204 replies to this topic

[AntsExodus]

Lol I'm actually waiting for Ferox to answer

[TennesseeAnts]

After catching 3 colonies one aphenogaster rudis and 2 brachymyrmex colonies I come across this in my backyard. 3 Trachymyrmex septentrionalis colonies! I got so exited and started digging them up. Sadly after I finished collecting one of the colonies I slipped and lost them all. I recovered some fungus and workers but no queen. So I dug up another colony to merge with them. The first colony that I dug up had 3 chambers and this one had 2. I dug them but I'm not sure if I caught a queen or not. I really need some tips on how to dig these guys and how to find the queen in this mess! I know you dig a trench first then start digging from but I think I need some more info! Help please! I am not sure if my Trachymyrmex colony has a queen so I am so sad. Very high chance they don't. I have only 2 colonies of Trachymyrmex in my backyard left and I will leave them alone. I will also like to request what they eat and their background.

I would wait a few years until you get into the fungus farming Attines. They are very finicky, and should be left alone until you have a good understanding of what you're dealing with. Also, message @Ferox_Formicae for help on Attines.

[Ferox_Formicae]

Yeah. Remember, I sent you that PM the first time you asked for help. Look over that again.

[AntsExodus]

Ok so I realized I have over 30 colonies of trachymyrmex septentrionalis in my backyard. Some of them are really small trachymyrmex septentrionalis colonies and some are really big with like 4 fungus chambers. Also found a lot of small founding chambers in the ground. Also found this really small species around the same size was temnothorax which possibly could be temnothorax. Didn't collect any of the ants that I have just stated. 

[TennesseeAnts]

Ok so I realized I have over 30 colonies of trachymyrmex septentrionalis in my backyard. Some of them are really small trachymyrmex septentrionalis colonies and some are really big with like 4 fungus chambers. Also found a lot of small founding chambers in the ground. Also found this really small species around the same size was temnothorax which possibly could be temnothorax. Didn't collect any of the ants that I have just stated. 

Those smaller "founding chambers" might have been small Trachymyrmex colonies. If they are small colonies and you want Trachymyrmex, you can go ahead and collect one of those, as they won't have but a single chamber.

[ANTdrew]

Leave some colonies in the wild, please.

[TennesseeAnts]

Leave some colonies in the wild, please.

That shouldn't be a problem if the Trachymyrmex population in his area is that huge.

[AntsExodus]

Do not worry if I do catch a colony I am limiting my colonies of Trachymyrmex to only 2 colonies and if the founding chambers are small colonies that means there are 40+ Trachymyrmex colonies in my area.

[AntsExodus]

Holy crap my Trachymyrmex fungus has grown 3 times the size I saw last time! I guess I'm doing a good job! Sadly their is no queen in this colony so I will dig up a small colony with a queen and merge them together. I am planning on breeding Trachymyrmex Septentrionalis later on but for now I am just going to keep them. They love meal-worm frass on their fungus and sometimes take fresh cutup leaves and honey. They like the chunky meal-worm frass that hasn't become 100% sandy meal-worm frass.

[AntsExodus]

I merged my Trachymyrmex colony with another colony that has a queen! I'm not sure if they actually did not have a queen so there could be one queen or 2 queens or even 3 queens or 0 queens... Now they have a looot of fungus and its growing really fast and its really cool.

[TennesseeAnts]

I merged my Trachymyrmex colony with another colony that has a queen! I'm not sure if they actually did not have a queen so there could be one queen or 2 queens or even 3 queens or 0 queens... Now they have a looot of fungus and its growing really fast and its really cool.

What are they being housed in? And can you get some pics of the colony?

Edited by Ant_Dude2908, April 30 2020 - 9:14 AM.

[AntsExodus]

Yeah sure

[AntsExodus]

These were when I caught them so their fungus has quadrupled

[TennesseeAnts]

Make sure to get them into a Petri dish nest.

[AntsExodus]

What size and length does the petri dish need to be? If you can show me some petri dishes on amazon that are good I can buy right away!

[TennesseeAnts]

What size and length does the petri dish need to be? If you can show me some petri dishes on amazon that are good I can buy right away!

I use 100 x 15 millimeter dishes. My colony loves their nest.

[AntsExodus]

Hey guys I have a question about Prenolepis imparis. Do they have a dark form and a light form. My Prenolepis imparis I find in my area have dark workers but when I see videos of other people with them they are yellow and light. Any reason behind that? I know these are Prenolepis cause I have seen Alex Wild's pictures on them and they are the same color size and they just look like Prenolepis Imparis.

I could be wrong I totally don't know

[TennesseeAnts]

Hey guys I have a question about Prenolepis imparis. Do they have a dark form and a light form. My Prenolepis imparis I find in my area have dark workers but when I see videos of other people with them they are yellow and light. Any reason behind that? I know these are Prenolepis cause I have seen Alex Wild's pictures on them and they are the same color size and they just look like Prenolepis Imparis.

I could be wrong I totally don't know

Prenolepis imparis have many color forms, and many subspecies. Mine are a very light variant, most likely Prenolepis imparis testacea. But, the subspecies are all currently junior synonyms of P. imparis.

Edited by Ant_Dude2908, May 3 2020 - 5:10 PM.

[AntsExodus]

I caught a 9 queen Ponera Pennsylvanica colony! I found them under a rock and I thought there was no queen but I could clearly see some of them where queens! I collected all the ants I could find and I placed them in a test tube and I counted 9 queens!

Also found some Solenopsis Molesta and some strumigenys

[TennesseeAnts]

I caught a 9 queen Ponera Pennsylvanica colony! I found them under a rock and I thought there was no queen but I could clearly see some of them where queens! I collected all the ants I could find and I placed them in a test tube and I counted 9 queens!

Also found some Solenopsis Molesta and some strumigenys

Probably Hypoponera opacior.