279 replies to this topic

[madbiologist]

From what I know about myrmecina americana, they are monogynous, so there will only ever be one dealate.

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[Ferox_Formicae]

From what I know about myrmecina americana, they are monogynous, so there will only ever be one dealate.

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I know, I was just pointing it out, as some monogynous species can occasionally be polygynous (or at the very least pleometrotic) in certain cases.

[Da_NewAntOnTheBlock]

As for the Camponotus behavior, it's so interesting! It's as if they're acting like Dracula ants! You should document this behavior and figure out why it's happening. 

[Ferox_Formicae]

As for the Camponotus behavior, it's so interesting! It's as if they're acting like Dracula ants! You should document this behavior and figure out why it's happening. 

Well, Amblyoponines unwrap the cocoons once the larva have already pupated, whereas the Camponotus larva that had spun a cocoon was still a larva. I suspect the reason they unwrapped her was because I had recently given the colony a nice meal, and they realized they could let her grow more, as the original cocoon was very small compared to even the smallest of the workers. According to Ant_Dude2908, he's observed the same behavior.

[Ferox_Formicae]

Camponotus castaneus Colony B

 

Two pupa have appeared in the colony. They're both very fresh, and the younger one is actually still very white. The pupa are pretty small, about the size of that one original pupa. I guess they're not too concerned with producing media and majors at the moment, more so with building up the colony population ASAP, and by mid spring, they should have at least 50 workers given the ridiculous amount of brood they have.

[Da_NewAntOnTheBlock]

Wow, that's some insane growth for Camponotus! Keep us posted!

[ponerinecat]

Advice for future G. triangularis and specialist feeders in general: there is no need to exclusively feed a prefered prey item. In terms of millipedes which produce harmful toxins, that is even more so. Find the most plentiful and safest food source and stick with it until the colony is big enough to handle something else.

Good luck with future queens, I'm sure you'll find some soon.

[Ferox_Formicae]

Advice for future G. triangularis and specialist feeders in general: there is no need to exclusively feed a prefered prey item. In terms of millipedes which produce harmful toxins, that is even more so. Find the most plentiful and safest food source and stick with it until the colony is big enough to handle something else.

Good luck with future queens, I'm sure you'll find some soon.

It's not like I only ever feed her millipedes. In fact, I'd only ever given her 3 millipedes. More often than not, I'd give her termites or cricket legs.

[ponerinecat]

Oh ok. Then I suppose you just got an unlucky millipede.

[Ferox_Formicae]

Tapinoma sessile

 

The first pupa has arrived! I didn't get too good of a look at it, so I'm not sure whether it's a worker or a male yet, but I'll try and get a closer look tonight, as long as I can get the formicarium at the proper angle to look at it under the scope. Some less good news with them as I've seen a few workers foraging outside of the nest, and I still don't know how they got out the first time. I doubt they'll actually move out again as they seem pretty happy and content right where they are, but it's definitely something to keep an eye on.

 

Aphaenogaster lamellidens

 

They had a die-off... About 5 or so workers (like a third of the population) have ended up dying due to me not hydrating the nest enough. Luckily, I did notice that most of the colony--including the queen--had moved out of the nest in search of water, so I was able to react quickly and rehydrate the nest, but I guess it was too late for a few of the workers. In better news though, a new pupa has appeared, and they should start to receive new workers by next week, as their first pupa has began to darken. It'll take them a few months to recover from the die-off however, as the colony is growing pretty slowly, though they do have a lot of brood, around double, if not triple, the population of the workers. Also, I realized that they decided to bring some of the dead workers back into the nest and dismember them. Well, I found out why when I looked into the nest last night and saw the larva feeding on them. Nothing goes to waste I guess. I'll try and feed them something a bit more nutritious tonight, as given they're literally eating their own sisters, they're probably hungry, even though I literally just gave them a big grub to eat.

