56 replies to this topic

[Swirlysnowflake]

I'm slighly worried now, I've tried feeding them honey, replacing it every day, but the problem is the queen is still very skinny. I've been putting the honey in the outworld so i thought maybe the workers werent going outside that much, so i put the honey on a bit of foil and placed it at the edge of their test tube. the next day, the honey was covered with sand, and the queen is still thin! should i try offering sugar water?

[ZTYguy]

Try something other then honey. Honey is a thinner.

[ZTYguy]

I also found that sugar water greatly increases the chance of getting repleates sooner.

[Swirlysnowflake]

I also found that sugar water greatly increases the chance of getting repleates sooner.

ohh ok, i will definitely try that. should i soak a cotton ball, or just leave a drop?

[ZTYguy]

Leave it in a bottle cap but a cotton ball works fine just that it will have to be replaced daily to twice a day.

[JenC]

Try a feeder

[SleepyAsianAnter]

The queen may be taking a break, it is winter after all. Provide adequate heat, but if she's decided to stop for a bit, then there's nothing you can do. 

[Cephalotus]

I wouldn't be worrying. After a certain point the queen will stop acting as a replete, and especially if she just laid a big batch of eggs, she may appear to be skinnier than normal. As long as the workers have access to food the chances of her starving are extremely slim (get it? slim?) haha

[Swirlysnowflake]

Fortress just arrived! ill connect the ants soon and get pics 

even sooner than expected

[KitsAntVa]

Noooo if they are in a mini hearth keep them in there. I’ve seen people move them to early into something bigger and because of that they died. I recommend keeping them in a mini hearth until around 20 workers.

[Swirlysnowflake]

Noooo if they are in a mini hearth keep them in there. I’ve seen people move them to early into something bigger and because of that they died. I recommend keeping them in a mini hearth until around 20 workers.

ok they are currently in a test tube with 12 workers, and like 5 cocoons and 7 larvae. should i wait until the cocoons hatch before moving them into the fortress because i don't have a mini hearth

[KitsAntVa]

I see, then if they are outgrowing the test tube move them now I suppose. Mexicanus are reasonably bigger than other mrymecocostus species.

[YsTheAnt]

These things grow super fast if you feed them heavily, they won’t have a problem filling up that formicarium within a few months.

[Swirlysnowflake]

There is now a small pile of very tiny larvae in the tube! not sure if they were there when i purchased them and i just didn’t see them, or if they recently hatched. strangely, they seem to move around a lot more than tetra and veromessor larvae do... 

pics coming when my phone charges 

Edited by Swirlysnowflake, November 29 2020 - 4:50 PM.

[OhNoNotAgain]

There is now a small pile of very tiny larvae in the tube! not sure if they were there when i purchased them and i just didn’t see them, or if they recently hatched. strangely, they seem to move around a lot more than tetra and veromessor larvae do... 

pics coming when my phone charges 

Oh yeah, their larvae can be really active and wormy. It's super cool.

[Ants_Dakota]

i have lost colonies putting them into a nest too soon, but maybe things are different with this species. after they get workers, i give my ants a small outworld. maybe try that first.

[Swirlysnowflake]

i have lost colonies putting them into a nest too soon, but maybe things are different with this species. after they get workers, i give my ants a small outworld. maybe try that first.

They do have a deli cup outworld, but the workers never accept food if it is in the outworld. dubias that i leave in the outworld are ignored, while if i put a roach head inside the tube, they will immediately eat it.

[Ants_Dakota]

 

i have lost colonies putting them into a nest too soon, but maybe things are different with this species. after they get workers, i give my ants a small outworld. maybe try that first.

They do have a deli cup outworld, but the workers never accept food if it is in the outworld. dubias that i leave in the outworld are ignored, while if i put a roach head inside the tube, they will immediately eat it.

 

interesting. they must just be a less aggressive species.

[Swirlysnowflake]

Ok, checked on them again! They now have a throne of brood (Eggs  , larvae, cocoons), on which the queen is perched. 

The workers also completely blocked the entrance of the test tube with sand earlier this week, so I had to break the wall. They won't step into the outworld at all, so I have to offer food inside the tube.

Hopefully they actually are drinking the honey I place inside. They are covering up the honey with sand, but I think this is pretty common behavior for ants in general. 

I’m trying to get pics, but the workers freak out when I uncover the tube and start zooming around the tube really really fast, so I don’t want to stress them out even more.  

[Ants_Dakota]

 

Ok, checked on them again! They now have a throne of brood (Eggs  , larvae, cocoons), on which the queen is perched. 

The workers also completely blocked the entrance of the test tube with sand earlier this week, so I had to break the wall. They won't step into the outworld at all, so I have to offer food inside the tube.

Hopefully they actually are drinking the honey I place inside. They are covering up the honey with sand, but I think this is pretty common behavior for ants in general. 

I’m trying to get pics, but the workers freak out when I uncover the tube and start zooming around the tube really really fast, so I don’t want to stress them out even more.

 

yes, covering honey with sand is normal... and annoying!