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Skocko76's Aphaenogaster epirotes journal

Started By skocko76 , Apr 8 2020 6:58 AM
journal aphaenogaster epirotes

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70 replies to this topic

#41 Online Ants_Dakota - Posted December 7 2020 - 7:14 PM

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I like that older design of the byFormica feeders better than the new ones.

i do like that too. not sure if better than the new one, because i have never had the bigger ones...


Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. -Proverbs 6: 6-8

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#42 Offline skocko76 - Posted February 23 2021 - 6:04 AM

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Spring is in the air (kind of), and my A. epirotes got a new batch of eggs.

It's hard to see in the photo, and the glass got smeared from the underneath, but the new batch is on the way.

The large amount of larvae have gone through the winter without pupating, so I expect them to pupate soon. It looks like it's going to be a very successful season for this colony :)

IMG 20210223 145040

 


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#43 Offline Kaelwizard - Posted February 23 2021 - 6:21 AM

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That is a lot of very fat larvae. Good luck with them.


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#44 Offline Canadant - Posted February 24 2021 - 10:04 AM

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Looks like they're on their way to a good season!
"You don't get what you want. You get what you deserve".

#45 Offline NickAnter - Posted February 24 2021 - 1:27 PM

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Very nice colony! I am going to make a real effort to get my hands on some Aphaenogaster this year.


Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 

#46 Offline Kaelwizard - Posted February 24 2021 - 2:07 PM

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Very nice colony! I am going to make a real effort to get my hands on some Aphaenogaster this year.

Come to my place. You can't move a rock without finding them.


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#47 Offline ANTdrew - Posted February 24 2021 - 2:37 PM

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Same here. They’re under every rock and log in the woods here. I never find queens in flights, though.
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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.

#48 Offline TennesseeAnts - Posted February 24 2021 - 3:07 PM

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Same here. They’re under every rock and log in the woods here. I never find queens in flights, though.

They're pretty nocturnal, so that might be why. 

 

Also, its kinda strange to me how Shocko's colony actually hibernated. I have never hibernated (had the opportunity to hibernate) an Aphaenogaster colony, haha.


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#49 Offline Kaelwizard - Posted February 25 2021 - 4:08 AM

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Same here. They’re under every rock and log in the woods here. I never find queens in flights, though.

I think they sometimes fly in the late afternoon because I have found male alates floating on the lake (strangely there were no queens). I often find queens under rocks. In my experience they will lay eggs before hibernation, which is a nice change for late flying species.


#50 Offline skocko76 - Posted February 25 2021 - 1:49 PM

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I can confirm that they lay eggs before the hibernation. I caught my queen in the evening, when it was getting dark.
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#51 Offline skocko76 - Posted March 24 2021 - 8:28 AM

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The new batch of eggs have become tiny larvae. Th existing fat larvae haven't pupated yet, but have become more opaque.

The colony is less shy and the foragers are pretty bold. They take bits of insects right off the tweezers.

 

IMG 20210323 101948

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#52 Offline skocko76 - Posted April 13 2021 - 5:08 AM

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The larvae have just begun pupating. I spot two pupae, their legs folded in a"v" shape, barely visible.

The workers are holding them in their mandibles. Hopefully, they won't "recycle" them as they did during the winter.

It could happen, as I was unable to get insects for them, and they haven't developed an appetite for Ma-Zu protein feed.

 

IMG 20210413 150408

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#53 Offline TacticalHandleGaming - Posted April 13 2021 - 7:26 AM

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I'm hoping I get get lucky and find an Aphaenogaster Queen now. Such a cool looking species! 


Currently kept species

L. neoniger, P. occidentalis, C. modoc, C. novaeboracensis, C. vicinus, T. immigrans, A. occidentalis, S. molesta, P. imparis, M. kennedyi, M semirufus, F. pacifica, P. californica, M. ergatogyna.

 

Previously kept species

T. rugatulus, B. depilis.

 

Looking for

Myrmecocystus pyramicus, Myrmecocystus testaceus

Pheidole creightoni, Pheidole inquilina, Crematogaster coarctata, Crematogaster mutans

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#54 Offline skocko76 - Posted May 11 2021 - 1:55 AM

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Temperature has gone up recently and most of the larvae are pupae now.

A couple of the pupae are already darkening, which is too fast, I think. Maybe those are the 2-3 pupae I spotted a month ago, so it makes sense they are more ahead than the others.

I notice some larvae/pupae got eaten...not sure if they died beforehand, or A. epirotes are susceptible to variation in protein abundance.

I noticed the same thing in my C. aethiops and C. laterallis colonies, so it's either a normal behaviour that I just haven't noticed before, or one should not vary in frequency of feeding protein to colonies. I feed them flies that fly into my home - when there are a lot, I feed them a lot, when there aren't any...well, they grow hungry and make do with some old protein gel, or powder mix.

 

IMG 20210511 114421

 


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#55 Offline ANTdrew - Posted May 11 2021 - 2:13 AM

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Why not buy some mealworms?
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#56 Offline skocko76 - Posted May 11 2021 - 4:14 AM

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Why not buy some mealworms?

I don't have access to live feed locally. Pet shop only have dried feed for aquarium fish etc..

I tried feeding them freeze dried stuff, but that didn't work very well. I soaked the insects in water, but the reception was bad.

And I don't think growing live feed would fly with the missus. It's a wonder she agreed to my ants :)

 

If there is a trick with feeding freeze dried stuff from pet shops, please do tell :)


#57 Offline skocko76 - Posted May 26 2021 - 5:18 AM

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Things are getting busier here. Looks like some pupae have enclosed, and there are more coming.

 

IMG 20210526 142540

 


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#58 Offline ANTdrew - Posted May 26 2021 - 10:23 AM

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Can you order feeders in the mail?


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

#59 Offline PogoQueen - Posted May 26 2021 - 11:22 AM

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Very healthy colony! I like to order live crickets in the mail and then freeze them in bags for long term storage. I take them out, cut them up and feed them just like that and I have had success feeding many different species protein in this way. Good luck!


#60 Offline PetsNotPests - Posted May 26 2021 - 12:28 PM

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Funny how they are clustered up like that. Hope there all wearing masks! Nice colony. 


Ants are Pets, not Pests. 

 

-Camponotus sansabeanus

-Camponotus US-CA02

-Camponotus vicinus

-Formica podzolica

-Monomorium spp.

-Pogonomyrmex californicus

-Solenopsis spp. 

 

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