 

Aphaenogaster miamiana

 

Lots of new eggs, almost 100% unfertile. I still find it just odd that they're caring for them so diligently. Some of the original larva are about to pupate as well, and something tells me they're male. Probably just because of how big and bulky they are. Also, they keep leaving trash (except for dead bodies) in the nest and letting it mold. So now, on either side of the nest, there are two big yellow patches that look like fields of tiny dandelions. It's agitating, but they seem to not care any. As long as it's not negatively affecting them, I'm fine with it.

 

Crematogaster minutissima Colony A

 

I watched the first new worker of the year eclose last night! I watched it under the microscope too, which just made it all the more interesting to watch, seeing all of the legs slip out of the thin pupal skin. It was like watching a mantis shed its skin, a process I'm very familiar with at this point. It was also nice to see all of her sisters coming over to help her. I suspect there should be at least a few more new workers by the end of the week, and many of them are darkening, which in Crematogaster minutissima terms, isn't very dark. More of a creamy yellow or even an off-white. Still darker than the original pure white though.

 

Cyphomyrmex rimosus

 

I've finally figured out the secret to keeping these finicky little ants alive! You literally just have to add so much water into their nesting substrate that there is literally a visible layer of water on the surface, just not so much that they get stuck in it. So yeah, they're looking a lot better now, and hopefully these will be the longest lasting of my Cyphos', especially now that they're on a hydration schedule. Also, I've figured out that these ants actually can grow their yeast gardens on insect exoskeletons. Previously, I had believed that they only ever grew yeast on frass and other decaying matter, and they only ever used the insect exoskeletons as little 'plates' to place the debris onto, just so there's a cleaner surface to grow the yeast on. However, these Cyphos' are growing yeast on insect exoskeletons, specifically on bits of a dried up Camponotus castaneus worker and a grub I gave them. In interesting bit of information I bet you all didn't know, the yeast globules actually change color based on what material they are grown on. For example, in the last Cyphomyrmex colony I had, the yeast was almost white. This is because of the fact they had little to grow on as it was difficult to find any debris for them as I thought they could only grow their yeast on frass. In this colony though, the yeast started off nearly while, then switched to a pretty amber color, and is now a dark grayish-brown. This is due to the yeast having more material to grow on, making it healthier and therefore more nutritious. Man, I'm always figuring out new things about these gorgeous, intriguing ants.

 

Myrmecina americana

 

The other day, I decided to feed these little guys some pre-killed springtails. Luckily, they were very quick to accept them, though at first, they didn't really know what to do with them, as they were still alive enough to work their fulcrum, and could therefore jump pretty well. Eventually though, they realized that they were food, and the next morning nothing remained of the springtails. I think I'll probably give them a bit more food tonight, probably something along the lines of a cricket leg. Given they tend to be scavengers, I suspect they'll readily accept any dead, edible insect matter.

[Acutus]

 

 

Cyphomyrmex rimosus

 

I've finally figured out the secret to keeping these finicky little ants alive! You literally just have to add so much water into their nesting substrate that there is literally a visible layer of water on the surface, just not so much that they get stuck in it. So yeah, they're looking a lot better now, and hopefully these will be the longest lasting of my Cyphos', especially now that they're on a hydration schedule. Also, I've figured out that these ants actually can grow their yeast gardens on insect exoskeletons. Previously, I had believed that they only ever grew yeast on frass and other decaying matter, and they only ever used the insect exoskeletons as little 'plates' to place the debris onto, just so there's a cleaner surface to grow the yeast on. However, these Cyphos' are growing yeast on insect exoskeletons, specifically on bits of a dried up Camponotus castaneus worker and a grub I gave them. In interesting bit of information I bet you all didn't know, the yeast globules actually change color based on what material they are grown on. For example, in the last Cyphomyrmex colony I had, the yeast was almost white. This is because of the fact they had little to grow on as it was difficult to find any debris for them as I thought they could only grow their yeast on frass. In this colony though, the yeast started off nearly while, then switched to a pretty amber color, and is now a dark grayish-brown. This is due to the yeast having more material to grow on, making it healthier and therefore more nutritious. Man, I'm always figuring out new things about these gorgeous, intriguing ants.

