85 replies to this topic

[Leo]

Hello!
I apologise for the fairly long hiatus, but things are not swimming so smoothly, and they still aren't. However, it has gotten a little better, and so, i've decided to start a new journal! I hope you enjoy

Past species
Pheidole sp (Big-headed ants) 6mm, 1Q, 200-300W
Odontoponera cf denticulata - 13mm, 1Q 1W
Crematogaster sp - 5mm, 1Q 4W, 1Q 7W
Pseudoneoponera rufipes - 18mm, 1Q
Buniapone amblyops - 10mm 1Q
Cf. Ectomomyrmex sp - 4mm 1Q
Cerapachys sulcinodis (Army ants) 9mm, 2Q, 20W
Tetramorium parvispinum - 3mm, 1Q 40W
Carebara cf. melasolena (Asian army ants) 17mm (Queen), 3mm (worker), 1Q 200W
Ectomomyrmex javanus - 15mm, 1Q 4w
Strumigenys sp (minature trap jaw ants) 1-2mm, 1Q 5W
Meranoplus bicolor (Shield ants) 10mm (Queen), 4mm (worker), 1Q 180W
Gnamptogenys bicolor - 5mm, 10W
Ectomomyrmex sp - 7mm, 1Q 30W
Dilobocondyla fouqueti - 12mm, 1Q 6W
Camponotus nicobarensis (common carpenter ant) 15mm, 1Q, 1Q, 1Q
Cataulacus sp (Asian turtle ants) 6mm, 1Q, 5w
Camponotus cf. pseudoirritans 14mm, 1Q
Crematogaster sp 10mm, 1Q
Leptogenys diminuta 6mm, 1Q ~200W
Cf. Euponera sp 5mm, 1Q
Camponotus cf. jianghuaensis 14mm, 1Q, 3W

Tetraponera sp1 - 9mm, 1Q

Pheidole parva 4mm, 3Q

Anochetus graeffei 5mm, 1Q, 30W

Camponotus sp 10mm, 1Q

Tetraponera sp1 9mm, 1Q

Anochetus risii 8mm, 1Q, 7W

Polyrhachis cf. demangei 8mm, 1Q

Leptogenys peuqeti 5mm, 15W

Dilobocondyla fouqueti - 12mm, 1Q

Crematogaster cylindriceps 5mm, 1Q

Odontomachus monticola (trap jaw ant) 15mm, 2Q 20W

Stigmatomma quadratum ~9mm, ~70 W

Pristomyrmex brevispinulosus 2mm, 3Q, 13W

Carebara castanea 23mm 1Q

Paratopula bauhinia 8mm, 1Q, 60W

Myrmoteras binghamii 5mm, 2Q, 17W

 

Current collection:

Polyrhachis cf. confusa 7mm, 1Q

Strumigenys faea 1.5mm, 1Q, 15W

Strumigenys exilirhina 1.5mm, 1 Q, 7W (x2)

Strumigenys cf. nanzanensis 1.5mm 1Q, 17W

Strumigenys cf. membranifera 1.3mm ?Q ?W

Monomorium sp1 3mm 1Q, 1W

Temnothorax haveni 3mm 1Q (x2)

Ooceraea biroi 2mm, 60W (x4)
Buniapone amblyops - 10mm 1Q, 1W
Cerapachys sulcinodis (Army ants) 9mm, 2Q, ~130W

07/03/2021

Strumigenys sp - 2mm
Small round contained with soil
1 Queen, 5 workers

This is still a fairly young colony, and they were caught on the 25th of January. The current population is about 8 workers, and a single queen.
They were captured with no brood, so I would say they are doing quite well after a month.

\
 

Carebara melasolena - 20mm
Test tube with soil
1 Queen, 40 workers

This was founded from a single queen last year, not much progress up until now (spring time, I guess), but under the correct light, the queen is a very nice maroon red. This species is smaller than both C.diversa and C.affinis, so I do not know its ID.

Meranoplus bioclor - 10mm
Bamboo style plaster nest
1 Queen, 180 workers

I've had this colony for over a year and a half now, and they reached maturity last year, with alates appearing at regular intervals. population is currently at about 200 workers, with a single, egg-laying queen. Right now, they have a decent amount of healthy larvae, though there was a sudden die-off in workers.

