30 replies to this topic

[ConTejas]

Early this spring I Acquired a colony of Prenelopis imparis from a Gan Farmer in Toronto. I tried to combine multiple queens (each colony had about 12 workers with one colony having about 20). The larger colony got larger with workers leaving their native colony to join the larger one. It did not work out well for the Queens, I was able to save one queen but all her workers either switched over to the larger colony or died (I thought I could have polygonous colony).

Now I have 2 colonies. The larger colony is set up in a Mini Hearth and they are flourishing. The smaller colony has 2 queens in a test tube setup but they are not producing as much brood as the large colony.

I find the Mini Hearth to be a good set up and the ants love the stalicites.

This is my first journal and my first attempt at the hobby so please be mindful for my rookie mistakes.

[Acutus]

Welcome!! Don't worry we all make mistakes! Sounds like you got things going well though. Good Luck!! We always like pics too!

[rbarreto]

The farther north you go the more this species prefers monogyny.

[ConTejas]

Sorry for the lack of an update. The test tube 2x queen colony died. P.Imparis in the north are not polygnous. With that being said the strong colony with a single queen is alive and well. The colony has grown to over 50+ workers. In around October/November they left estivation and began to forage the out world more. I have been feeding them lots of fruit flies, meal worms and Sunburts Liquid Antfeeder for sugars. I have noticed that as some of them become repletes, their gastors vary in color, which leads me to believe that they are individually carrying a varied quantity of sugar:protein ratio. 

 

 

 

Not sure if you can see any that look more yellow and the other ones have a more fatty look in their gastors. 

 

 

Here are some pictures. I have some great videos too that i will find some time to upload:

 

 

 

[ANTdrew]

Lovely colony! Keep the updates coming.

[Da_NewAntOnTheBlock]

yeah, Prenolepis Imparis have a high mortality rate, so maybe you're not such a rookie

[Ants_Dakota]

They really look cool with their white and brown abdomens. It their food dyed, or is that the natural color?

[Ants_Dakota]

Wish I had a Prenolepis colony.

[Da_NewAntOnTheBlock]

Wish I had a Prenolepis colony.

you could look for one, however the mortality rate of these gals in the wild is 9 to 10; they get killed 90 PERCENT OF THE TIME. So, as I said, extremely difficult to raise...

[RushmoreAnts]

They don't appear to be very common around here. Even if he found one queen, he couldn't catch enough to ensure one survived.

[Da_NewAntOnTheBlock]

yeah, that's the downside of them...

[RushmoreAnts]

Well, if they were as common as out east, we would definitely try.

[Da_NewAntOnTheBlock]

yeah

[RushmoreAnts]

If they were deregulated......

[ConTejas]

They really look cool with their white and brown abdomens. It their food dyed, or is that the natural color?

No dye. For the most part what you are seeing in their gastors are cut up mealworms, fruit flies (hydei), and Sunburst ant nectar. I find they have a higher protein diet compared to the ammount of sugars they consume. that's why in one of the pictures, my belief is, the ant in the bright yellow semi-transparent gastor is carying mostly sugars while the more milky white/opaque gastors are protein and fatts. This is my anecdotal assumption and next winter, after they raise their new batch off brood during estivation, i aim to dye their proteins a blue and keep their sugars yellow and see the color concentration in their gastors to see if my assumption is right. 

[ConTejas]

Wish I had a Prenolepis colony.

 

I guess this goes without saying for any ant but especially with P.Imparis queens... Do not disturb them. They virtually need very little attention. I've gone through several queens before i found this hardy one. 

 

The other thing is their very lazy. They don't do anyting all day and just sort of sit in these big circles off full gastors around the queen, almost as if they're waiting for something to happen. These girls almost always forage when its dark and tend to run back in when i try to observe them with light. What I'm trying to say is they're great ants but they are boring by design. Very passive ants that don't require loads of attention. Its perfect as a second colony but it might be not enough action for you if this is your primary. Just my thoughts. 

I did starve them of protein for a week and then dumped in some D.Hydei. They ran around catching them, stinging them, and bringing them back to the colony where they would hold down the fruit flies and eat them in small groups. 

Another observation is that they also love to redistribute food in small groups throughout the entire colony. I've seen them break off into groups of 4-5 and share food after a feast. 

[ANTdrew]

I found a queen of these ants last April. She never shed her wings or laid any eggs, though, so I put her back in my garden right where I found her. They are pretty common around me, and they love the fruits I throw in my compost bin. I’m hoping to find another once some real warmth hits. I have a hunch they’ll fly in March in my area.

[Da_NewAntOnTheBlock]

I have a hunch that none of the ants flew two days ago, mainly because it was negative 8 degrees without the windchill, so there may not be much ant action until April around here

[ConTejas]

I notice them in Southern Ontario around Mid April-Early May.

[ForestDragon]

i want prenolepis so bad i miss them every year in ohio