 

 

 

Do you have pictures of this "yeast" I gotta research these they sound intriguing!

[Ferox_Formicae]

Right here...

The white things in the last photo are apparently eggs? The reason they look all fuzzy (and the reason Cyphomyrmex brood in general just looks straight up odd) is because they actually let the yeast grow in tiny string-like cultures on their brood. Why? I don't think anyone really knows, but yeah, they have eggs now and I only realized that when I was taking this picture!

[Acutus]

Nice pics! Very alien looking species I love it!!

[Ferox_Formicae]

Cyphomyrmex rimosus

 

So I decided to go back to the area this colony was collected--at the base of a River Birch tree--and decided to look around for any workers that got left behind. Well, apparently there were a few left behind, so I collected those last few remaining workers and moved them back to their original colony. There are probably still a few workers left, so I should probably collect them before the get wiped out by the colonies of Linepithema humile and Pheidole navigans that are in the area. The queen has been producing eggs quite a bit lately, and at the moment they have around 10 to 15 of them. I suspect this colony should do good as long as I keep them on their hydration schedule. The only thing I'm worried about with them if whenever I'm away on vacation during the summer. I usually have my mom take care of them when I'm out of town alone, but I don't know what I'm going to do whenever we're all away. As long as we can get someone to hydrate and feed all of my ants, they should be okay.

 

Prenolepis imparis

 

So she's not looking too hot. She has yet to produce any eggs, and on top of that, she appears to be having trouble moving. I suspect she was never fertilized, and within the next few days she will likely die, that is if she's not already dead.

 

Crematogaster cf. lineolata Queens

 

Some of their eggs are beginning to hatch, and a few of the larva are already in L2. Only 1 of the queens has yet to produce anything, but I suspect that one is probably an ashmeadi gyne. She's also still winged, and I think she may be the one I neglected to hibernate.

[Ferox_Formicae]

Camponotus castaneus Colony A

 

So there hasn't been too much to update on for this colony, and that's because they are currently in the deeper stages of hibernation, and are barely moving at all, and I don't really even see them in the outworld anymore. Currently, they're all kind of tucked up beside one of the roots in the upper right area of the nest, though a few of the workers are in the bottom chamber. There is also a massive population of springtails in the formicarium, any anytime I put food in the outworld for the ants, the springtails quickly swarm over the carcass. They feast on all of the trash in the nest too, so mold growth is kept to a minimum. Come to think of it, I haven't seen mold in there in months.

 

Camponotus castaneus Colony B

 

More pupa have appeared, and when I last checked on them on Monday, they had 5. The queen's gaster is looking very swollen as well, and I suspect eggs should appear within the next few weeks, probably by late March when the new workers begin to eclose. I gave them a piece of a pre-killed superworm too, and they struggled to pick it up for hours before they finally gave up. They had like 1/3 of the colony's population on the job too, and they still couldn't do it! I mean come on, my Aphaenogaster can do it in like 10, maybe 15 minutes! True, the Aphaenogaster do have a larger population, around 250 workers, but they're like half their size, and the Camponotus' totally could've done it if they had sent out more workers. They did get the superworm to the entrance of the nest though before giving up.

 

Aphaenogaster lamellidens

 

One of the pupa from the clutch of legs laid in December is about ready to eclose. In fact, it's probably already eclosed. I mean, I haven't checked on them yet today, so it may well have already eclosed. It's still a shame they were reduced to less than 10 workers, but they should bound back in only a few more weeks, and with luck they will grow pretty fast. In my experience, Aphaenogaster grow pretty fast, and considering I've really only kept species from the fulva-rudis-texana complex, in which colonies are typically pretty small, and considering lamellidens colonies are much, much larger, this colony should grow pretty quickly. They currently have around 40 brood items, and by the end of the season (it really hasn't even started yet tbh), they should have around 100-200 workers.