Odontomachus monticola - 15mm
Container with some soil
1 Queen, 15 workers

Very pretty, largish trapjaw ant. 1 queen, 20 workers, with a large ball of eggs. So far, this is the most success i've had with any odontomachus species. Their current setup is quite shabby and bad for photos, so that will have to change soon.

 

Gnamptogenys bicolor - 5mm
Minature custom plaster nest
10 Workers

This colony is also approx 2 months old. This colony actually does not have a queen, and is surviving off a gamergate. Fairly active species, and the larvae are quite elongated, with fuzzy hairs all over.

 

Ectomomyrmex sp - 7mm
Minature plaster nest with soil
1 Queen, 30 workers

A 1 queen, 30 worker colony of smallish, armoured ants. A charming little species that really, really hated me taking photos of them. I thought they had no brood, but I noticed a single, spiky larvae during the photoshoot.

A cesspit of angry ants

Edited by Leo, September 9 2024 - 8:45 AM.

[ANTdrew]

If I had such interesting species, I’d probably update every other day.

[Leo]

08/03/2021

 

Tetramorium parvispinum - 3mm

Small exo-terra vivarium

1 Queen, 40 workers

 

They have been moved into a small terrarium, and are currently nesting in a piece of cork bark which serves also as the background of the vivarium. This is a fairly small species, and were found nesting in a rotting log, so I thought they would be quite elusive in the terrarium. I guess not. Not much brood currently, only a dozen or so larvae. However due to their current nesting area, I doubt I will ever be able to update on the amount of brood they have after this

 

 

Workers clustered around a small piece of soil wood

Edited by Leo, April 17 2024 - 1:50 AM.

[Kaelwizard]

What unique species.

[Antkeeper01]

oi love the Strumigenys

[antsandmore]

they're all very beautiful ants

[Leo]

13/03/2021

 

Odontomachus monticola - 14mm

Container with some soil

1 Queen, 15 workers

 

New larvae have developed!

 

 

Strumigenys sp - 2mm

Small round contained with soil

1 Queen, 5 workers

 

Saw a pupae today, also more larvae have begun to appear, along with clutches of eggs.

 

Larvae with a worker

 

 

Carebara sp - 20mm

Test tube with soil

1 Queen, 40 workers

 

 

The recent batch of larvae have all pupated, hoping that the queen will lay another wave of eggs soon. Currently sitting at about 40 workers, and after these pupae enclose, I believe it should raise their numbers to about 60. However, they are still lacking the various majors, which is a bummer...

 

 

Ectomomyrmex astutus - 14mm

test tube with outworld

1 Queen

 

Approximately 1.3 cm, Caught two alates yesterday and one has already shed her wings. The other? not so much.

 

 

Pseudoneoponera rufipes - 21mm

test tube with outworld

1 Queen

 

New tubs and tubes setup! Her old one was losing moisture far too quickly, and I hope she does better in the new one.

 

 

Camponotus nicobarensis - 15mm

Test tubes

1 Queen

 

Biiiig nuptial flight yesterday, and I grabbed myself a few queens. Currently not in test tubes yet, as I have yet to clean out the old ones. Also, I'm completely out of cotton balls. 

 

Edited by Leo, April 17 2024 - 1:53 AM.

[Leo]

16/03/2021

 

Odontomachus monticola - 15mm

Container with some soil

1 Queen, 15 workers

 

Larvae count has increased by 2, and the clutch of eggs has grown larger. Debating on whether or not to move them into a terrarium-style setup. One thing I am somewhat concerned about is their fairly destructive habits when they become a mature colony.

 

 

Ectomomyrmex sp - 7mm

Minature plaster nest with soil

1 Queen, 30 workers

 

Larvae count has miraculously gone up to 5 larvae in total, as well as a new clutch of 2 eggs. A couple of workers have died, but that's to be expected.

Edited by Leo, March 16 2021 - 8:21 PM.

