66 replies to this topic

[Dry_Twig]

Hi everyone! I caught this queen on June 23rd, and just recently, (July 28) she got her first workers!!

She is the first queen of mine to ever get past eggs so I was extremely excited and kinda panicked and moved the test tube 2 times

before settling on a mini-hearth, which is where they are now.

 

I've given them some teeny pieces of superworm and crushed sunflower seed along with a few drops of sugar water.

Anyways, here is a picture of the queen and her brood:

Also, does anyone know what species she is?

Edited by Dry_Twig, August 7 2020 - 8:46 AM.

[Wegmier]

Exciting! Looking forward to your updates
"Mini" hearths are such a massive nests... Normally it'd be way too big for a founding colony of that size, but who knows Solenopsis might grow into it fast hah

[Dry_Twig]

They grow so fast - almost 5 new workers since the initial batch of 5!

[Kaelwizard]

That could be invicta but I am not good at identifying Solenopsis.

[Dry_Twig]

I always heard that invicta kills all the native ants but at the place where I find natives, this species is actually one of the least dominant and only has 1 nest vs like 5 Pogonomyrmex nests.

[Somethinghmm]

This is more than likely Solenopsis xyloni.

[Dry_Twig]

This is more than likely Solenopsis xyloni.

What makes you say that? Not saying its wrong, just trying to learn 

[CatsnAnts]

Very exciting! I’ll be following this journal!

[NickAnter]

Xyloni are much more common in Socal than invicta, at least in my experience. And the queens are usually less of a bright red, and are more dull.

[ponerinecat]

I believe xyloni tend to lack the dark lateral stripes that are almost always present on invicta mesosomas. Not a definite way to ID though.

[Dry_Twig]

Not much has really happened, but now they're up to at least 15 workers. 

Edited by Dry_Twig, August 16 2020 - 12:28 PM.

[Dry_Twig]

They have had a huge increase in worker count. I would guess that they are around 35-40 workers now, with a pretty big pile of brood. All I have fed them is mealworms, superworms, some seeds and sugar water. Is this enough or do they need more variety? Here is a subpar picture of them eating a mealworm:

[Dry_Twig]

It looks like they're going to have another jump in worker count: 

Since they are growing so fast, I'm thinking of a naturalistic setup with either just dirt or 

a little dirt and a hydrostone nest. Also, I think that moving them outside would be good so they have more space- has anyone done this before

and if so, could I have some advice?I would have a moat so the argentines wouldn't

kill them, but my concern is the heat (it got to 100 degrees recently).

[Dry_Twig]

It seems that the more they grow, the more fearless they become. I had 2 ants escape when I took of the lid to refill the water( they covered the barrier in dirt less than a day after I put it in place), and now light doesn't disturb them at all.

Edited by Dry_Twig, August 28 2020 - 5:06 PM.

[Dry_Twig]

I was just taking a picture their brood and I went to look at it, I saw a median, so I looked again I saw another one! So at least 2 medians and a big pile of brood.

You can see her to the right of the picture, in the background.

Edited by Dry_Twig, August 31 2020 - 2:15 PM.

[Dry_Twig]

So apparently, the best place to raise the brood is in the outworld now. They've piled almost all the brood next to the entrance, but not the queen. Its mostly pupa, so maybe they're just cooking them? I just watered the nest so maybe that's why.

[M_Ants]

My xylonis do that to.

[Dry_Twig]

It's been four days since I took that last picture and their brood has basically doubled in size. In the outworld, there are at least ten workers at all times and they just ate a whole mealworm in a day. I'm definitely going to need a new nest in a month and I'm thinking of hydrostone or naturalistic options. I'm leaning more towards a natural dirt nest with plants and springtails since it seems easy to contain and nicer to look at. Are there any problems with natural nests? Does anyone have any tips for fast growing like ants like Solenopsis (Tetramorium, Crematogaster,etc.) and dirt nests? Are there any other options to consider?

Edited by Dry_Twig, September 4 2020 - 2:10 PM.

[Dry_Twig]

Pictures:

The bottle cap works well for insects, but is there an easier way to give liquids? As you can see in the bottom picture, I just have two tiny caps with cotton soaked with sugar water/ normal water, but they always cover them with trash. I know about byformica liquid feeders, but I would rather not spend too much, so diy options would be nice. Also, how can I clean the outworld? It smells bad now, but there are too many ants to just scoop up the trash.

[NickAnter]

Probably over 200. Looks like there are a couple larvae as well.