 

Aphaenogaster miamiana

 

I still can't believe they actually have eggs. More and more are appearing, and they currently have around 100 eggs and 10 large larva from collection. The larva are about to pupate too, and I'll see which caste they are. They're probably male, but they could be workers considering they were from when they colony was collected, when the queen was still there (unless the queen was already dead when I collected them). As far as the eggs go, I am fairly certain they are all male, unless for whatever reason the worker(s) that have been laying them were fertilized, but I highly doubt it. I'll know what they are when they pupate in around a month.

 

Crematogaster minutissima Colony A

 

The test tube is getting really full! New workers are eclosing, more eggs are being laid, and the colony is just straight up getting bigger. They're definitely running out of room, and they test tube is getting dirty too. I'm definitely going to have to move them into a lab-style formicarium within the next few weeks. I gave them a little piece of mealworm too, and they were all over it within seconds. I'm still shocked that they're doing so well. I mean damn, these things are hardy! Just a few months ago, I thought they were dead in a mold-coated pill bottle, but nope!

 

Myrmecina americana

 

There have been no more deaths since those first two, and the colony is looking pretty happy and healthy, and they are happy to take any piece of dead insect I give to them. Being a cryptic species, they don't really do much, just kind of lounging around the nest all huddled up with their brood underneath them. Some of the brood did look pretty shriveled up upon collection, but all of the brood looks pretty healthy now as they're being fed by their older sisters.

 

Cyphomyrmex rimosus

 

I gave them some bits of beetle exoskeleton I found, one from a Green June Scarab, and the other from one of those small black scarabs found at lights which I cannot for the life of me put an ID on. I really need to put one under the scope, take some pictures of it, and then put it on iNaturalist. Anyways, they were definitely pretty interested in the scarab pieces, and were quick to carry the pieces back to the nest. The yeast is looking really healthy too, and has lighted back up a bit to that pretty amber color. It's definitely been eating away at it's substrate too.

[Ferox_Formicae]

Camponotus castaneus Colony C

 

They finally have eggs! I feel so much better now that the colony is on the road to recovery from their massive die-off, though it will probably be a very long time until they have fully recovered, at least until August, depending on how much the dealate decides to lay within these next few days. When I checked on them last on Wednesday, only two eggs were present, but that number is almost certainly higher now.

 

Aphaenogaster lamellidens

 

The first worker of the year has eclosed! She's a really small one compared to the current workers, but the next pupa to eclose (within the next few weeks) is larger, closer to the size of the current workers.

 

Myrmecina americana

 

Bad news, they have mites. I doubt they're the parasitic form, but there's nothing good about any sort of mite. I did find it sort of ironic that an ant, known for being a mite-specialist predator, has mites that they can't deal with. Even the larva have mites. Come to think of it though, I'm pretty sure I saw the mites at collection, but I didn't realize they were actually mites until now. They're super tiny ones too. This is definitely going to be interesting, as it's the first time I've ever had to deal with mites in one of my ant colonies. Wish me luck, and let me know if anyone has any tricks-of-the-trade to share with me, other than moving them into a vivarium where I would rarely, if ever, see them above ground.

[TennesseeAnts]

Camponotus castaneus Colony C
 
They finally have eggs! I feel so much better now that the colony is on the road to recovery from their massive die-off, though it will probably be a very long time until they have fully recovered, at least until August, depending on how much the dealate decides to lay within these next few days. When I checked on them last on Wednesday, only two eggs were present, but that number is almost certainly higher now.
 
Aphaenogaster lamellidens
 
The first worker of the year has eclosed! She's a really small one compared to the current workers, but the next pupa to eclose (within the next few weeks) is larger, closer to the size of the current workers.
 
