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All my inverts

Started By ponerinecat , Dec 9 2019 5:13 PM

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343 replies to this topic

#281 Offline TechAnt - Posted August 10 2020 - 5:42 PM

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Makes me sad that my termites kicked the bucket.

The ones that got baked on your car? Also RIP
No these two were my successful pair that even got a nymph. I don’t what happened, but termite keeping isn’t as easy as I thought.
Rest In Peace. I may try termite keeping some day when the whole building I live in is not wood, and most of my furniture does not have wood.
My Ants:
(x1) Campontous semitstaceus ~20 workers, 1 Queen
(x1) Camponotus vicinus ~10 workers, 1 Queen (all black variety)
(x1) Tetramorium immigrans ~100 workers, 1 Queen
(x1) Myrmercocystus mexicanus -1 Queen
(x2) Mymercocystus mimcus -1 Queen
(x1) Mymercocystus testaceus ~45 workers, 1 Queen

#282 Offline ponerinecat - Posted August 13 2020 - 4:48 PM

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Might be rubbing salt in the wounds, but my terms got their first soldier.

 

 

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#283 Offline Antkid12 - Posted August 14 2020 - 6:58 AM

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My high score in termite keeping is 5 nymphs.  :(


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Ants I have: Tapinoma sessile(2 queen colony). RED MORPH Camponotus neacticus(now has pupae!), Tetramorium immigrans (x3), Aphaenogaster sp, Temnothorax sp, Brachymyrmex sp.   possibly infertile   :(,  Ponera pennsylvanica, and Pheidole morrisi!  :yahoo: 

 

Other insects: Polistes sp. Queen

                    

Ants I need: Pheidole sp., Trachymyrmex sp., Crematogaster cerasi , Dorymyrmex sp. Most wanted: Pheidole morrisii

 

                    

                   

 

 

#284 Online ANTdrew - Posted August 14 2020 - 5:52 PM

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My high score in termite keeping is 5 nymphs. :(

That’s way better than me.
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#285 Offline ponerinecat - Posted August 15 2020 - 8:01 AM

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Stagmomantis limbata?

 

 

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#286 Offline Antkid12 - Posted August 15 2020 - 8:56 AM

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It looks kinda cute.


Ants I have: Tapinoma sessile(2 queen colony). RED MORPH Camponotus neacticus(now has pupae!), Tetramorium immigrans (x3), Aphaenogaster sp, Temnothorax sp, Brachymyrmex sp.   possibly infertile   :(,  Ponera pennsylvanica, and Pheidole morrisi!  :yahoo: 

 

Other insects: Polistes sp. Queen

                    

Ants I need: Pheidole sp., Trachymyrmex sp., Crematogaster cerasi , Dorymyrmex sp. Most wanted: Pheidole morrisii

 

                    

                   

 

 

#287 Offline ponerinecat - Posted August 15 2020 - 10:28 AM

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She's extremely cute.


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#288 Offline Kaelwizard - Posted August 16 2020 - 12:12 PM

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She's extremely cute.

Agreed. Anyone who thinks otherwise is insane. Mantids are some of my favorite invertebrates.
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#289 Offline ponerinecat - Posted August 18 2020 - 4:51 PM

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A. granulatum had a pretty big boom.

 

 

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Picked up an alate of Brachymyrmex depilis.

 

 

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And I collected a few crab like rove beetles at my lights. These went in the paludarium.

 

 

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#290 Offline TechAnt - Posted August 18 2020 - 7:11 PM

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Those rove beetles look very cool. Also that B. depilis looks very ‘in chill mode’ in the photo lol.
My Ants:
(x1) Campontous semitstaceus ~20 workers, 1 Queen
(x1) Camponotus vicinus ~10 workers, 1 Queen (all black variety)
(x1) Tetramorium immigrans ~100 workers, 1 Queen
(x1) Myrmercocystus mexicanus -1 Queen
(x2) Mymercocystus mimcus -1 Queen
(x1) Mymercocystus testaceus ~45 workers, 1 Queen

#291 Offline ponerinecat - Posted August 22 2020 - 8:59 AM

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The calicina and ortholasma have died. It seems the adults are easy enough to keep alive, but they won't breed unless presented with an ideal habitat with very deep substrate. Likely won't try these again.


#292 Offline CatsnAnts - Posted August 22 2020 - 7:12 PM

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Great photos, species, and journal!

 

Some of the species you keep are insanely gorgeous - I really need to consider keeping more varieties of springtails along with my ants, I had no idea they could be so interesting! Where do I even begin with finding such amazing species/learning about them? I may be asking for some IDs soon haha if I manage to find any.


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Spoiler

#293 Online ANTdrew - Posted August 23 2020 - 4:19 AM

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Keeping springtails is where it’s at. My culture is making a nice comeback. I’ve been gathering lots of new springtails from my yard to add in.
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"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#294 Offline ponerinecat - Posted August 23 2020 - 7:11 AM

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Great photos, species, and journal!

 

Some of the species you keep are insanely gorgeous - I really need to consider keeping more varieties of springtails along with my ants, I had no idea they could be so interesting! Where do I even begin with finding such amazing species/learning about them? I may be asking for some IDs soon haha if I manage to find any.

Collembola.org is a great place to browse, and you can find some nice info and pictures on chaosofdelight.org. You can find all sorts of springtails locally, just check pretty much everywhere. They're normally associated with dirt in the pet hobby but they actually will live on water, rocks, ice, wood, and plants as well. Many species can only be found in a specific habitat as well. A padded aspirator is great for collection.


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#295 Online ANTdrew - Posted August 23 2020 - 7:49 AM

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Chaosofdelight is awesome!
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#296 Offline ponerinecat - Posted August 23 2020 - 7:57 AM

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Indeed it is. The same person has a youtube channel with some funny videos of giant springtails.


#297 Offline M_Ants - Posted August 23 2020 - 9:25 AM

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Any advice on my new ponera queen? You seem like the person to ask. I don't have springtails so I'm not sure what to do.


Edited by M_Ants, August 23 2020 - 9:25 AM.

Veromessor pergandei

Veromessor andrei

Crematogaster sp. 

Pogonomyrmex cf cali and rugosus

Various Pheidole

C. yogi 

https://www.youtube....FG7utFVBA/about

#298 Online ANTdrew - Posted August 24 2020 - 8:35 AM

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Is the charcoal thing actually a best practice with springtails? I just keep mine in soil like their natural habitat.
I guess I could try to compare....
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#299 Offline KitsAntVa - Posted August 24 2020 - 10:45 AM

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Most people keep them in wood but a good design for termite keeping in test tubes is putting water then shoving cotton balls in until you can see little or no water then poke a hole in the cotton so it mimics a little founding chamber for them.
We don’t talk about that

#300 Offline ponerinecat - Posted August 24 2020 - 2:19 PM

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Most people keep them in wood but a good design for termite keeping in test tubes is putting water then shoving cotton balls in until you can see little or no water then poke a hole in the cotton so it mimics a little founding chamber for them.

Tried that in the past, didn't work very well. I'm not sure Zootermopsis can live in those conditions either.


Is the charcoal thing actually a best practice with springtails? I just keep mine in soil like their natural habitat.
I guess I could try to compare....

It seems to work well enough with certain species, like the commonly used Folsomia, but many don't seem to be able to live on it (or don't grow very fast.)


Any advice on my new ponera queen? You seem like the person to ask. I don't have springtails so I'm not sure what to do.

She will be fine with parts of larger dead insects. Live prey shouldn't be a requirement.


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