100 replies to this topic

[ANTdrew]

Happy birthday!

[NPLT]

Happy birthday!

Thank you.

[ColAnt735]

 

Happy birthday!

Thank you.

 

Happy birthday!

[NPLT]

 

 

Happy birthday!

Thank you.

 

Happy birthday!

 

Thank you too.

[NPLT]

Update 19: 05/04/22

Hibernation ended! We're back.

 

Myrmica sp.

Size: 1 queen, many ants! and much brood!

This champ of a colony went strong through the whole winter increasing in size, and even having workers permanently in the outworld, which I consider as both, somewhat of an annoyance, and an achievement! I wonder how many workers there are by now though, too many to count that's for sure. Anyway, I'm counting down to their birthday as it will be in just a month + 4 days.

 

 

Camponotus fallax

Size: 1 queen, 6 workers, a pile of larvae.

Well, I'm honestly unsure if I should say I'm proud or not, because they got new brood, which has been visibly, if painstakingly slowly, but they skipped hibernation because of it. Also, because of the deterioration of a bad quality outworld two workers escaped in the middle of winter >:[, hopefully once the new brood grows up it will make up for the losses.

 

Lasius (chtonolasius) sp.

Size: unknown.

I've made an, um, a mistake with this colony to be honest, which is to say, I prevented myself from checking in on them. I can say for a fact host workers are alive, but I cannot check on the queen herself. I placed the test tube wrapped in foil in the outworld itself, and I cannot peck through the foil. Sorry about not being able to deliver here.

 

Formica rufibarbis

Size: 1 queen, around 8 workers.

They've been waking up from hibernation for the past three weeks ( since I increased temperature by five every week ), and are now enjoying a steady 23 degrees celcius. I hope I will see brood appear soonishly.

 

Closing thoughts:

Overall, I rate winter positively for my ant colonies. I think at least. And I'm looking forward to see them grow in the year 2022.

So, bye, and it would be really nice of you if you'd comment something.

[ANTdrew]

Welcome back and nice work!

[NPLT]

Update 20: 05/06/2022

 

Well, a little over two months since last update, but I'm finally posting again. I'm sorry for not posting sooner, the death of my grandfather has somewhat killed my inspiration for stuff like this. Thankfully it seems it is coming back.

 

Myrmica sp.

Size: Big.

They've been growing, and growing, and growing, overall nothing new. I did add a new tube full of water for them since water in their original tube ran out. Strangely they are not vacating it for their nest, but I guess as long as they are happy. I missed to report their birthday, so, uh, happy late birthday to them.

 

You can spot the queen in this photo: She's near the entrance, around where the cotton padding ends:

Some workers always sit in the water tube, they're the watermen I guess, er, waterwomen.

 

Camponotus fallax

Size: 1 Queen, 8 workers, lots of brood.

I was worried they are not going to increase in size due to lack of proper hibernation. Those fears however were unfounded, I guess higher-than-normal temperatures triggered something, who needs hibernation when you have global warming, heh.

Eh.

That was a bad joke. 

Anyway, when I was feeding them today I picked up a piece of leftover exoskeleton from a cricket and when I placed it down a worker just zoomed out of it, I was stunned just by the speed, and here I thought Camponotus were the slow ones , anyway, I eventually captured her back. By the way, do note the one or two bigger cocoons under the Queen, I think we have some majors on the way. Ah, right, and another late birthday to them.

 

Formica rufibarbis

Size: A lot of workers, a lot of brood, and one queen.

Well, look who exploded in numbers. Those gals. They became very brave very fast too! No longer afraid to hang out in the outworld, they gained a habit which is as cute as it is irritating as they've started to hang around the lid.

 

Lasius (chtonolasius) sp.

Size: ???

Unfortunately no signs of biological workers, and due to my predicament I can't check if they're just not coming out, I'm starting to guess the host workers may have rejected the brood but not the queen, rather ironic, I unfortunately think this colony may be headead for failure.

 

 

Closing thoughts: 

Last months were good, and without any major accidents or disasters, the course seems straight, and it is a good one!

So, bye, and it would be really nice of you if you'd comment something.

[ANTdrew]

Sorry for your loss. Keep your inspiration up, even through hard times.

[NPLT]

Minidate 3: The minidates strike back.

 

We have a sucess! I've seen it with my own two eyes, the distinctly non-Lasius niger, compact and yellowish Lasius (cthonolasius) biological worker outside their test tube! We're halfway to a fully established colony!

Edited by NPLT, June 13 2022 - 2:50 PM.

[NPLT]

Update 21: 07/07/2022

 

Well, the vacations have effectively prevented me from updating this as I hoped. Note, all photos are by now about two weeks old, sorry about that.

 

 

Myrmica sp.

Size: Big

Well, you know the drill by now I think, they've grown, outworld is even harder to clean ( if not impossible, thankfully they do have a population of springtails in there ), they've been ever so slowly moving out of their test tube and into their nest, that's about it really. I really need some kind of ant counter.

Test tube, a bit less populated then before, and nest a bit more. I have no idea where the queen is by this point.

Camponotus fallax

Size: About a dozen workers, at least two majors, 1 queen, a bunch of pupae.

They've been growing rather nicely, and got a major, the size difference is, honestly, not as big as it is with other Camponotus species, but you can still quite clearly see it.

