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M_Ants Hypoponera opaciceps Starting Over with Queens

Started By M_Ants , Oct 3 2020 12:12 PM

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125 replies to this topic

#61 Offline M_Ants - Posted November 5 2020 - 8:19 PM

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Possibly my favorite pic of all. Its the first worker eating its first meal. 

IMG 2103

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Veromessor pergandei

Veromessor andrei

Crematogaster sp. 

Pogonomyrmex cf cali and rugosus

Various Pheidole

C. yogi 

https://www.youtube....FG7utFVBA/about

#62 Offline Swirlysnowflake - Posted November 5 2020 - 8:35 PM

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Possibly my favorite pic of all. Its the first worker eating its first meal. 

bebe 

 

 

do u know how long it takes for the worker to harden?


btw, what do you use to take pics? they look so good, better than my phone pics at least  :lol:


 My YouTube channel :)

 

 

#63 Offline M_Ants - Posted November 5 2020 - 8:46 PM

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Possibly my favorite pic of all. Its the first worker eating its first meal. 

bebe 

 

 

do u know how long it takes for the worker to harden?


btw, what do you use to take pics? they look so good, better than my phone pics at least  :lol:

 

I have no clue. I use a Canon rebel with some random lens attached with a reversal ring to make it macro. 


Veromessor pergandei

Veromessor andrei

Crematogaster sp. 

Pogonomyrmex cf cali and rugosus

Various Pheidole

C. yogi 

https://www.youtube....FG7utFVBA/about

#64 Offline Ants_Dakota - Posted November 6 2020 - 12:55 PM

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Possibly my favorite pic of all. Its the first worker eating its first meal. 

bebe 

 

 

do u know how long it takes for the worker to harden?


btw, what do you use to take pics? they look so good, better than my phone pics at least  :lol:

 

I have no clue. I use a Canon rebel with some random lens attached with a reversal ring to make it macro. 

 

the cannon rebel is a really nice camera. it is older so you can get it for 300-700 dollars on ebay, depending on the model.


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#65 Offline NickAnter - Posted November 6 2020 - 3:43 PM

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One day I'll successfully raise this sp.....


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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). 

#66 Offline M_Ants - Posted November 6 2020 - 11:22 PM

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Do these eat mites? I just noticed non-booklice things in my booklice culture so I assume they're mites. If it's a problem I need to buy some springtails soon. 

I think they were grain mites.  :facepalm:I thought I was lucky because until now, nothing I haven't seen mites in my colonies. 


Edited by M_Ants, November 6 2020 - 11:24 PM.

Veromessor pergandei

Veromessor andrei

Crematogaster sp. 

Pogonomyrmex cf cali and rugosus

Various Pheidole

C. yogi 

https://www.youtube....FG7utFVBA/about

#67 Offline ponerinecat - Posted November 7 2020 - 9:39 AM

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Do these eat mites? I just noticed non-booklice things in my booklice culture so I assume they're mites. If it's a problem I need to buy some springtails soon. 

I think they were grain mites.  :facepalm:I thought I was lucky because until now, nothing I haven't seen mites in my colonies. 

Grain mites are fine, they don't cause any harm. In fact they should be fine as a food source, at least the bigger adults should.


#68 Offline M_Ants - Posted November 7 2020 - 9:59 AM

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Okay good. My booklice culture is looking kinda small. Not sure why. They haven't died off but I have to be careful not to use them up.


Edited by M_Ants, November 7 2020 - 10:00 AM.

Veromessor pergandei

Veromessor andrei

Crematogaster sp. 

Pogonomyrmex cf cali and rugosus

Various Pheidole

C. yogi 

https://www.youtube....FG7utFVBA/about

#69 Offline M_Ants - Posted November 7 2020 - 10:03 AM

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Uploaded some shaky video of them https://www.youtube....h?v=Yc7OzTAGL3w Macro videos are tricky. Anyhow, are the workers going to end being orange? I thought they'd be black like the queen. 


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Veromessor pergandei

Veromessor andrei

Crematogaster sp. 

