Gnamptogenys triangularis
Starting off with some sad news this week, as the Gnamptogenys gyne I caught back in November has died. I'm not exactly sure how either, as she seemed to be doing okay. However, the night before her death, I did give her a small millipede, so that may have something to do with it. Maybe the gynes can't really handle the toxins they produce. I'll have to keep that in mind for next time, if there is a next time, as I have yet to see any more Gnamptogenys. I will try and search for a colony near to where I found her though.
Camponotus castaneus Colony B
Previously, this colony had a single pupa, but now, they've decided to unwrap the larva from the cocoon she spun so they can let her grow a bit more. I've never observed this behavior in any of my other colonies, but it is pretty cool. All of the larva are pretty big now, and I suspect some pupa should be appearing soon, bigger than before as well, as they're feeding the larva a lot more.
Crematogaster minutissima Colony A
Lots and lots of brood! Some of the pupa are on the verge of eclosing as well. There have only been a few deaths in the colony so far, and most of those deaths were from the first few months of me owning them when I literally forgot they existed. Even then there were only around 15 or so deaths, and with how much brood they have now, that number will be replaced very soon. The brood outnumbers the workers! Also no, you didn't miss anything. This is colony A...
Crematogaster minutissima Colony B
While anting on Saturday, I managed to collect another colony of Crematogaster minutissima, this one with around 50 or so workers, a small amount of brood, and 4 dealates, far less than in colony A, which has around 12. These ones seem to be a bit lighter in coloration than colony A as well.
Brachymyrmex patagonicus
I managed to collect a small founding colony under a rock in a moss patch with a single dealate and around 10 or so workers. They don't seem to be doing too hot at the moment though, as I may have accidentally killed a few while moving them into their nest. We'll see how they do though, but I don't really have high hopes for these.
Myrmecina americana
I finally managed to collect a colony of these! I've been looking for them for a while, but all I've really been able to find were a few stray workers, a few alates, and lots of colonies in Michigan which I could not bring back. However, when anting through the woods the other day, I managed to collect a moderate-sized colony from under a rotting log near some shrew tunnels (I did see the shrew and tried to catch it, but it got away). The colony has a single dealate, around 30 workers, and lots of brood. There have been two worker deaths thus far.
Cyphomyrmex rimosus
Yeast! Tons of yeast! This colony is doing great, and as long as I keep them on their hydration schedule and give them plenty of substrate for their yeast, they should do great. I suspect the dealate will lay soon as well given the abundance of food.
Tapinoma sessile
All of the brood has been growing very quickly, and the dealate has been laying eggs a lot, and currently they have around 40-50 eggs. Most of the larva are on the verge of pupating as well, and I suspect pupa should appear by the end of the week, unless they decide they want alates, which I would get, as this is the time of year when alates begin to appear in Tapinoma nests, and the colony appears to be around the size where alates would be produced, with around 60-70 workers. The colony is also monogynous, so it's a bit smaller.