[Leo]

17/03/2021

 

Strumigenys sp - 2mm

Small round container with soil

1 Queen, 5 workers

 

I may or may not have accidentally kicked their entire setup across the room  . The queen is alive, and at least 3 of the workers are too. However I have no clue how well they will respond to this kind of situation, so I guess all we can do is wait for them to settle and regroup before I change anything...

Edited by Leo, April 21 2021 - 3:59 PM.

[Leo]

20/03/2021

 

Cerapachys sulcinodis - 9mm

Tubs and tubes with soil

1 Queen, 25 workers

 

Hell yeah! hit the jackpot. This is a semi-rare dorylinae ants found at highish elevations. They are nomadic and usually feed on ant brood, but accept other insects in captivity. what's funny is I actually placed an order for this exact species on monday, and now that i've caught these ones, i guess i'll have two colonies. LOL. They are suprisingly adept at climbing, despite looking like a slippery-footed species, and are also very sting-happy.

 

Worker and queen

 

Queen

 

(And yes, they do form adorable little raiding trails)

 

 

Ectomomyrmex astutus - 15mm

Test tubes

1 Queen, 1 Queen, 1 Queen

 

Captured a new queen yesterday, and she has already laid an egg. The previous dealate has also laid a few eggs, however the one with wings is likely infertile.

I changed their setups a little, and they now confined to their tubes.

 

egg

 

New queen

Edited by Leo, April 17 2024 - 1:57 AM.

[Leo]

26/03/2021

 

Pheidole sp - 6mm

Dirt box and test tube

2 Queen, 200-300 workers

 

The Cerapachys needed some food, so I decided to catch them some Pheidole, and so today I went downstairs and came back with some Pheidole sp. They do not have any brood, as it has all been fed to the Cerapachys, and decided that a small rock in their outworld was preferable to a test tube, but hey, whatever works for them I guess. I hope they grow fast, because they are gonna need it XD

 

 

Strumigenys sp - 2mm

Small round contained with soil

1 Queen, 5 workers

 

The pupae has enclosed, so first new worker in captivity! They are honestly growing far faster than I expected.

Edited by Leo, April 21 2021 - 3:59 PM.

[antsandmore]

26/03/2021

 

Pheidole sp - 6mm

Dirt box and test tube

2 Queen, 200-300 workers

 

The Cerapachys needed some food, so I decided to catch them some Pheidole, and so today I went downstairs and came back with some Pheidole sp. They do not have any brood, as it has all been fed to the Cerapachys, and decided that a small rock in their outworld was preferable to a test tube, but hey, whatever works for them I guess. I hope they grow fast, because they are gonna need it XD

 

 

Strumigenys cf. wilsoni - 2mm

Small round contained with soil

1 Queen, 5 workers

 

The pupae has enclosed, so first new worker in captivity! They are honestly growing far faster than I expected.

What kind of setup do you keep your strumigenys in? I'm pretty sure I saw some Strumigenys before, so if I happen to find them during flights, i want to know how to keep them. thanks!

[Leo]

 

26/03/2021

 

Pheidole sp - 6mm

Dirt box and test tube

2 Queen, 200-300 workers

 

The Cerapachys needed some food, so I decided to catch them some Pheidole, and so today I went downstairs and came back with some Pheidole sp. They do not have any brood, as it has all been fed to the Cerapachys, and decided that a small rock in their outworld was preferable to a test tube, but hey, whatever works for them I guess. I hope they grow fast, because they are gonna need it XD

 

 

Strumigenys cf. wilsoni - 2mm

Small round contained with soil

1 Queen, 5 workers

 

The pupae has enclosed, so first new worker in captivity! They are honestly growing far faster than I expected.

What kind of setup do you keep your strumigenys in? I'm pretty sure I saw some Strumigenys before, so if I happen to find them during flights, i want to know how to keep them. thanks!

 

 

Hope these photos help!

 

 

[Leo]

28/03/2021

 

Cerapachys sulcinodis - 9mm

Tubs and tubes with soil

1 Queen, 25 workers

 

They have laid some eggs, but seem to absolutely despise every single setup I have given them so far, as they never all congregate nor stay still. The lack of attention the queen gets from her workers is also a little concerning, as she regularly romps around the outworld completely unatended by any of her workers. Not sure what's going on, honestly.

