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NickAnter's Aphaenogaster occidentalis Journal


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#1 Offline NickAnter - Posted August 21 2021 - 11:23 AM

NickAnter

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While on my trip in the sierras, I found a single queen of this species under a rock in a small park area. She was extraordinarily fast, which is strange considering how very slow she moves in the test tube...

 

Within a week, she laid 3 eggs. Since then, she has continued to lay more, and currently has a pile of around 10. I'm glad that a bunch of the species I have found up there this year seem to be laying eggs before hibernation....

 

I expect to see some larvae soon, and hopefully she will get a decent amount of workers before hibernation.

 

Here is a picture of her:

I will probably not get any more pics of her until she gets workers, as she has continually been hanging out on the side of the tube, where getting good pictures are very difficult for me, and stressful for her.

 

If, next year, I manage to find any uinta queens(found in drier areas of the same place), I will add it to this journal.

 


  • Antkeeper01, UtahAnts, ANTS_KL and 4 others like this

Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 


#2 Offline NickAnter - Posted September 6 2021 - 2:26 PM

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She has almost all larvae now! They are all extremely small, and seem to grow at a ridiculously slow pace, but, hopefully she will get some workers in a month or so. I really hope that she gets a thriving colony, I am quite fond of this genus.


  • Antkeeper01, TacticalHandleGaming and m99 like this

Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 


#3 Offline ANTdrew - Posted September 6 2021 - 3:18 PM

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Nice! I’m raising my first Aphaenogaster this season, and I’m finding them very rewarding. I founded A. rudis and fulva. I’m only going to keep the fulva.
  • Antkeeper01 likes this
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#4 Offline NickAnter - Posted September 6 2021 - 3:19 PM

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I really want boulderensis, but I think finding them is something that is pretty unlikely for me.


  • Antkeeper01 likes this

Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 





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