50 replies to this topic

[Hoophy97]

I caught some other stuff recently like . . . a Brachymyrmex depilis queen

Can we get an update on this colony?

[ArmansAnts]

 

I caught some other stuff recently like . . . a Brachymyrmex depilis queen

Can we get an update on this colony?

 

I think I mentioned on the Discord way back, but the queen's in hibernation. To my surprise she seems to be alive.

[ArmansAnts]

Pheidole morrisii

This colony has been doing great, but slowly the queen's egg production has grinded down to a very slow rate. I highly doubt they want to hibernate, they get heat, and are overfed all the time, which has left me with moving them into a new tube. Their old cotton was absolutely covered in mold, and maybe the queen just doesn't like laying near mold. If this doesn't fix the problem, I'm not sure what will. They also got their first major after the probably queen eating major brood many times. 

https://youtu.be/Mng9uOZSxRQ

 

Pheidole bicarinata

After their small die-offs, these guys bounced back immediately. The queen is pumping out tons of brood and they eat a ton. Their nest is horribly trashed from dead chia plants and pieces of mealworm, but I expect it to last another month or two at least.

[ArmansAnts]

So the P. morrisii basically entirely died before being able to move. I have the queen, some workers, the major, and a small bit of brood in a tube for them to recover in. Diet might have been the issue, so instead of mealworms and honey I am going to try fruit flies, turkestans, and sugar water. Pretty unfortunate, but similar things happened to the colonies of two other people founding them so I'm not surprised I made a mistake as well. As long as they're alive I can't really complain since I'll probably figure it out eventually. On the bright side the P. bicarinata are definitely getting new majors soon and I decided to start taking care of my Aphaenogaster rudis and A. picea again.

[ArmansAnts]

Pheidole bicarinata

With no signs of slowing down, I'm sure this colony will hit 100 workers in no time. They just got their second major today and there are still some major pupae and larvae that will become more in the next weeks. I have a new nest planned for them that they can use in a few months. My hope is that they clear out the huge load of garbage in their current nest using the majors so it doesn't go to waste.

 

Pheidole morrisii

Still doing pretty lame. They're readily taking fruit flies which gives me some hope for them but it'll take a while to tell if they can make it.

 

Starting in December, some of my stuff will be coming out of hibernation. I'm mainly looking forward to growing my Crematogaster cerasi again. Both my Lasius neoniger and new Crematogaster queen died in hibernation, but ironically enough the Brachymyrmex depilis queen lived. So far all she's done is dig a bit in her substrate. Considering how bad they are at founding, I wonder if they also have bad fertility rates. Sometime during the summer (late May-June) I want to try a Lasius claviger founding with more than 3 queens. I have 6 currently, and if I get more I'll separate 2-3 just to ensure I get at least one colony of them going. The rest will be as many as I can get 100 hosts per queen for. This is partially because I think my Lasius aphidicola colony won't make it unless I find them more L. neoniger hosts. However, starting a L. claviger colony with so many hosts (those being L. americanus which I can buy from someone) will surpass them in no time anyway.

[ArmansAnts]

Pheidole bicarinata

Way overdue for an update so here it is. Tons of majors and brood, and I'm currently trying to dye the majors green using food coloring in sugar water.

https://youtu.be/t1U97y5ACfE

[ANTdrew]

Awesome!

[ANTdrew]

Pheidole bicarinata
Way overdue for an update so here it is. Tons of majors and brood, and I'm currently trying to dye the majors green using food coloring in sugar water.

I need to move my Pheidole into a Fallen Fortress this week.

[ArmansAnts]

I totally forgot to update this journal for ages, but here I go. My colonies have been doing great, and I'm just waiting on taking my Camponotus chromaiodes out of hibernation. I also recently applied for a permit to get some southern species, so hopefully I get the chance to get some this coming summer. My phone recently broke down so no major video uploads on YouTube yet, but I'll get to making some soon. Today I received some byFormica liquid feeders which I've been testing out too.

 

Crematogaster cerasi

A couple new workers, and a bit of brood. I definitely am expecting more and have been a bit worried about their current brood, but with some luck they should be fine.