Myrmecina americana
 
Bad news, they have mites. I doubt they're the parasitic form, but there's nothing good about any sort of mite. I did find it sort of ironic that an ant, known for being a mite-specialist predator, has mites that they can't deal with. Even the larva have mites. Come to think of it though, I'm pretty sure I saw the mites at collection, but I didn't realize they were actually mites until now. They're super tiny ones too. This is definitely going to be interesting, as it's the first time I've ever had to deal with mites in one of my ant colonies. Wish me luck, and let me know if anyone has any tricks-of-the-trade to share with me, other than moving them into a vivarium where I would rarely, if ever, see them above ground.

I really hope those mites are just scavengers..

[Ferox_Formicae]

Camponotus castaneus Colony A

 

So I've decided to base colony naming on colony collection date, as opposed to size, as I've been doing with my castaneus. So, Colony C is now A (the queen was collected in April/May), A is now B, and B is now C. Anyways, the queen has only laid one more egg, but her gaster is starting to look a bit larger, and the workers are finally beginning to collect food from the outworld. Hibernation season is definitely coming to an end.

 

Camponotus castaneus Colony B

 

Still no eggs from them, and the dealate is still looking pretty slim. She has fattened up a tad bit, but all of the workers have larger gaster than is displayed by her. I mean jeez, she looks like a social parasite! Anyways, they've been going into the outworld a bit more lately though, and I gave them an apple core the other night, and they're still going to town on it, only coming put at night though, of course.

 

Camponotus castaneus Colony C

 

They have like 7 or 8 pupa now, though some of the larva have not grown at all from their collection. The dealate has also yet to lay any eggs. Her gaster is looking very large though, however, she's looked like that for the past few months, and I don't think she ever slimmed down like all of the other dealates in my colonies did.

 

Brachymyrmex patagonicus

 

So they're not doing too well, left with only a single worker, and with no brood. Like with most of the colonies here though, the dealate is looking larger than she was at collection.

 

Prenolepis imparis

 

She's finally ended up dying. It didn't really surprise me though, as I didn't think she would actually be fertile.

 

Lasius claviger

 

All of them are dead.

 

Solenopsis invicta Gynes

 

In a lot of the test tubes, all of their brood has been wiped out by mold. However, for those that still have brood, the eggs are hatching and the larvae growing, and there should be pupa appearing by the end of the week.

 

Crematogaster lineolata/ashmeadi Gynes

 

Nearly all of the dealates have brood, and almost all of those have larva. They definitely don't have too many brood items though, most of them having 10-15 eggs, as opposed to the Solenopsis gynes, which have 40-50.

 

Crematogaster minutissima Colony A

 

There is so much brood! Brood in all stages, tons of eggs being laid daily, workers eclosing daily, it's just great! And they say invicta are fast growers! These things are insane! Who says small, cryptic species have small, cryptic colonies?

 

Crematogaster minutissima Colony B

 

New eggs are being laid, but not to the degree of Colony A. The colony will most likely remain a bit smaller than Colony A, especially given the fact that they only have 3 dealates (1 died the other day) as opposed to 12, but you never know. I'm pretty sure they mate in the nest, so maybe by the end of the year they'll have more dealates.

 

Aphaenogaster lamellidens

 

A new pupa has appeared, and the oldest one is darkening, and with luck it'll eclose by the end of the week, possibly sooner if I'm lucky, but I doubt it.

 

Aphaenogaster miamiana

 

Jeez, how much are they going to let those larva grow!? I mean, are they female alates of something? Males? Just larger workers? Whatever the case, those larva are thicc, very thicc.

[TennesseeAnts]

You're gonna have your hands full with those new Crematogaster queens!

[Ferox_Formicae]

You're gonna have your hands full with those new Crematogaster queens!

For sure. I have like 11 of them...