 

Lasius (cthonolasius) sp.

Size: No idea.

Same as always, same as always... The, presumably, biological worker I seen last time is nowhere to be seen, I hope they've just been hiding the whole time.

 

Formica rufibarbis

Size: A lot.

They've grown a lot, as is usual for them, I'm rather suprised their after-hibernation growth hasn't yet ended, but I suppose that's a good thing. I connected a new outworld, which they've begun to actively patrol, and nearly completely abandoned their previous outworld, which I suppose is a good thing, even though it does prevent me from cleaning there. I think a springtail population is developing there. I'm wondering if an alternating outworlds used for feeding would allow for easier cleaning.

By the way, anyone knows what the brown spot is? It's gone dark since. As you can see the glass in general is fairly unclean, so I kind of presume it's just my ants being messy eaters.

 

Closing thoughts:

Still all good. I've been enjoying boating in Masuria, but due to this the ants have been switched to a three day cycle of feeding instead of their usual two day cycle.

So, bye, and it would be really nice of you if you'd comment something.

[NPLT]

Update 22: 31/08/2022

 

Summer is ending  and I finally have both the time and the material for an update.

 

Myrmica sp.

Size: Still big, but smaller.

Bad news, they had a pretty big escape:

Good news: I managed to recapture them mostly.

Bad news: Some of them died.

Good news: The queen is still alive and there are still many left.

Bad news: Water got under the glass of their nest.

Good news: It does not seem to have affacted them.

 

Formica rufibarbis

Size: Big.

Yeah, all is good, they've outgrown their nest so I'm gonna get them a new one, along with a new outworld for new measure.

 

Camponotus fallax

Size: Guess what, also too big to count.

Well, only good news, they have many workers, their gasters are round, and there's still much brood, they've started to be much less shy now.

 

Lasius (chtonolasius) sp.

Size: ???

They are, probably alive, that's sadly all the news I can bring.

 

Closing thoughts:

I'm very unhappy with what happened to the Myrmica colony, and I'm gonna be working hard so that they'll make a rebound, otherwise, I think things are going well.

So, bye, and it would be really nice of you if you'd comment something.

[ANTdrew]

How did they manage to escape?

[NPLT]

How did they manage to escape?

I'm not sure actually, my best guess is that the cotton blocking their tube got wet and then dry repeatedly, leading to eventually hardening, allowing them to tunnel through it, but I'm not certain.

Edited by NPLT, September 1 2022 - 7:25 AM.

[DRpepper]

Thank you for posting all of this. Nice journal keep it up. 

[NPLT]

Update 23: 05/11/22

 

This entry will be a bit different than my previous ones, as I will not cover all my colonies, but here's the general status of the Camponotus and Formica colonies: All fine, no brood, they will be going into hibernation next month. Lasius is as always.

 

Myrmica sp.

size: a lot of workers, queen is probably still alive.

 

I really messed up, which is why I'm only covering this colony, to put more focus on them.

I overwatered their nest, it got bad, it flooded, and their floor was covered with water, I'm not sure if any of them died, I saw only one floating body, the ants have managed to evacuate sucessfully it seems. The majority of them are in the outworld and in their water test tube. I've spotted them still hanging in the nest though, rather curiously, on the roof, as long as they're alive I suppose.

I think I managed to drain it, I checked on them today, the water was gone, they were on the floor of the nest, even with brood.

They'll probably not be going into hibernation due to presence of brood. Image from yesterday. Will limit the amount of times I water the nest to 1-2 times a week.

Edited by NPLT, November 5 2022 - 2:55 PM.

[NPLT]

Update 24: 29/02/2022

 

Good day! Long time no see, right? I had my 18th Birthday a few days ago, and I'm finally making an update. I will not be covering my Formica colony, they are in hibernation, and as for my Lasius, I'm fairly certain they have died unfortunately.

 

Myrmica sp.

Size: 1 queen, many workers, brood!

I was immensely happy to see brood today, as the colony was having a bit of a hard time since the incident in November. It seems now that the troubles are past us. So, yay! The colony has shrunk somewhat, but that is probably to be expected due to November.

 

 

Camponotus fallax

Size: 1 queen, lots of brood, lots of workers.

I actually don't have anything to report, they have been such an unproblematic colony it's staggering. Hell, it's their second winter and they still solidly refused any kind of refrigeration by laying brood right in the middle of December. I don't know how they do it.

 

[michiganantsinmyyard]

I have a feeling something wrong has happened but update?

[NPLT]

I have a feeling something wrong has happened but update?

Actually It is the exact opposite, barely anything happened and thus I felt there was little need for an update, as the situation has practically not changed since March ( with the exception that colonies grew in ant numbers naturally ). They've thus far have been the definition of unproblematic. I mean, I guess two days ago the Camponotus fallax tube detached from their outworld, only one ant actually went out and proceeded to climb onto me, while the rest orderly waited in their tube for me to reattach it. Myrmica, Formica, and Camponotus colonies are doing alright, as always.

 

However thank you for your concern.

Edited by NPLT, November 3 2023 - 10:06 AM.

[michiganantsinmyyard]

That's good. You continue what you want to do. I'm happy to hear your ants are perfectly fine though!

[GOCAMPONOTUS]

Upd?