311 replies to this topic

[antsriondel]

Wow, what a colony!

[UtahAnts]

Glad to see they moved in and that you found the queen! I sure hope they don't have any more escapes, the lack of sand should keep the glass from being lifted.

[Flu1d]

Beautiful colony and a beautiful nest! I truly LOVE Pheidole!

UtahAnts put in some serious work on this and it is not only beautiful on the outside, but on the inside too.

[ANTdrew]

I forgot to mention, but you can see the workers culling and eating a male in the second photo of my last update. Savage!

[Flu1d]

I forgot to mention, but you can see the workers culling and eating a male in the second photo of my last update. Savage!

Thanks for pointing it out!

[wisdomteethants]

I just got my first pheidole bicarinata queen a few days ago, she's way tinier than I expected! She has a small egg pile already and I've enclosed her in the tiny cardboard box she came in but this time with a heat cable running through it, keeping her as warm as possible.

 

This thread was super helpful! I wasn't able to find a thread like this for my japanese pavement ants, so now I feel a lot more prepped for what's to come with these big headed ants! can't wait for the next update

[ANTdrew]

I’m glad it has been helpful for you. That is the goal of all my journals. I also wrote a care sheet for these awesome ants as well.

[TennesseeAnts]

Nice job, Andrew! I definitely neglected my Ph. bicarinata colony and they dried out completely about 3 weeks ago. I just moved one of my Ph. pilifera colonies into their old nest.

[ANTdrew]

Update 3-15-2023

 

I checked on Queen Alfhild and the Phatheads last night, and all is well with their diapause slumber. The queen was right in the middle of a big scrum of workers on top of a water tower in their UtahAnts nest. I've been working hard on a new outworld for them with Fort Knox level security features. 

 

Last week I added a rim under the lid that is sealed onto the sides with silicone. I'll line the bottom with Fluon to foil their incessant escape attempts. 

 

I also repurposed a magnetic removable vent from an old THA formicarium as an added security feature. I look forward to allowing this colony to continue their massive growth without having to worry about escapes. 

 

 

[AntsCali098]

Nice looking outworld. When do you expect them to come out of diapause ?

[ANTdrew]

Nice looking outworld. When do you expect them to come out of diapause ?

Basically whenever I have time again to pick them up.

[Katakros8]

I didn't know Pheidole needed any diapause or is it specific species?

[Katakros8]

I didn't know Pheidole needed any diapause or is it specific species?

[ANTdrew]

It may not be strictly needed for this species, but I aim to replicate what wild colonies experience. Plus I like the break from them.

[TennesseeAnts]

I didn't know Pheidole needed any diapause or is it specific species?

As a general rule, no, you do not need to subject Pheidole spp. to any sort of diapause. You certainly can diapause temperate species, but it is not necessary. 

[DRpepper]

Nice job, Andrew! I definitely neglected my Ph. bicarinata colony and they dried out completely about 3 weeks ago. I just moved one of my Ph. pilifera colonies into their old nest.

bro i swear your always so busy lmao. stop neglecting the ants. 

[TennesseeAnts]

Nice job, Andrew! I definitely neglected my Ph. bicarinata colony and they dried out completely about 3 weeks ago. I just moved one of my Ph. pilifera colonies into their old nest.

bro i swear your always so busy lmao. stop neglecting the ants.

Well, the good news is that all the colonies I have currently are ones I actually like, so I have no intention to neglect them! All but one colony is producing alates now, so I'm excited to see where they end up this year.

[ANTdrew]

Update 3-23-23

 Queen Alfhild and her colony are finally out of diapause and ready to resume their growth. This will be their fourth growing season. A lot of their workers die over the winter, but they are usually replaced in no time. I have the colony in my warm kitchen, and I taped a heat cable across the glass of their UtahAnts mAntsion. I'll be hooking up the new mega outworld soon. It will be great to observe them for a while without piles of trash and dead workers everywhere. I fed them their first protein of the season last night, a chopped up dubia roach. They swarmed it immediately. 

 

 

[antsriondel]

Update 3-23-23

 Queen Alfhild and her colony are finally out of diapause and ready to resume their growth. This will be their fourth growing season. A lot of their workers die over the winter, but they are usually replaced in no time. I have the colony in my warm kitchen, and I taped a heat cable across the glass of their UtahAnts mAntsion. I'll be hooking up the new mega outworld soon. It will be great to observe them for a while without piles of trash and dead workers everywhere. I fed them their first protein of the season last night, a chopped up dubia roach. They swarmed it immediately. 

 

 

Nice! I hope to buy some Pheidole this year.

[Full_Frontal_Yeti]

Update 3-23-23

I fed them their first protein of the season last night, a chopped up dubia roach. They swarmed it immediately. 

 

 

Did you deshell that roach for them? it looks like it has no exo on the underside there.

Edited by Full_Frontal_Yeti, March 23 2023 - 11:17 AM.