8 replies to this topic

[Antennal_Scrobe]

I caught a Ponera queen, but the only thing I know about their care is the fact that they don't do well in test tubes. Is it possible to raise Ponera from a queen? If so, how? Can I keep multiple queens together, or even give her wild workers? What should I keep her in? Can I feed her cricket legs?

[ponerinecat]

yes, polygyne, workers accepted, a little dirt setup is best, springtails and small insect bits are prefered.

[Antennal_Scrobe]

Do you think I could make a dirt setup with a petri dish? Or should I just make a terrarium?

[ponerinecat]

.yes, petri dish works. I put two hypoponera queens in aterrarium and the result was a full fledged colony so terarium works too.

[Antennal_Scrobe]

For now I have them in a soil filled petri dish. i gave them a cricket leg and at least one or two of the queens ate from it.

[ponerinecat]

that'll do

[Antennal_Scrobe]

Now I have either 3 or 4 queens (I caught another one, but may have been injured and may have died; I hadn't seen all three of them at the same time in a while), as well as several workers (Not from the same colony.) which seem to get along with the queens and with each other. they haven't settled down yet though, though they might just not do this generally.

[ponerinecat]

Now I have either 3 or 4 queens (I caught another one, but may have been injured and may have died; I hadn't seen all three of them at the same time in a while), as well as several workers (Not from the same colony.) which seem to get along with the queens and with each other. they haven't settled down yet though, though they might just not do this generally.

often they'll just wander around and live in cracks until they get larger.

[Antennal_Scrobe]

Sounds about right.