52 replies to this topic

[TheMicroPlanet]

I knew pseudomyrmex doesn't do that but I was asking just in case.

[CheetoLord02]

Yeah, stress could definitely be a factor. I might see if I can get some black straws instead of the clear ones I have currently for them to try and block the light coming in from the nearby window

[CheetoLord02]

Update 1/15/20

Sorry that it's been so long since the last update, but if I'm being honest, nothing too exciting has happened for the most part.

Quick update on the status of the colony:
They've finalized their decision to use 2 straw chambers, one in each container.
This is the main chamber, home to every single queen (2 dealate 4 alate) and about 65% of the total colony. This chamber is actually in the smaller chamber, where I offer food less frequently.

And here's the satellite nest in the large container where I offer most of the food. For a time, one of the queens (the less productive one) was located in here, but after 2-3 days she returned to the main nest.

Other things to note is that the more productive queen has been considerably physogastric for around a week now, and as you can see in the main nest pic she's really been productive. You can even see her gaster in the background on the left. Also, 4 or 5 queen alates have eclosed now (hard to keep track honestly) but none have mated. I don't think there's enough male alates honestly, as far as I can see there's only 3 present in the nest. Often times the alates leave the nest and wander in the outworld, but never mate, so idk what their deal is.

Edited by CheetoLord02, January 15 2020 - 8:18 PM.

[ponerinecat]

So many eggs! 

[CheetoLord02]

Last night, 2/12, it finally happened.
They bred in the nest! We officially have a 3rd dealate queen!

So far she hasn't rejoined with the rest of the colony yet, but the workers show no aggression towards her, so hopefully soon enough she'll be led back to the nest.

In other news, they now no longer have a satellite nest. Idk why, but they're still doing fine without it, so whatever.

[ponerinecat]

Why does life torture me so.

[ForestDragon]

ha idk but its funny how its always one person that can raise a colony like this pretty successfully when so many others have failed i find it hilarious

[CheetoLord02]

Yeah I'm really happy with how well these guys are doing. Honestly, it's all in the setup imo. Also in other news I can't find any of the other queen alates so they probably died at some point. But at least one lived to breed. I'm hopeful that she'll rejoin the rest of the colony soon.

[ForestDragon]

yeah keep going man that's an awesome colony, how did you get them? your location says illinois?

[CheetoLord02]

The former colony here slowly fizzled out as I got bored of them, and I eventually released the remaining ants back to where I collected them.

Edited by CheetoLord02, December 14 2020 - 4:21 PM.

[garrettl]

I just found a  Pseudomyrmex gracilis in my house and managed to capture him

Speaking of Pseudomyrmex stings, I was looking through the comments of a Myrmecos post about them and it seems that many people have severe reactions to the sting of P. gracilis, and live in fear of encountering the ants and being attacked. I guess they truly are the Myrmecia of the Neotropics.

[CheetoLord02]

Today I went out back to the same location as before to collect more Pseudomyrmex pallidus. I wasn't intending on keeping a colony for myself, and instead was collecting a colony for a friend, but I seemingly hit the jackpot and accidentally collected WAY more than I needed. Rather than just re-releasing the rest, I decided to have a go with this species again, because why not. The colony for my friend was 2 queens and a few dozen workers, leaving the rest for myself... which is a lot. I think I have at least 3 dealate queens, if not more. They also have several alates, at least 3 queens and 2 males, which I found to be surprising considering the time of year. 
 

 

 

Here's one of the dealate queens.
 

 

For now I've just got them in a "tubs and tubes" style nest, since I don't have time at the moment to build them a custom setup. At the very least I used some cotton and a straw to narrow the entrance of their tube, which they definitely appreciate.
 

 

 

I also provided them with a large feeder of sunburst. I'm not exactly sure if they've figured out how it works yet, but they do seem to enjoy partying on the top of it.

 

Collecting this colony just 2 days before I am going on a 2 week vacation probably wasn't the smartest thing ever, however I'm confident that at least a majority of the colony will still be waiting for me when I get back. I think after keeping these in the past as well as my extra almost year of antkeeping experience is going to make for a much better run with this species than before. Not that it went poorly, but there were a few issues that I'm hoping I can get ironed out, assuming this colony will survive until I get home in January. They will be fed still, as my dad will be feeding my colonies periodically while I'm gone, but I know they can be quite stubborn about eating, so we'll see.

[M_Ants]

Any advice on collecting these? These are high on my list of ants I want to keep. 

[CheetoLord02]

2 weeks later and everybody is still alive! Well, for the most part. I can confirm that at least 2 of the dealate queens and a majority of the brood and workers are still alive and well. I'll be working on making them a much better setup shortly, but for now their test tube seems to be doing them well.
 

 

 

This pic contains both of the dealates that I was able to see. Can you find them? It's really hard to notice them when they're not physogastric!
 

[Kaelwizard]

Pretty sure I found both queens. If so it was pretty easy.

[CheetoLord02]

This morning I woke up, and upon sitting down at my desk I noticed a Pseudomyrmex male flying around. As to how he got out I have no idea, but the alates were attempting to fly in the container. I added the male back and kept a loose eye on them. While doing so I noticed that one of the queens had grown to be quite physogastric, which is an awesome sign. I think it can be attributed to me putting the setup on heat yesterday.
 

I also noticed a dealate queen in the outworld with a small gaster, clearly not producing eggs. I think this may be a freshly mated queen, although until she starts producing eggs it will be impossible to be sure. Either way, a few hours later I found her huddled up inside of the test tube like normal. 

 

Another awesome development is that it turns out Pseudomyrmex love fruit flies; just not live. I had tried fruit flies with my previous colony, fed live, and the workers would not hunt them. I assumed this simply meant that they didn't like them, but I was mistaken. I decided to try again when I noticed workers carrying cricket legs back to the tube, and wondered if they like to have smaller food that's easier to carry. I have noticed them in the wild feeding on dead flies and small arthropods, but knowing that they won't hunt fruit flies I instead decided to prekill in the freezer. It was an immediate hit and workers started carrying them off almost instantly! It was a huge relief to have found a reliable food source, since my previous run had inconsistent feeding responses and a lot of cannibalism of their own brood because of it.

 

 

[Antkeeper01]

so cool!

[Devi]

Ooh, somehow I haven't seen this journal yet.  I'll have to read it in full later when I have some time.  

[ponerinecat]

Collected from twigs or branches? 

[CheetoLord02]

Collected from twigs or branches? 

Little bit of both. Just about every dead "appendage" of this tree has Pseudomyrmex nesting in it. It really is quite a large colony.