4 replies to this topic

[Vendayn]

My other thread kinda got erased by me, but I actually got three queens. Two in August, and one in early September. I never posted anything about the third one, she kept her wings for a long time and never laid eggs. So, I figured she wasn't fertile. Well, eventually I got termite colonies and fed her a couple termites (in December). Now about a month later she has workers (three) and a bunch of brood. I gave her honey throughout the past couple months, but guess termites were the solution. This colony has actually grown rather quick compared to the first two queens in August who all took 2-3 months to get workers.

 

When I fed her termites, she took off her wings and pretty much laid eggs that same night, as I woke up and she had lots of eggs.

 

What is special about this species is the size. The queens are about a quarter of an inch long, the workers are bigger than most other Crematogaster workers and the colonies grow much faster than other species as well. So, hopefully I have luck with this colony...my last two got assassinated by Pheidole megacephala. I have them in a more ant proof "container" (they are in a test tube inside a tarheel formicarium, they can only explore the foraging area though as I blocked the nest entrance).

 

Hopefully one day they are successful enough to settle into the formicarium itself.

[antsandmore]

My other thread kinda got erased by me, but I actually got three queens. Two in August, and one in early September. I never posted anything about the third one, she kept her wings for a long time and never laid eggs. So, I figured she wasn't fertile. Well, eventually I got termite colonies and fed her a couple termites (in December). Now about a month later she has workers (three) and a bunch of brood. I gave her honey throughout the past couple months, but guess termites were the solution. This colony has actually grown rather quick compared to the first two queens in August who all took 2-3 months to get workers.

 

When I fed her termites, she took off her wings and pretty much laid eggs that same night, as I woke up and she had lots of eggs.

 

What is special about this species is the size. The queens are about a quarter of an inch long, the workers are bigger than most other Crematogaster workers and the colonies grow much faster than other species as well. So, hopefully I have luck with this colony...my last two got assassinated by Pheidole megacephala. I have them in a more ant proof "container" (they are in a test tube inside a tarheel formicarium, they can only explore the foraging area though as I blocked the nest entrance).

 

Hopefully one day they are successful enough to settle into the formicarium itself.

so lucky!!! hope it goes well!

[ANTdrew]

Good luck, man. I’m starting up three new queens at the moment, but only one has laid eggs yet.

[Vendayn]

I think they are in hibernation mode, so I took them out of the foraging the area and put them in the closet where its dark. They aren't eating or laying eggs (though a tiny bit of honey, but not much). They won't even eat termites, so its pretty safe to say they are in winter mode, even though they've been kept warm. So, the next update won't be for a while.

Edited by Vendayn, January 25 2021 - 10:33 AM.

[KitsAntVa]

It seems that a lot of ant species love termites regardless if they are arboreal or not. I hope these do good  I did hear they be thicc queen like camponotus