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Acutus' Formica subsericea Journal Update 2/19/20 Egg!

Started By Acutus , Jul 24 2019 6:34 PM

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64 replies to this topic

#1 Offline Acutus - Posted July 24 2019 - 6:34 PM

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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! :D

 

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. :D

 

newant1
 
newant2
 
newant3
 
newant4

 


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

Billy

 

Currently keeping:

Camponotus chromaiodes

Camponotus castaneus

Formica subsericea

#2 Offline Acutus - Posted July 25 2019 - 7:47 AM

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Well She shed her wings!!!!  :yahoo:  :yahoo:  :yahoo:

Hoping that's a good sign!! :D

 

Fsubsericea

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Billy

 

Currently keeping:

Camponotus chromaiodes

Camponotus castaneus

Formica subsericea

#3 Offline ANTdrew - Posted July 26 2019 - 2:51 AM

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

#4 Offline ANTdrew - Posted July 26 2019 - 4:04 AM

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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!
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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.

#5 Offline Acutus - Posted July 26 2019 - 10:36 AM

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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


Billy

 

Currently keeping:

Camponotus chromaiodes

Camponotus castaneus

Formica subsericea

#6 Offline Canadant - Posted July 26 2019 - 1:26 PM

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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.
"You don't get what you want. You get what you deserve".

#7 Offline RushmoreAnts - Posted July 26 2019 - 2:49 PM

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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.


"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

#8 Offline ANTdrew - Posted July 26 2019 - 4:34 PM

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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.
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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.

#9 Offline Acutus - Posted July 30 2019 - 6:57 AM

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EGGS!!!! she has EGGS!!!!  :yahoo:  :yahoo:  :yahoo:  :yahoo: 

 

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!!  :D  :D


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Billy

 

Currently keeping:

Camponotus chromaiodes

Camponotus castaneus

Formica subsericea

#10 Offline TennesseeAnts - Posted July 30 2019 - 7:04 AM

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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.
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#11 Offline ANTdrew - Posted July 30 2019 - 7:32 AM

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Get yo' Maryland lotto ticket, bro!


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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.

#12 Offline Acutus - Posted August 1 2019 - 11:52 AM

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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. :D

I count 10-12!!!  :yahoo:

 

P1020506
 
P1020506crop
 
P1020512

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Billy

 

Currently keeping:

Camponotus chromaiodes

Camponotus castaneus

Formica subsericea

#13 Offline Kaelwizard - Posted August 1 2019 - 11:55 AM

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


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#14 Offline TennesseeAnts - Posted August 1 2019 - 1:23 PM

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Are you ready for the insane growth and care?
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#15 Offline Acutus - Posted August 1 2019 - 4:00 PM

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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?

Billy

 

Currently keeping:

Camponotus chromaiodes

Camponotus castaneus

Formica subsericea

#16 Offline TennesseeAnts - Posted August 1 2019 - 4:07 PM

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

My Main Journal | My Neivamyrmex Journal | My Ant Adoption | My YouTube

Join the TennesseeAnts Discord Server! https://discord.gg/JbKwPgs

#17 Offline Lasiusumbratus - Posted August 2 2019 - 3:25 AM

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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.

#18 Offline ANTdrew - Posted August 2 2019 - 4:40 AM

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

#19 Offline Acutus - Posted August 2 2019 - 7:26 AM

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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?


Billy

 

Currently keeping:

Camponotus chromaiodes

Camponotus castaneus

Formica subsericea

#20 Offline ANTdrew - Posted August 2 2019 - 7:58 AM

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JK then. I only see these ants in pretty intact habitats, though.
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.
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