26 replies to this topic

[Formicoidea]

That's still 4 more Myrmecia larvae than I have! The purple color inside the bodies of the larvae is the food that they ate, which will stay there until they pupate.

 

Yes. However, the purple that i saw is the colour they turn after they die.

 

I mean, doesn't really matter now. 

 

[RushmoreAnts]

i am back from my holiday!

 

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas and a happy new year!

Of course, i am posting an update on my Myrmecia Queen.

 

While i was away i left my queens in the care of my brother's friend's brother... yeesh. (shows how much passion my personal friends have for ants).

He did a great job, considering that it was his first time looking after ants (and he's pretty young).

 

However, that does not mean its all hunky-Dorymyrmex.

The Queen survived but her larvae did not. TBH i did expect that they would not pull through, she has become extremely food-fussy recently and without pretty dedicated care she won't accept anything.

It also didn't help that they had to evacuate due to the bushfires...

 

I re-sanded her enclosure as there were loads of carcasses and the sugar water had spilt into the sand. While i was doing this she was camping out in the new test-tube, seems like she has moved in. Some good came from it.

Yeah, Myrmecia are more on the extremely advanced side of things. You've done a great job, keeping them alive this long.

[Antennal_Scrobe]

 

i am back from my holiday!

 

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas and a happy new year!

Of course, i am posting an update on my Myrmecia Queen.

 

While i was away i left my queens in the care of my brother's friend's brother... yeesh. (shows how much passion my personal friends have for ants).

He did a great job, considering that it was his first time looking after ants (and he's pretty young).

 

However, that does not mean its all hunky-Dorymyrmex.

The Queen survived but her larvae did not. TBH i did expect that they would not pull through, she has become extremely food-fussy recently and without pretty dedicated care she won't accept anything.

It also didn't help that they had to evacuate due to the bushfires...

 

I re-sanded her enclosure as there were loads of carcasses and the sugar water had spilt into the sand. While i was doing this she was camping out in the new test-tube, seems like she has moved in. Some good came from it.

Yeah, Myrmecia are more on the extremely advanced side of things. You've done a great job, keeping them alive this long.

 

Has anyone tried just releasing a Myrmecia queen into a big planted terrarium and adding in crickets every so often? That might work better.

[Formicoidea]

Update!

 

Very little has happened with this girl. I have been feeding her consistently but she has yet to lay any eggs. It might be that the test-tube is too moist (the water has leaked into the sand) i don't really know how to combat that so I'm going to wait and see.

[TennesseeAnts]

I've seen very few journals where Myrmecia queens got past founding, so I'm not surprised. I would try burying her tube in sand with just the entrance reaching the surface. Works for me when I have finicky queens.

[Formicoidea]

I've seen very few journals where Myrmecia queens got past founding, so I'm not surprised. I would try burying her tube in sand with just the entrance reaching the surface. Works for me when I have finicky queens.

This is actually a great idea. I think i might do this.

[Formicoidea]

It's time for an update.

 

I recently moved so everything has been a bit unorganized. Things are settling down now.

The queen seems to be doing ok. She hasn't laid any eggs so that's a little irritating.

She seems to have moved into the new test tube, so i have moved the foil onto that test tube. I am actually glad she has moved, the sand inside the original test tube has sucked water out of the cotton and is soaked. Probably terrible to lay eggs in.

I've been feeding her pretty consistently and she isn't eating. Will just have to keep trying.