40 replies to this topic

[Swirlysnowflake]

I've decided to make a journal for all of my ant species combined. The Myrmecocystus journal I already have will be discontinued on that post and continued here. 

 

Myrmecocystus mexicanus, 15w 1q:

The colony is still doing really well. The workers are now actively foraging in the outworld of their mini hearth. The queen is always hanging upside down on the roof of the mini hearth, while the workers care for the pile of brood on the floor. I’m heating them with a 4w (I think) heat mat.

 

Veromessor pergandei, 30-40w 1q:

I ordered this colony a while ago with 10 workers, and they have grown quite a bit. They’re also being heated at the moment, and are in a mini hearth XL. I give this colony poppy seeds and dubia roaches and they really seem to enjoy both. I do offer them honey every once in a while, but they always cover it completely up with the seeds. I’m not sure if they are also drinking it.

 

Tetramorium immigrans, 80-100w 1q:

I got this colony last year through the GAN project. I think it only had 10 workers when I first had them. They’re currently in a 4x4 plastic formicarium. I was debating putting them on the heat mat as well, but I decided against it because they apparently grow ridiculously fast when heated and I don’t really need a huge colony right now.

 

Prenolepis imparis, 6w 1q:

Unpopular opinion, but I think this colony and species as a whole are very boring.These are residing in a test tube with a small outworld, but they never go outside the tube. They refuse protein and eat so much honey it's ridiculous. I was going to sell this colony but the queen has stopped laying eggs so I’m going to wait until she starts again. I don’t know if it has to do something with them not eating protein, but I don’t know. I offer them dubia roaches, crickets, or mealworms/mealworm pupae twice a week but they never touch it. Is that normal behavior or something?

 

Infertile Prenolepis imparis queens, 5q:

I have 5 infertile queens. I caught some in 2018, some in 2019 and some in 2020. These are the only queen ant species I’ve ever caught myself. Never caught any other species. Over the years I’ve got ~10 queens but a few died and only 1 was fertile. 

Some of them lay eggs and eat them for no reason, and others haven’t laid any eggs. 

These are still alive because I feed them honey every week.

 

Note: Sorry for the lack of pictures. I'll get some soon.

[ANTdrew]

Prenolepis life strategy is to be boring: tank up on food and laze around as much as possible.
You’d have 800 Tetramorium by now if you heated them. They grow insanely fast even in the low 80s.

[KitsAntVa]

 

Prenolepis imparis, 6w 1q:

Unpopular opinion, 

I thought that was more of a really popular opinion

[Swirlysnowflake]

 

 

Prenolepis imparis, 6w 1q:

Unpopular opinion, 

I thought that was more of a really popular opinion

 

Oh well, on another thread when I said Prenos are boring, a bunch of people said they weren’t and that they were really cool. I don’t really remember what the thread was though.

Edited by Swirlysnowflake, January 11 2021 - 8:22 AM.

[Swirlysnowflake]

More than half the tetramorium escaped (I think). They've disappeared and I have no idea where they are. Only like 10-20 workers now 

I've blocked the area they were escaped from.

Edited by Swirlysnowflake, January 11 2021 - 9:32 AM.

[gs5248]

I feel for you. I just lost half my tetramorium colony because they drowned in a THA water tower.

[Swirlysnowflake]

The honeypot workers are dying... only the queen and 2-3 workers are left. I’m not sure what is happening. They always have a supply of diluted honey and feeder insects and I’ve seen them eating. Their nest has been properly watered as well. 

[antsandmore]

The honeypot workers are dying... only the queen and 2-3 workers are left. I’m not sure what is happening. They always have a supply of diluted honey and feeder insects and I’ve seen them eating. Their nest has been properly watered as well. 

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO  maybe because honey pots like to die...

[ZTYguy]

honey pots are like sheep. they just keel over and die.

[KitsAntVa]

try a quick one month hibernation to basically refresh them, I know people and even I have said this doesn't work for species like them but I've tested it and it does.

