6 replies to this topic

[CheetoLord02]

This is a colony I came into possession of at the same time as my Atta and Odontomachus (Oct. 14, 2020), but at the time I wasn't really too interested in them. I'd caught barbatus of my own, so this colony was kinda just a bonus. However, after a few months of keeping them, the colony has really started to grow on me. 

As of late October I had moved them into a mini hearth, which they're still in today. Upon moving them the queen laid a considerable batch of eggs. I think they had 4 workers at the time.
 

 

Fastforward to current day and the colony is doing exceptionally well. Their care has been extremely passive, just making sure they have access to seeds and water at all times and offering the occasional insect has gotten them to around 15 workers now, and plenty of brood to boot.
 

 

I also just uploaded a quick video of them on my Youtube which better showcases the whole colony:

Edited by CheetoLord02, May 7 2021 - 8:08 PM.

[CheetoLord02]

In the last month this colony has continued to grow steadily, and yesterday I moved them into a Mini Hearth XXL. They were getting quite cramped in their old nest, and this new one suits them quite well.
 

 

 

The workers are also starting to get quite a bit larger, but are still far off from max size.
 

 

 

They also have a pretty impressive seed pile, which is great because it means I have to feed them insects a whole lot less than a similar sized colony of a different species. I still give them protein daily, though.
 

 

[CheetoLord02]

Pogonomyrmex barbatus

This colony is still doing well. Up to roughly 40 workers and a lot of brood still.

 

 

Pogonomyrmex maricopa

The other day I dug up a pretty large colony of this species. I was surprised to find the queen at only around a foot down, and quickly collected her and most of her workers. I just got them moved into a Tall Fortress.

Queen on the shovel and with some workers
 

 

 

I got them moved in, and lost count around 200 workers. They've probably got somewhere between 200 and 300.

I also gave them 2 crickets and they went crazy! Unfortunately they don't like the seeds that I have, but I'll figure something out.

 

[NoveltyAntsYT]

I have Subnitidus, what seeds do you feed them? Also just a suggestion, mine love wet dog food (kinda gross) so you could try that out. ty

[CheetoLord02]

Welcome back! I... totally forgot about this journal.

To start things off,

Pogonomyrmex maricopa

This colony is doing well! They have a LOT of brood and are still behaving normally. Good feeding responses, good worker activity, all the good stuff. One thing that's also surprised me is the amount of water they go through. I have no idea how they survive in the desert, as they chug more water than any other ant species I've kept before.
 

 

For some reason the newer workers are smaller in size than the old ones, but I'm hopeful that won't be a trend that sticks around for too long.

Pogonomyrmex barbatus

This colony's been relatively stagnant, although still doing well. Worker numbers are increasing slowly, but brood production doesn't seem to be increasing to match the new influx of workers. Not really sure what that's all about.
 

 

 

Pogonomyrmex huachucanus

A new addition to the Pogonomyrmex family, this colony is the smallest of any species I have. I dug them up a few days ago, and they've got 1 queen and 45 workers. They are a very interesting species, with the queen being small and brachypterus, which means she was/is incapable of flight due to small, non-functional wings. She has shed those wings as expected, so she does have wing scars, however her thorax is much less pronounced than in typical winged queens.
 

 

 

They've also brought in a lot of seeds and laid a nice batch of eggs!
 

[United-Ants]

update?

[mazmurlo]

Saul gone.