27 replies to this topic

[Lillyrose]

March 21st .. 2021

I had been attempting to take in a very small Crematogaster colony when I discovered some very small ants among them.



The size difference was so great that I didn't realize how many of them had run off. I had found one of the ants I had been dreaming of. Temnothorax. At this point I hadn't realized that I had found them though, I was breaking wood up and looking for a queen of something else.



I ended up letting the Crematogaster go, but wanted to keep the Temnothorax... but did I have a queen or had I lost her in the shuffle before I noticed the acorn ants?

I put them in the nest set up I had made all by myself! I told you... I have been dreaming of these guys. I had taken an acorn and cut it in half. Used clay to make a mold inside and outside of it. Then cast it in the plaster. Then I plastered it into the box (mistake).



They moved in pretty quickly!

[Lillyrose]

March 24

I have quickly realized my hydration system .. a bit of cotton plugging the top of the acorn .. isn't enough.



I have seen several of the workers die, no new eggs and no queen sightings. I'm losing hope that I have a full colony and debate releasing them. The thing is, I love them already. I really do.

I keep searching for a queen .. will she ever be found?

[Lillyrose]

I've kept these girls but they look like they lost a lot of members. They are slowly dragging sand in to block the areas of the nest they don't want open. They drink so much water, or make it spill or something. Today I noticed that some of them have whitish brown bums.. I wonder if it is the increased water intake.

Oh and I now know what people mean when they talk about them being naked or enclosed. Got to see this girl half way through her enclosing (I think?)

[Lillyrose]

Numbers seem to be going down but there is a rather large larvae that might be a future queen.

So hopefully they're colony can continue in the future. If there is a new queen I'll let her fly when it is time and I'll be happy knowing I wasn't the end of this colony.

[Antcatcherpro3]

What about all the eggs?

If there are no queens than where did they come from? They looked freshly laid.

[Antkeeper01]

What about all the eggs?

If there are no queens than where did they come from? They looked freshly laid.

there can be microgynes which are queens that are about the same size of workers

Edited by Antkeeper01, April 16 2021 - 10:47 AM.

[Lillyrose]

What about all the eggs?

If there are no queens than where did they come from? They looked freshly laid.

They are very fresh but I've been told the workers can lay them too .. but if they are from the workers they'll all be males.

The larvae is mostly older and came when I grabbed the colony.

What about all the eggs?

If there are no queens than where did they come from? They looked freshly laid.

there can be microgynes which are queens that are about the same size of workers

I didn't know that .. I thought with Temnothorax the queen was pretty similar size anyway.

Edited by Lillyrose, April 16 2021 - 11:25 AM.

[Kaelwizard]

I’m pretty sure CatsnAnts has a colony with a fertilized worker. I don’t think it’s ever been confirmed though.

[Lillyrose]

I’m pretty sure CatsnAnts has a colony with a fertilized worker. I don’t think it’s ever been confirmed though.

I'll have to look into that...id love to keep this colony for a long time...

The only reason I'm worried is how many seem to have died off. There was so many more of them. So I assume I won't have them too much longer if this is the last batch of workers. I guess only time will tell.

[Kaelwizard]

 

I’m pretty sure CatsnAnts has a colony with a fertilized worker. I don’t think it’s ever been confirmed though.

I'll have to look into that...id love to keep this colony for a long time...

The only reason I'm worried is how many seem to have died off. There was so many more of them. So I assume I won't have them too much longer if this is the last batch of workers. I guess only time will tell.

 

Well it looks like there is still lots of brood and there are definitely eggs in some of your pictures.

[mantisgal]

Crossing my fingers you have a Queen or Queen-substitute in there, good luck!

[NicholasP]

That's a beautiful Temnothorax colony! I bet they have to have a substitute queen in there if they have no queen in there. But I bet they have a queen because there's so many eggs and brood in those pictures!

[NicholasP]

I'd like to say something else that may be very interesting for you to hear but according to some friends that I asked what type of Temnothorax you had they said it was Curvispinosis!

[Lillyrose]

I'd like to say something else that may be very interesting for you to hear but according to some friends that I asked what type of Temnothorax you had they said it was Curvispinosis!

Thanks for sharing that!

I love these girls a lot.

When I caught them they had eggs, which are thr brood now. So I hope the queen is there ...

[Kaelwizard]

I'd like to say something else that may be very interesting for you to hear but according to some friends that I asked what type of Temnothorax you had they said it was Curvispinosis!

I don’t think you can positively ID them from those pictures. I wouldn’t rule out T. ambiguus.

[NicholasP]

They're not ambiguus or their gaster would be more yellow.

[M_Ants]

They're not ambiguus or their gaster would be more yellow.

I'm no expert but generally iding by color is not reliable. 

[Lillyrose]

They're not ambiguus or their gaster would be more yellow.

I'm no expert but generally iding by color is not reliable.

That was kinda my thought. They had dark reddish bottoms but have been drinking sunburst and water and now they're more yellow and clearish.
They seem to change a bit

[Kaelwizard]

They're not ambiguus or their gaster would be more yellow.

Like other's have said, that isn't a good way to ID them. Color can vary from location to location so other identifiers like body shape and size are generally better for narrowing it down.

[Lillyrose]

Agates!



Video if you prefer
http://imgur.com/a/wul9B59

Edited by Lillyrose, April 22 2021 - 5:06 PM.