have very high hopes for the future of these ants. 

[Ferox_Formicae]

The smaller colony was very busy last night! Last night, I threw in a fresh rose petal for them to feed their fungus, and yeah, they definitely loved it! About a third of their fungus is covered in rose petals, and they're still processing a bunch of it. I'm thinking that by tonight, the rose petal pieces in the fungus will have been completely consumed by the fungus. I absolutely adore these ants, and I could spend hours upon hours staring at them. Their fungus actually isn't even touching the ground anymore. The ants have anchored it to the side of the nest box, which is definitely pretty cool. I also can no longer see the eggs, which is normal as it's concealed in the fungus. New workers should be eclosing in about a month or so. Brood production will definitely speed up as the fungus gets larger. So far, there still hasn't been a single worker death, and the colony seems very stable at around 40 or so workers. They have definitely calmed down quite a bit since their capture, and they are no longer photophobic. I can shine a light on them and they will just keep on doing their thing, allowing me to see what the colony does on a daily basis. I cannot stress how incredible they are to watch. I also noticed how big they are when I compared them to my Cyphomyrmex rimosus colony, which is a bigger colony, but the ants are significantly smaller, less than half the size. I also love their polymorphism. Once again, I love these ants!

[Ferox_Formicae]

Both colonies are doing great! I've even seen some new workers starting to appear! The fungus gardens have remained relatively unchanged and rather small, but it's summer so that's to be expected. I've had these colonies for a while now, and they're both looking real good.

[camponotuskeeper]

Update this is a interesting topic and what happened to them?

[Ferox_Formicae]

Update this is a interesting topic and what happened to them?

Sadly, they died due to me not hydrating the nest while I was away on vacation in Michigan.

[camponotuskeeper]

That is terrible

[Ferox_Formicae]

That is terrible

It really is. I miss those little guys.

[Kaelwizard]

Update this is a interesting topic and what happened to them?

Sadly, they died due to me not hydrating the nest while I was away on vacation in Michigan.

why didn’t you tell me u were here lol?!?!?!

Sucks that they died though.

Edited by Kaelwizard, October 27 2019 - 2:49 PM.

[ponerinecat]

this helps a lot, I'm currently looking for cyphomyrmex. the only nest I've found is under a slab of pavement so excavation is a no go.

[aznphenom]

Where should I find these?!

They are in Tenn. Trachy are are almost in like 1/4 of the US. They just happen to nest in very specific soil. Sand. I just discovered a spot by my house. It is literally like beach sand in the middle of the woods. Not big either. Area is probably like 40x40 yards. 

[Ferox_Formicae]

 

Where should I find these?!

They are in Tenn. Trachy are are almost in like 1/4 of the US. They just happen to nest in very specific soil. Sand. I just discovered a spot by my house. It is literally like beach sand in the middle of the woods. Not big either. Area is probably like 40x40 yards. 

 

Actually, I've found out that their soil selection isn't as narrow as most people think. They really nest in anything at least moderately dry and well-drained. I've found them in sand, clay, regular soil, all sorts of stuff. There's a pretty large population at my new house, which is right beside a large lake (Lake Murray) and has mostly humus but also red clay in certain areas. There's actually no sand there. But yeah, you can mostly find them in forest clearings, but I've found them in dense forests before. Honestly, just look anywhere that has well-drained soil.

[TennesseeAnts]

Where should I find these?!

They are in Tenn. Trachy are are almost in like 1/4 of the US. They just happen to nest in very specific soil. Sand. I just discovered a spot by my house. It is literally like beach sand in the middle of the woods. Not big either. Area is probably like 40x40 yards.

Yeah, thanks, but I know, lol. That was nearly two years ago. My Attine knowledge has expanded immensely.

On a side note, in Spring of 2020 I found a huge population next to a local river, only 2.3 miles away from my house. Before that, in January of 2020, I got a nice colony of about 150 workers or so, and kept them going until July/August when the queen died.

[Ferox_Formicae]

Finally restarting this thread after 2 years! I'm trying out founding Trachymyrmex queens, as I've never done it before. I managed to find a claustral cell earlier this month under a rock near the base of a large oak tree (colonies are almost always associated with oaks) in Little Mountain, a small town near my house. The soil was straight red clay. In the chamber was a single queen and a bit of fungus suspended from a root. Another queen I found I'm not too sure about. She may be one of those weird "worker queens" Trachymyrmex are occasionally known to have, as she was right next to a small colony in my yard (my yard contains about 35 colonies, those 35 being only the ones I've found so far). She's actually covered in pollen, which makes her look pretty distinctive. I've had to give her some fungus from a mature colony, as you can't really expect a queen found in April (3 months before flights start) to be carrying around a fungus pellet. The queens both seem to be doing okay at the moment, and I've given them both some oak catkins to use for their fungus, which one has accepted so far. I'll try and keep you all updated on their progress.

[aznphenom]

Oh snap. Definitely will be following. I am gonna go out and search for trachy when the next warm week is expected. Do you know the condition and time and month they fly?

[Ferox_Formicae]

Oh snap. Definitely will be following. I am gonna go out and search for trachy when the next warm week is expected. Do you know the condition and time and month they fly?

In my experience, they fly in mid-late summer, usually around noon. Flights occur a day or two after a rain pushes through. Sexual brood is in the larval stage at this time of year, at least in the south.