56 replies to this topic

[Max_Connor]

February 8th

 

The hibernation is over! I was gradually warming the ants during the past week. All 13 workers and the queen are alive.

 

I am not even going to set any goals for these guys. They are almost 2 years old, they have their own views on how fast development should be...

 

Here are the pictures:

 

 

 

 

Edited by Max_Connor, February 12 2023 - 2:58 AM.

[Max_Connor]

Update

 

February 23rd

 

The brood is growing, and there is a new batch of eggs (I could count about 14 eggs).

 

The ants are being fed with peanut beetle larvae, sugar and honey water, occasionally boiled eggs and fresh apples.

 

The temperature is about 24 - 26 C.

 

The workers are constantly pulling the cotton plug, and the water in the setup has been brown since the start of hibernation, so I'm again rehoming them into a smaller test tube.

 

Here are the pictures:

 

General view:

 

 

Trophallaxis with queen:

 

 

The major part of brood (new eggs are there):

 

 

The largest larva compared to worker:

 

 

 

[Max_Connor]

March 4th (649 days)

 

I've rehomed the ants into a smaller test tube.

I connected the old test tube to the new one, created the light gradient and waited for 5 days, but they wouldn't relocate the brood on their own. So I had to force them to move. The queen was already in the new tube, so I had to move the brood and workers manually.

 

One worker and several eggs were lost, but everything else is ok 3 days after this. That one worker fell out of the test tube and crawled into a book pile on my desk. I could find her only 2 days later dead on the floor.

 

And water in the new test tube is already yellowish, which I guess is ok for these ants...

 

The largest larva is now a pupa along with another one.

 

 

 

 

[Max_Connor]

April 2nd

 

The test tube got too moldy again, and there's a strong foul smell out of it. A new worker and a major emerged. But there's only 10 workers now, so 4 of them must have died from mold or old age, even though I cannot see their dead bodies among the mold.

 

I'm rehoming them back into the larger test tube.

 

 

 

[ANTdrew]

That may be one of the nastiest looking tubes I’ve seen on here.

[futurebird]

I have Camponotus chromadies and when the colony is small they are SO STUBBORN about moving. 

[Jonathan5608]

Update

[Max_Connor]

June 3rd

 

They are not doing great, the test tube is constantly getting moldy, so I will need to rehome them into a small formicarium. I don't know what that formicarium will be like yet.

They lost a couple of workers and ate most of the larvae. Even though I gave them protein, the larvae were not developing. I think this queen is just a failure, because they need constant hibernations and don't want to develop.

[Flu1d]

That may be one of the nastiest looking tubes I’ve seen on here.

One of my 3 Brachymyrmex patagonicus colonies is far worse than this lol

I dunno HOW they decided to get it so bad compared to any other ant colony I have, but it's so annoying.

Some ants just suck

[Jonathan5608]

June 3rd

They are not doing great, the test tube is constantly getting moldy, so I will need to rehome them into a small formicarium. I don't know what that formicarium will be like yet.
They lost a couple of workers and ate most of the larvae. Even though I gave them protein, the larvae were not developing. I think this queen is just a failure, because they need constant hibernations and don't want to develop.

My chromaiodes took a heavy hit while hibernating. Their nest flooded but ever since I moved them into a mini hearth they have been thriving. There 10+ works now with probably 8 cocoons and a nice batch of eggs. I would try using tar heels minihearth and see how they do

[Max_Connor]

Update

 

June 26th

 

The rehoming.

 

I made a small gypsum formicarium myself as I usually do. It has one chamber for camponotus-sized ants and a small water chamber in the corner. Have a look:

 

 

 

It is an all-in-one with the foraging area on top of the gypsum. I put a little water vial on it. So I started rehoming the ants, and it turned out that the walls with the anti-escape barrier (baby powder) applied were too low - the major ants just walked over it:

 

 

 

So I had to install an extra barrier made from paper and covered by baby powder. Here:

 

 

 

 

There are about 5 - 7 small larvae and 7 workers now, including 2 majors. So they are doing pretty badly. I hydrated the nest, but they have settled outside for now. I'll wait.

 

 

 

P.S. We've just had a coup attempt here in Russia where I happen to live. That is something. But it's already over. Me and the ants are ok.

 

 

[antsriondel]

Do you have any tips for me? I have a colony of hurculeanus which have been doing quite nicely, but they do not accept the food I give them. What do you feed your colony?

[Max_Connor]

Do you have any tips for me? I have a colony of hurculeanus which have been doing quite nicely, but they do not accept the food I give them. What do you feed your colony?

 

Well, sugars: sugar water, honey water, sometimes apple

Protein: peanut beetle larvae, sometimes boiled eggs.

 

I think they are picky so you need to slightly change their diet often.

[ANTdrew]

Carpenter ants can chew through wood. How long do you think paper will stop them?

[Max_Connor]

Carpenter ants can chew through wood. How long do you think paper will stop them?

 

They are really calm now, they settled in the chamber and do not leave very often.

I think it's hard for them to chew on smooth and flat paper surface - they would need to get to the paper edge first. So it is ok.

[Jonathan5608]

Less stress more heat

[Max_Connor]

The journal is over, since the ants wouldn't develop and slowly died. I had tried to put them on hibernation, but they were gone after 2 weeks. At that point I didn't care that much anymore.

 

Frustrating ant species, what to say.