Pogonomyrmex cf cali and rugosus

Various Pheidole

C. yogi 

https://www.youtube....FG7utFVBA/about

#70 Offline NickAnter - Posted November 7 2020 - 10:33 AM

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 I guess it could just be a malnourished worker who ended up lighter in color.


Edited by NickAnter, November 7 2020 - 10:34 AM.

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). 

#71 Offline ponerinecat - Posted November 7 2020 - 4:28 PM

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Uploaded some shaky video of them https://www.youtube....h?v=Yc7OzTAGL3w Macro videos are tricky. Anyhow, are the workers going to end being orange? I thought they'd be black like the queen. 

Opaciceps can be reddish orange, and I've found opacior that had black gynes and orange workers. But most likely it's still young and will eventually become black.


Edited by ponerinecat, November 7 2020 - 4:28 PM.

#72 Offline M_Ants - Posted November 7 2020 - 4:30 PM

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Orange would be cool. But yeah, it continues to get darker every day. Worker #3 should come tomorrow. 


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Veromessor pergandei

Veromessor andrei

Crematogaster sp. 

Pogonomyrmex cf cali and rugosus

Various Pheidole

C. yogi 

https://www.youtube....FG7utFVBA/about

#73 Offline Swirlysnowflake - Posted November 7 2020 - 5:33 PM

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Orange would be cool. But yeah, it continues to get darker every day. Worker #3 should come tomorrow. 

very cool! how often do you feed them?


 My YouTube channel :)

 

 

#74 Offline M_Ants - Posted November 7 2020 - 5:42 PM

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Kind of when I feel like it. Probably every other day though. 


Veromessor pergandei

Veromessor andrei

Crematogaster sp. 

Pogonomyrmex cf cali and rugosus

Various Pheidole

C. yogi 

https://www.youtube....FG7utFVBA/about

#75 Offline M_Ants - Posted November 8 2020 - 2:09 PM

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Well instead of opening the golden cocoon they opened up a white one. So there's just a white worker chilling without a cocoon that wasn't ready to come out. Not sure why they did that. 


Veromessor pergandei

Veromessor andrei

Crematogaster sp. 

Pogonomyrmex cf cali and rugosus

Various Pheidole

C. yogi 

https://www.youtube....FG7utFVBA/about

#76 Offline M_Ants - Posted November 11 2020 - 9:49 AM

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Got a third worker last night. They ate the worker they opened too early. Queen laid eggs a while back. Should get more larvae and pupae soon.


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Veromessor pergandei

Veromessor andrei

Crematogaster sp. 

Pogonomyrmex cf cali and rugosus

Various Pheidole

C. yogi 

https://www.youtube....FG7utFVBA/about

#77 Offline M_Ants - Posted November 11 2020 - 10:59 AM

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Also it looks like the workers will eventually be all black.


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Veromessor pergandei

Veromessor andrei

Crematogaster sp. 

Pogonomyrmex cf cali and rugosus

Various Pheidole

C. yogi 

https://www.youtube....FG7utFVBA/about

#78 Offline Guest_StrickyAnts_* - Posted November 11 2020 - 2:22 PM

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nice


#79 Offline M_Ants - Posted November 14 2020 - 12:22 PM

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Remember that dirt setup that I never updated? Well today I got impatient because for the last month I've been seeing one queen in the hole they dug or so I thought. She never came out for more than a second and I never saw workers. Today I removed the tubing they had made their nest under and their they are.... Both queens and brood just chillin in their hole. I don't know why they're taking so much longer to get workers. Hopefully they can rebuild their nest and I get workers soon. On a better note, the other Hypos got their last nanitic of the first batch. 

If you look closely you'll see the cocoon. 

IMG 2994
IMG 2998

 


Edited by M_Ants, November 14 2020 - 12:25 PM.

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Veromessor pergandei

Veromessor andrei

Crematogaster sp. 

Pogonomyrmex cf cali and rugosus

Various Pheidole

C. yogi 

https://www.youtube....FG7utFVBA/about

#80 Offline ponerinecat - Posted November 14 2020 - 12:38 PM

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Very nice. Hope you get these gals to a mature size.


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