64 replies to this topic

[Acutus]

So I had to go to my main office in Baltimore today to cut the lawn and afterwards I was loading the mower up on the trailer when I saw an insect quickly running on the curb. I realized it had wings and decided to take a closer look and sure enough it was a Queen Ant!! I wasn't sure at first cause the head looked pretty small like a male, but the gaster was huge! so I posted here and VoidElecent confirmed that it was indeed a Queen and she was a Formica subsericea!

 

That's a new species for me so since she is a fully claustral type Formica I'm gonna give it a shot! Here are the pics I took not the best but I got her all setup in a Test Tube and I'm gonna not bother her for awhile as in the Care Sheets it says they can be fairly sensitive to vibration and disturbance.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Acutus, February 19 2020 - 1:38 PM.

[Acutus]

Well She shed her wings!!!!     

Hoping that's a good sign!!

 

[ANTdrew]

So lucky, bro!
I’ve been looking high and low for one of these.

[ANTdrew]

Seriously, I’m a teacher, so I have all July to look for Formica. For the past two years, I’ve taken my kids to different parks every frickin’ afternoon. I found one last year, but she croaked. This year, Nada!

[Acutus]

So lucky, bro!
I’ve been looking high and low for one of these.

 

It's weird. I doubt last year I would've even noticed it. LOL

[Canadant]

Antdrew, I'll send you one. They fly heavy here in late August. Well, at least an all black formica sp. I've tried them two winters and neither made it. Some of that is my fault.

[RushmoreAnts]

Antdrew, I'll send you one. They fly heavy here in late August. Well, at least an all black formica sp. I've tried them two winters and neither made it. Some of that is my fault.

It is illegal to ship queen ants across state (and I'm assuming national) borders.

[ANTdrew]

Antdrew, I'll send you one. They fly heavy here in late August. Well, at least an all black formica sp. I've tried them two winters and neither made it. Some of that is my fault.

If it were only that simple. No sense breaking federal law for an ant queen that might not even make the journey. I appreciate the offer, though.

[Acutus]

EGGS!!!! she has EGGS!!!!         

 

I'll try to get a picture later but I'm afraid to disturb her too much cause I've read they can be very shy and will eat they're eggs. She doesn't seem to mind being looked in on quickly but I don't want to push my luck!!   

[TennesseeAnts]

I don't know where this started, but I have never in four years had a serviformica queen eat her eggs because of stress related to checking on them. My four thousand worker colony of Formica pacifica is checked on every day, even when I had her and her brood in a test tube. Serviformica are not easily stressed. If you are careful, and slowly acclimate them to light, they will do just as good as a queen left alone. My colony of Formica pacifica has a single queen caught in July of 2016, and she lays eggs every day and on average, her colony eats 40-50 crickets per week. The only time she ate her eggs was in 2016 when I accidentally squished five of them. She did perfectly fine after that though.

[ANTdrew]

Get yo' Maryland lotto ticket, bro!

[Acutus]

Ok tried to get some pics today! Not the best for sure. The plastic Test Tube is scratched and the camera keeps trying to focus on the tube but here they are.

I count 10-12!!! 

 

 

 

[Kaelwizard]

Cool. That C. castaneus wants in on the pictures too! 

[TennesseeAnts]

Are you ready for the insane growth and care?

[Acutus]

Are you ready for the insane growth and care?

I sure hope so! Do they really grow that fast? Something special about caring for them?

[TennesseeAnts]

Nothing really too special about care, but their growth rate is insane in the second and third years.

[Lasiusumbratus]

Why has your queen laid so many eggs? My queen has only about 5 larvae and nothing else.

Edited by Lasiusumbratus, August 2 2019 - 3:34 AM.

[ANTdrew]

Why has your queen laid so many eggs? My queen has only about 5 larvae and nothing else.

Baltimore must not be that bad after all!

[Acutus]

NO it's bad! Baltimore that is!

 

Why has your queen laid so many eggs? My queen has only about 5 larvae and nothing else.

 

Dunno. You have the same type Queen?

[ANTdrew]

JK then. I only see these ants in pretty intact habitats, though.