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Nylanderia Notebook

Started By ANTdrew , Sep 15 2020 10:56 AM

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167 replies to this topic

#81 Offline Antcatcherpro3 - Posted April 1 2021 - 6:51 AM

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Almost all the ants in the nest have full gasters. They must be storing food, and eating a lot.


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#82 Offline ANTdrew - Posted April 1 2021 - 7:03 AM

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Yeah, pretty much only the foragers aren't fully distended, which I find interesting.


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

#83 Offline Kaelwizard - Posted April 1 2021 - 7:04 AM

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Yeah, pretty much only the foragers aren't fully distended, which I find interesting.

Maybe they work in shifts.


Edited by Kaelwizard, April 1 2021 - 7:05 AM.

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#84 Offline Antcatcherpro3 - Posted April 1 2021 - 7:26 AM

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My dog jumped up on the table where my nylanderia are and knocked the jar down. I tried to get all the dirt and ants back in, but they will have to grow back to a big size again. I did find the queen.


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#85 Offline Antcatcherpro3 - Posted April 1 2021 - 8:01 AM

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Because no one answered this post, I'm just gonna say this-------APRIL FOOLSSSS!!


My colony is fine. And I find it ammusing that Chickalo liked that post.


#86 Offline ANTdrew - Posted April 1 2021 - 8:52 AM

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Haha. I was about to say stop fooling!
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#87 Offline Antcatcherpro3 - Posted April 1 2021 - 9:07 AM

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lol


#88 Offline Antcatcherpro3 - Posted April 1 2021 - 9:08 AM

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I'm pranking my family so bad today  B)


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#89 Offline ANTdrew - Posted April 15 2021 - 3:58 AM

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Update 4-15-21

 

My N. vividula colony continues to do great, and I was reflecting how they are the only colony of ants I've ever kept that has never given me any trouble. None. No escapes, no flooding their liquid feeder with crap, no flooding test tubes, or any other mischief all my other colonies are constantly doing. All they do is eat and grow and provide me a rewarding ant-keeping experience. They have male alates milling about now, but I haven't had a good angle yet to photograph one for you all. They also have these massive larvae I just noticed. I could be wrong, but I think these may be queen larvae. They are already bigger than the workers.

 

Sorry for the poor photos, but there is  a lot of crud got up on the lid of their Antpartment.

 

IMG 9617
IMG 9616

Edited by ANTdrew, April 15 2021 - 4:01 AM.

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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.

#90 Offline Antcatcherpro3 - Posted April 15 2021 - 5:07 AM

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I bet it would be really hard to spot the queen in that pile of ants and brood.


#91 Offline Antcatcherpro3 - Posted April 15 2021 - 5:10 AM

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My Nylanderia colony is doing good. They started eating a lot again, and are doing normal ant things. They seem to have a lot more workers than before like a month ago. They sent 20 workers out to eat a cricket leg I gave them.


I feel like the colony needs a name.


I usually name my ant colonies, but I don't always use the names.


#92 Offline NickAnter - Posted April 15 2021 - 6:04 AM

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Those are queen larvae! Very nice job with them ANTdrew! My colony ate several of their larvae back when they had alates this time last year, and so only got 2 alates. They too were eventually eaten once it became clear they were useless. And I sure wish I could say my colony never was up to any mischief... Now they are stable though(and in a setup that should last them for as long as they live), the experience is most assuredly far better.


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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). 

#93 Offline ANTdrew - Posted April 22 2021 - 7:40 AM

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Update 4-22-2021

 

I don't sense much interest in this colony on here, but I'm really excited about this huge pile of alate brood that's starting to develop. They have several new males as well. I may try some ways to let the alates fly later this spring/summer.

 

IMG 9672
IMG 9671

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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.

#94 Offline Lillyrose - Posted April 22 2021 - 10:11 AM

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Can you kinda just open the lid? Will they fly from there, or do they need to climb up first?

Maybe put a stick on a foundation so they can crawl up it and fly from there?

I love the idea of your colony getting to spread its genetic seed lol.

I found a group of these guys yesterday ... you'll be proud of me.. I didn't take them lol
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#95 Offline ANTdrew - Posted April 22 2021 - 12:28 PM

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Lillyrose, their outworld has an open top to ventilate the fluon, so I just need to get a stick pointing up above the opening, maybe with a base made of clay.
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#96 Offline NickAnter - Posted April 22 2021 - 12:35 PM

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Glad to see they are doing so well! My colony just culled their males last year and queens as well. I wonder if this species accepts newly mated queens back into the nest? It would certainly be interesting.


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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). 

#97 Offline Antcatcherpro3 - Posted April 26 2021 - 12:22 PM

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MY Nylanderia ants keep escaping and it's pretty annoying to find about 5 workers out of the tank every time I check on them. They def don't need more space, they are just too curious to stay in their nest. I don't even know how they are escaping. There is fluon, a tight fitting lid that still has ventilation, and, well, I have no idea what to do.


They keep finding ways to escape. Every time I fix the way they are escaping, they find a new one.


#98 Offline ANTdrew - Posted April 26 2021 - 12:27 PM

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

#99 Offline MrPurpleB - Posted April 26 2021 - 12:29 PM

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I do not hear people talking about these ants, maybe it's because I'm new. However, glad to see your journal.They have a nice giant striped gaster to them.

Your AntApartment is quite neat, the design looks amazing. Also, nice outworld for them.

Hope to continue reading about your progress.
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#100 Offline Antkeeper01 - Posted April 26 2021 - 12:30 PM

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MY Nylanderia ants keep escaping and it's pretty annoying to find about 5 workers out of the tank every time I check on them. They def don't need more space, they are just too curious to stay in their nest. I don't even know how they are escaping. There is fluon, a tight fitting lid that still has ventilation, and, well, I have no idea what to do.


They keep finding ways to escape. Every time I fix the way they are escaping, they find a new one.

my massive molesta colony does that but I'm not sure how many


1X Pogonomyrmex occidentalis 40-50 Workers

1X Solenopsis molesta 10 Workers (mono)

Ants I Want: Crematogaster sp, Camponotus Sp., Ponera Pennsylvanica, Mymercocystus sp.

 

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