[antsandmore]

try a quick one month hibernation to basically refresh them, I know people and even I have said this doesn't work for species like them but I've tested it and it does.

but they're a desert species... oh well you said so

[Antkeeper01]

do a check on everything you use to take care of them like honey, sugar water, and other things on a bunch of workers from the wild, not their sp prob invasives

[Swirlysnowflake]

Sorry, I didn’t see that, however all the honey and sugar water was given to my other 3 colonies, all of which are doing perfectly well. Anyways, what’s weird is that the workers are being decapitated. By what, I don’t know. There are just honeypot bodies and honeypot heads lying around inside the mini hearth. There’s only the queen, 1 mini-replete, and 1 normal worker left now, along with some larvae. I’ve also taken them off heat, just in case that was too hot or something. 

[Antkeeper01]

maybe the minihearth is to big?

Sorry, I didn’t see that, however all the honey and sugar water was given to my other 3 colonies, all of which are doing perfectly well. Anyways, what’s weird is that the workers are being decapitated. By what, I don’t know. There are just honeypot bodies and honeypot heads lying around inside the mini hearth. There’s only the queen, 1 mini-replete, and 1 normal worker left now, along with some larvae. I’ve also taken them off heat, just in case that was too hot or something. 

maybe brood boosting could help?

[UtahAnts]

First of all, nice journal on a cool species!

It might be stress of some sort, are you checking them often with bright lighting, or are they situated in a vibration prone area?

Edited by AntsUtah, February 10 2021 - 1:46 PM.

[Swirlysnowflake]

First of all, nice journal on a cool species!

It might be stress of some sort, are you checking them often with bright lighting, or are they situated in a vibration prone area?

I check on them once a week, at most 2 times a week and I never shine any type of light into their nest. The mini hearth is on a shelf that never is shaken or anything and I don’t pick up the nest at all. 

[Swirlysnowflake]

Myrmecocystus mexicanus 

All the workers are dead now. They were left decapitated, piled up in the middle of the mini hearth. I have no idea what happened, but the queen is still alive. Should she be moved back to a test tube, or left in the mini hearth?

 

Tetramorium immigrans

Doing pretty well. They have a huge pile of brood and are quickly gaining back their numbers, in true Tetramorium fashion.

 

Veromessor pergandei 

Also doing well. They have a bunch of huge larvae, as well as some more workers. There’s not really much to update on these.

 

Prenolepis imparis

The queen is still not laying any more eggs, and one worker has died, leaving the colony with 5 workers. I honestly don’t know why she won’t lay eggs. I’m feeding them all the time and they are eating the food all the time. I hope I’m not doing anything wrong caring for them. She was laying tons of eggs for the first half of 2020 and founded the colony at that time I think, but now she has just completely stopped

 

I’ll try to finally get some pictures soon.

Edited by Swirlysnowflake, February 22 2021 - 8:59 AM.

[Swirlysnowflake]

maybe the minihearth is to big?

Sorry, I didn’t see that, however all the honey and sugar water was given to my other 3 colonies, all of which are doing perfectly well. Anyways, what’s weird is that the workers are being decapitated. By what, I don’t know. There are just honeypot bodies and honeypot heads lying around inside the mini hearth. There’s only the queen, 1 mini-replete, and 1 normal worker left now, along with some larvae. I’ve also taken them off heat, just in case that was too hot or something. 

maybe brood boosting could help?

I don’t know where I could get any Myrmecocystus brood

Also, I’ve heard of people founding honeypots in Mini Hearths, but should I move here back to a test tube?

Edited by Swirlysnowflake, February 22 2021 - 9:00 AM.

[JenC]

you get brood from people near you

[Swirlysnowflake]

Updates!

 

Myrmecocystus mexicanus:

The queen is still hanging in there, no eggs or any brood.

 

Tetramorium immigrans:

My original colony completely escaped, leaving the queen to die alone. I caught a new queen on June 4th and she has a healthy pile of eggs now.

 

Veromessor pergandei:

These are doing really well. I’ve been feeding them chia seeds but I don’t think they like them very much, I’ll get some bluegrass seeds soon.

 

Prenolepis imparis:

Down to 4 workers and one very fat queen, but finally some brood!! Hopefully I can get this colony to continue growing...