27 replies to this topic

[Ants_Dakota]

 

 

 

i have caught multiple ponera colonies, but the hard part is getting them to lay eggs. i hear dirt setups are the best?

They can't walk on smooth surfaces so it is required. I had a queen lay eggs, but she never laid.

 

that was my problem, i kept them in a smooth test tube. now i want another colony to try again!

 

oops, I just saw what I wrote. I meant they never developed.

 

i was a bit confused at first, but i got it eventually. 

[Kaelwizard]

 

 

 

 

i have caught multiple ponera colonies, but the hard part is getting them to lay eggs. i hear dirt setups are the best?

They can't walk on smooth surfaces so it is required. I had a queen lay eggs, but she never laid.

 

that was my problem, i kept them in a smooth test tube. now i want another colony to try again!

 

oops, I just saw what I wrote. I meant they never developed.

 

i was a bit confused at first, but i got it eventually. 

 

Haha sorry.

[ponerinecat]

 

 

i have caught multiple ponera colonies, but the hard part is getting them to lay eggs. i hear dirt setups are the best?

They can't walk on smooth surfaces so it is required. I had a queen lay eggs, but she never laid.

 

that was my problem, i kept them in a smooth test tube. now i want another colony to try again!

 

A properly hydrated plaster nest is ideal.

[NickAnter]

 

A properly hydrated plaster nest is ideal.

 

Can hydrostone fill the same category? Or only something like plaster of paris?

Edited by NickAnter, December 2 2020 - 5:41 PM.

[Ants_Dakota]

 

 

 

i have caught multiple ponera colonies, but the hard part is getting them to lay eggs. i hear dirt setups are the best?

They can't walk on smooth surfaces so it is required. I had a queen lay eggs, but she never laid.

 

that was my problem, i kept them in a smooth test tube. now i want another colony to try again!

 

A properly hydrated plaster nest is ideal.

 

what about grout? and how would i properly hydrate it? with a water tower or some other way?

[TennesseeAnts]

 

 

 

 

i have caught multiple ponera colonies, but the hard part is getting them to lay eggs. i hear dirt setups are the best?

They can't walk on smooth surfaces so it is required. I had a queen lay eggs, but she never laid.

 

that was my problem, i kept them in a smooth test tube. now i want another colony to try again!

 

A properly hydrated plaster nest is ideal.

 

what about grout? and how would i properly hydrate it? with a water tower or some other way?

 

Grout could work if you use non-sanded grout. 

[Ants_Dakota]

i do use unsanded. does anyone have a setup i could copy if i got some? they are pretty common around here.

[Ferox_Formicae]

Jeez this topic blew up! I forgot how popular I was on here! Anyways, I'm hearing that many of you want to know how to collect cryptics. It really varies depending on the species, however, if you want to get a good idea of what's around, a Davis Sifter is probably one of the best ways to do it, as unlike with Berlese Funnels or Winkler Sifters, you don't have to wait for hours just to see what was in one single soil/leaf litter sample. You can just do it right on the spot. Yes, it's a little less precise, and you have to do the collecting by eye, but it gives you a vague idea of what's around. There's this one video on Facebook (ew) where the guy shows you how to make one, and that's the tutorial I followed. I won't bother looking for it right now, but it shouldn't be too hard to find. Anyways, try gathering substrate from mesic habitats and in damp areas, like at the bases of trees or under fallen logs. Honestly though, you can use it pretty much anywhere, and you'll be pulling up ants. Strumigenys tend to stray away from urban and suburban areas, and it was only when I moved away from the suburbs and into the country that I started to find more species (previously, I had only collected S. membranifera, louisianae, and silvestrii). Of course, there are species you can find in more urban areas, mostly exotics, but the vast majority of species will be found in less disturbed habitats. This is the case with most cryptics by the way. Some more good places to look for cryptics are under and inside of rotting logs (logs in the red rot phase and those with lots of relatively loose bark are the best) and nesting inside of fallen nuts or hollow twigs partially or fully buried in the leaf litter. Anyways though, I hope this helps!