Short video link(s): 

https://cdn.discorda...62/IMG_0292.MOV

 

Pheidole bicarinata

Doing lovely. They have tons of brood and are eating great. Honestly it's a bit scary by now, but I do have to ration their food for the time being until my red runners start breeding.

Short video link(s):

https://cdn.discorda...20/IMG_0285.MOV

https://cdn.discorda...68/IMG_0290.MOV

 

Lasius aphidicola

Nothing much going on with these guys. They definitely need a brood boost, but I do think there's some new eggs. I'll know if they're gonna grow over the next few months. I'm also offering some soil and partially rotten wood to see if they'll ever construct cartons.

Short video link(s):

https://cdn.discorda...96/IMG_0291.MOV

 

As I mentioned earlier, my Camponotus are not out yet but will be very soon. My vivarium that I started is going pretty well, and will be getting some Aphaenogaster rudis added to it soon. Does anybody think double sided tape could work as a barrier in the vivarium? I have a hard time avoiding touching other barriers such as fluon and talcum, and the humidity might ruin fluon over time.

 

[ANTdrew]

You chose not to hibernate your Crematogaster?

[ArmansAnts]

You chose not to hibernate your Crematogaster?

I did, they went in for about 2 months. I think a few more weeks and they'll be back on track if the brood grows well.

[ANTdrew]

Ah, that’s good. I’m leaving mine in hibernation as long as possible. I need a break from them.

[ArmansAnts]

Pheidole bicarinata

I finally got around to making a video, so here it is: https://www.youtube....h?v=rTEbuF67RHY

[RushmoreAnts]

Ah, that’s good. I’m leaving mine in hibernation as long as possible. I need a break from them.

I never get sick of my ants. I just hibernate them since it's best for them.

Pheidole bicarinata

I finally got around to making a video, so here it is: https://www.youtube....h?v=rTEbuF67RHY

I really need a colony of these...

[ANTdrew]

I don’t get sick of my ants, either, but a break from all the escape attempts is nice. I foresee my colony hitting 5-6k this coming season, so that’s going to be wild. I need time to regroup and create new outworld and nesting space for them. I have some cool ideas marinating in my imagination.

[ArmansAnts]

Pheidole bicarinata

Great growth as usual. This video has a time-lapse of them eating a roach for 30 minutes for anyone who likes that type of stuff.

Video: https://youtu.be/Q95Jx6ar9Pg

 

Crematogaster cerasi

I'll let the image speak for itself. They should start growing further into the hundreds pretty soon.

 

Camponotus chromaiodes

This colony is doing horrible. 7/11 workers died out of hibernation, and for the past almost month I've only gotten them to start growing one of their larvae. Another one does seem like it might be growing, but I don't have high hopes. If they survive until the season starts I'm going to boost them with as many wild workers as I can, along with any brood I can get my hands on. 

[ArmansAnts]

Crematogaster cerasi

The brood pile is easily in the hundreds, especially with eggs and small larvae. I decided to mess around with my jeweler's loupe again and got some pretty good footage. I'm seeing some decent bicoloration on the workers, but only time will tell how good it will get.

Video: https://youtu.be/4I77bfVTBYA

[ANTdrew]

Awesome, dude! Hold on tight for the ride!
My Crematogaster have gotten more cherry colored over time.

[ArmansAnts]

Crematogaster cerasi

Going crazy. Can't wait for the thousands lol.

https://youtu.be/XBV6zn17HJI

[ArmansAnts]

Crematogaster cerasi

I'm really happy with how they're doing right now. I also changed their heating onto the glass rather than the bottom, and since the glass is thinner I removed the heating from the other side. This resulted in an arrangement of brood and workers way easier to photograph than before, as they avoid putting brood on the glass for a good portion of the formicarium.

Album: Crematogaster cerasi 3/12/21

4 images

0 comments

 

Pheidole bicarinata

On a sad note, this colony is doing super poorly. Egg production has basically stopped, and I've put them into "hibernation" at room temperature with lowered feeding, which will hopefully help the queen regain strength and lay normally again. I also found out they were kinda dehydrated, so I'm keeping the nest more moist now.