116 replies to this topic

[FSTP]

Awesome more ant Queens!

[P0rcelain]

some other things to note that i know about bicknelli (from research just now and what i have observed)

 

- they thrive in coastal areas and sandy environments. the reason why this is important to me is because polyrhachis ammon, my dream ant species, is exactly the same and prefers woodlands too.

- i saw another one in my bathroom. definitely the same species. had the same massive gaster and short antennas as well as colouration/texture.

- it would surprise no one if they are common here, as they are not a particularly rare species of ant.

 

so, here is the thing. this gives me hope of finding polyrhachis ammon, as it indicates to me that there could be plenty of sandy soil hidden away out here. the problem is that from what i can tell of it being common, bicknelli likely thrives in a lot of conditions ammon does not. so my hopes are not too high. regardless, i am probably not going to find out until january, just like i had no idea there were ants with big butts around here until they started flying. interesting to note is that bicknelli is a very timid species and like i said, i did not even know they were out here. ammon is pretty timid too.

Edited by P0rcelain, October 15 2019 - 1:36 PM.

[Formicoidea]

Polyrhachis won't fly for a month or two. 

 

https://www.gamergat...n-anting-season

 

that's the best nuptial flight chart for Aus ants i have found... though to be honest, i haven't looked much. 

 

Even if you can't find a queen you can always buy one. 

Edited by Formicoidea, October 16 2019 - 12:29 AM.

[Broncos]

If the irridomyrmex queen is still there... Just because she is fully clastural doesn’t mean she doesn’t take food. You can put a cotton bud/Q tip into sugar water or a sugary substance then brush it on the floor of the test tube but you can’t put too much at all just micro drops will do. And just slightly dip the Q tip in sugar water so a lot doesn’t come out when brushing on the tube. REMEMBER JUST A LITTLE MICRO DROP!!

Edited by Broncos, October 16 2019 - 2:56 PM.

[P0rcelain]

the correct word is fully claustral. claustral means 'enveloping, confining' so semi claustral refers to an ants behaviour in occasionally nesting and foraging the other half of the time.

 

i would prefer not to disturb her, though. maybe i will feed her once she has her first brood.

[DDD101DDD]

the correct word is fully claustral. claustral means 'enveloping, confining' so semi claustral refers to an ants behaviour in occasionally nesting and foraging the other half of the time.

 

i would prefer not to disturb her, though. maybe i will feed her once she has her first brood.

Actually, you shouldn't feed her when she has brood, that will stress her and might make her eat her brood. I would suggest feeding her before the first eggs are laid.

[ANTdrew]

Yes, don’t disturb her in any way once eggs appear.

[Da_NewAntOnTheBlock]

Yes, don’t disturb her in any way once eggs appear.

My new Camponotus. Queen laid eggs, got them in a nice pile and dug in to her eggs! ! If you see that happening, it's fine, she's just hungry and won't accept food (trust me I TRIED)

[DDD101DDD]

 

Yes, don’t disturb her in any way once eggs appear.

My new Camponotus. Queen laid eggs, got them in a nice pile and dug in to her eggs! ! If you see that happening, it's fine, she's just hungry and won't accept food (trust me I TRIED)

 

Eggs with hibernation so close?

[Da_NewAntOnTheBlock]

Yes, don’t disturb her in any way once eggs appear.

My new Camponotus. Queen laid eggs, got them in a nice pile and dug in to her eggs! ! If you see that happening, it's fine, she's just hungry and won't accept food (trust me I TRIED)

Eggs with hibernation so close?

He's in Australia, his seasons are reversed since he is on the other side of the globe

[DDD101DDD]

 

 

 

Yes, don’t disturb her in any way once eggs appear.

My new Camponotus. Queen laid eggs, got them in a nice pile and dug in to her eggs! ! If you see that happening, it's fine, she's just hungry and won't accept food (trust me I TRIED)

Eggs with hibernation so close?

He's in Australia, his seasons are reversed since he is on the other side of the globe

 

No I'm talking about your queen.

[Da_NewAntOnTheBlock]

Yes, don’t disturb her in any way once eggs appear.

My new Camponotus. Queen laid eggs, got them in a nice pile and dug in to her eggs! ! If you see that happening, it's fine, she's just hungry and won't accept food (trust me I TRIED)

Eggs with hibernation so close?

He's in Australia, his seasons are reversed since he is on the other side of the globe

No I'm talking about your queen.

Oh, she laid because she was hungry

[Da_NewAntOnTheBlock]

It was her second batch, and i gave her honey too! Either I should have gave her protein, or she is just can't resist eating her children

[DDD101DDD]

Second batch? Some queens that are infertile lay trophic eggs to eat for food.

[Da_NewAntOnTheBlock]

Second batch? Some queens that are infertile lay trophic eggs to eat for food.

The first got eaten because I stressed her too much, and she was hungry. If she's infertile she won't make it to next diapause, as the maximum lifespan for a infertile queen is 1 year

[DDD101DDD]

 

Second batch? Some queens that are infertile lay trophic eggs to eat for food.

The first got eaten because I stressed her too much, and she was hungry. If she's infertile she won't make it to next diapause, as the maximum lifespan for a infertile queen is 1 year

 

Ok, I was just putting that out there, because you never know.

[Da_NewAntOnTheBlock]

Yeah,I was worried, but thank you nonetheless

[P0rcelain]

 

the correct word is fully claustral. claustral means 'enveloping, confining' so semi claustral refers to an ants behaviour in occasionally nesting and foraging the other half of the time.

 

i would prefer not to disturb her, though. maybe i will feed her once she has her first brood.

Actually, you shouldn't feed her when she has brood, that will stress her and might make her eat her brood. I would suggest feeding her before the first eggs are laid.

 

 

Yes, don’t disturb her in any way once eggs appear.

 

ok, thanks for warning me. i will now prompt to not do that. lmao.

[P0rcelain]

tridaily check up!

i did not want to disturb her too much so there are no new photos of her this time, but the second queen is doing fine. still has her wings. inactive as ever (which is good). she has dug a little into the cotton and is drinking the water underneath. all good signs.

the first queen is doing well also. i have fed her today and taken two photos.

tonight she is eating a little piece of spring water tuna dipped in a little bit of maple flavoured syrup.

and i have evidence that she has indeed been eating.

the moment i put her in the shade, she went to work chowing on the maple syrup on the end of the tuna piece.

other notes about this queen:

- she has also dug into her cotton to get better access to her water.

- i am unsure, but it feels as though she might have grown in size. i remember her being smaller.

- she has not eaten her wings. this is interesting to me, because you would think since she is semi-claustral, she would.

- i have had her for four days so far, so i am expecting eggs soon.

[P0rcelain]

as i did before, i will come back in 2-3 hours and remove the meal