 

The queen with her workers

Pheidole brood amongst the workers

 

Pheidole megacephala - 6mm

Dirt box and test tube

2 Queen, 200-300 workers

 

Just some photos 

Edited by Leo, April 17 2024 - 2:08 AM.

[Leo]

29/03/2021

 

Strumigenys sp - 2mm

Small round contained with soil

1 Queen, 6 workers

 

Pupae count has increased again, although I am a little worried about the mold on their piece of wood, as they are so good at killing springtails, that all the springtails die before they have a chance to clean up the fungus. Though for now, I will leave them be.

 

Callow worker to the left

 

Gnamptogenys bicolor - 5mm

Minature custom plaster nest

23 Workers

 

Healthy and growing! not sure if the workers were just ones I missed, or newly enclosed ones...

Readily accepting food, and have a growing pile of larvae

 

 

 

Pseudoneoponera rufipes - 21mm

test tube

1 Queen

 

Finally laid an egg after winter  . Lets hope she does better this year than last year, hahaha

 

 

 

Carebara melasolena - 20mm

Test tube with soil

1 Queen, 40 workers

 

I spy, with my little eye... A new major pupae! Its a small one, but a major nonetheless.

 

 

 

 

Ectomomyrmex sp - 7mm

Minature plaster nest with soil

1 Queen, 30 workers

 

Larvae have grown, new batch of eggs laid yesterday.

 

Edited by Leo, April 17 2024 - 3:39 AM.

[Leo]

31/03/2021

 

Cerapachys sulcinodis - 9mm

Tubs and tubes with soil

2 Queen, 25 workers

 

I recieved a new colony, with two queens instead of one. When I recieved them, they had already gotten a batch of eggs. So far I have been unable to get them to feed on anything, but I'm going hiking today, so maybe i can find some more ant brood.

[Leo]

Quick update:

 

The Gnamptogenys bicolor colony has been traded for two cataulacus de-alates.

 

A longer and more detailed update will be uploaded later

[ANTS_KL]

Cool!! I like this journal. I see you keep odontomachus, I have a queen, can u gimme a few tips please?

[Leo]

05/04/2021

 

 

Ectomomyrmex sp - 7mm

Minature plaster nest with soil

1 Queen, 30 workers

 

Unfortunately, this colony passed away because my dumb [censored] [censored] forgot to refill their little tube with water, and I never noticed. Only a few workers survived, and so the rest (along with the larvae and queen) will be preserved because why the hell not. Quite unfortunate, because it was a fun colony. I won't be getting more, probably.

 

 

 

Cerapachys sulcinodis - 9mm

Tubs and tubes with soil

2 Queen, 25 workers

 

This colony has larvae! It is a little hard to get a solid photo of them, however, as the larvae are hidden under a pile of ants. They have also become quite active, and usually have 1-2 workers in the outworld foraging. I've only seen them carry food once, though the insect bits usually end up in the tube, so that is very nice to see. If this continues, I may as well get rid of the Pheidole colony i caught to feed them, as it seems unecessary now.

 

The two queens. (larvae are in the middle)

Worker wandering the tube

 

 

Cerapachys sulcinodis - 9mm

Tub with soil

1 Queen, 25 workers

 

Unfortunately, no larvae yet. I placed a small sheet of glass under their bark, so that they don't flip the [censored] out whenever I check up on them. Couldn't get clear photos because my photography skills are bad. On a side note, they are also regularly foraging too, which is pretty awesome.

 

Eggs, workers and roach bits

 

 

Cataulacus sp - 9mm

Test tubes

1Q, 1Q

 

Got some of these! Awesome little buggers, but absolutely no idea on what they want. Never settled down in their tube so far. Hopefully will start laying soon.

 

Edited by Leo, April 17 2024 - 3:46 AM.

[Leo]

Cool!! I like this journal. I see you keep odontomachus, I have a queen, can u gimme a few tips please?

 

Well, first, they need soil.

Highish humidity (if its a forest-dwelling species)

Feed small food for single queens. Fruit flies, mosquitoes and things like that work well.

I don't really have more to add, if done right, they shouldn't be too challenging.

 

 

good luck