24 replies to this topic

[Bearcoon]

Ok So I'm Super new to Antkeeping and I'm Going to Be Going after some pogonomyrmex this year and i want to be prepared. 

 

I would love Input about Formicariums, Food, and any thing else you can think of I REALY want this to Succeed!

[Jonathan21700]

Pogonomyrmex don't do well in test tubes so you might have to think up something more natural.

Something like Gregory's setup http://www.formicult..._339_139816.jpg.

You may find this thread useful http://www.formicult...-for-beginners/.

Good luck!

[Foogoo]

I tried Pogonomyrmex as my first species and they can be more challenging than you'd think. If I were to do it again, I would start with an easier species that's more forgiving and develops quicker, like Pheidole or possibly Veromessor. That's just my experience!

[Bearcoon]

the main reson I'm want them is Because they are the most Prevalent Ant Speices in my Area Althogh there are some Lasius as well

[Gregory2455]

Pogonomyrmex don't do well in test tubes so you might have to think up something more natural.

Something like Gregory's setup http://www.formicult..._339_139816.jpg.

Even though that setup is for Myrmecocystus, I think it may work well for Pogonomyrmex species in the barbatus group, as they are fully clausteral. However, it would not work so great with semi-clausteral species, as they need to be in a setup where they can forage.

[Bearcoon]

When i catch one i guess i will treat it as Semi-Claustral Untill Proven otherwise don't want anymore dead queens than i have to have

[Bearcoon]

any other advice for me about Pogonomyrmex Keeping?

[Crystals]

If you don't mind watering it every day or so.  I would go for 1-2 chamber formicarium with an attached foraging area.

 

Something like these:

[Bearcoon]

those look pretty cool and Easy 

 

what do you guys think i should do for food?

[Crystals]

I would have sugar water available, and scatter a variety of seeds, and offer the occasional insect like fruit flies or a piece of cricket.  If they don't eat it, no problem.

 

This list has a bunch of seeds Pogonomyrmex have been known to like: http://www.formicult...ood-by-species/

[antsinmypants]

http://www.formicult...-and-technique/

 

I have adopted a lot of the recommendations of Retroman to this year's catch of Pogonomyrmex's. I can now say that the nanitics can chew poppy seeds, Chia seeds and black Nyjer seeds to feed themselves and their larvae as I have seen it happen with my own eyes. I have 8 of THA's Piece of Haven and except for a queen that died 2 days ago in one of them and one that seems to have lost her eggs somewhere (maybe she ate them???), they are doing well.

 

I definitely do not like the test tube set-up. I used 6 tackle boxes that I bought off of Amazon and about 10 THA Growth Chambers to choose the cream of the crop to put into my Piece of Havens. I probably caught close to 125 - 150 Pogonomyrmex queens this past March, releasing 30 or so into my backyard and seeding some other areas close to where I live with them. Many of the captive ones died, even in the THA Growth Chambers as opposed to the tackle boxes. If I do this again next year, I would use blue sand from JoAnn's Fabrics in the tackle box instead of the brownish sand I bought from the same place. The bluish color will make it easier to see eggs and larvae and helps to prevent drownings. I also tore up pieces of brown paper towels that are commonly used in commercial bathrooms to act as hiding places and perches for the ants in the tackle box set-up. A small cotton ball in each compartment of the tackle box provides extra moisture but I suspect I really didn't need to do that. I used a 25 watt heating cable from Amazon to heat the tackle boxes in the center from underneath and the 15 watt heating cable from Amazon to heat the THA Growth Chambers and POH's. I think it may be better to heat the tackle boxes from on top simply b/c it prevents condensation build-up on the top cover. Also, I chose the 25 watt heating cable not b/c the ants needed more heat but b/c the cable is simply much longer, allowing me to heat more tackle boxes. You could stack the tackle boxes on top of each other to sandwich the heating cable if you lack the space.

 

The POH's are not cheap but are reasonable compared to what other vendors sell. Plus, I like the natural look to them, and Mack has added these nestmates that allow additional hydration of the underworld. Instead of the Growth Chambers, I would go with the tackle box set-up simply just to save money. They are by no means permanent, just a cheap brooding chamber while you decide what kind of formicarium you ultimately want. That's my 2 cents on the subject. If you want real professional advice, ask a real pro like Retroman. He Is The Man, afterall, when it comes to Pogonomyrmex.

Edited by antsinmypants, June 16 2015 - 1:33 PM.

[Foogoo]

Do you have any pictures of your tackle box setup? That sounds interesting. Also, what do you guys feed your founding queens? I've tried fruit flies, Blue 100 and sunflower seeds with mixed results.

[Ants4fun]

That would also work with tool storages and bead containers. If I have your idea right...

[antsinmypants]

http://www.formicult...scovered-22715/

 

The pictures do not include the brown paper towel tear-ups that I added to increase surface area, hiding spaces and perching spots. This seemed to calm them down, especially when I opened the lid. The pictures also do not include the small cotton balls that I added. Again, I would use the blue sand from JoAnn's Fabrics (they cost under $5 for a package, I think), to bring out the eggs and spot light the queens and nanitics. I would also disperse the sand a little better on the floor of the tackle box although I did note that the queens preferred to place their eggs directly on the plastic floor in the corners of their living spaces. I only had one queen drown b/c I did not disperse the sand well enough. This set-up is dirt cheap and allows you to cherry pick the winners from amongst the losers. Move the winners onto a better set-up. Try putting the heating cable over the top of the tackle box in the middle so that the divided compartments within the tackle box have equal access to adequate heat.

[William. T]

why not add have test tubes with sterilized sand? My subterranean Lasius are happy with those.

[Foogoo]

why not add have test tubes with sterilized sand? My subterranean Lasius are happy with those.

I tried exactly that with some of them. Even the ones who have dug tunnels and laid eggs still tear at the cotton.

[antsinmypants]

Test tubes are a pain in the behind to clean, to keep in place and to care for the queens. The plastic tackle boxes can hold multiple queens, are flat/stackable/easy to heat with a heating cable. They are also easy to clean. As one queen dies, I just lift up the tab divider and give more room to the queen in the adjacent compartment. If I get some Camponotus, I'd be interested to see if this set-up works as well.

[BrittonLS]

Test tubes are a pain in the behind to clean, to keep in place and to care for the queens. The plastic tackle boxes can hold multiple queens, are flat/stackable/easy to heat with a heating cable. They are also easy to clean. As one queen dies, I just lift up the tab divider and give more room to the queen in the adjacent compartment. If I get some Camponotus, I'd be interested to see if this set-up works as well.

The only thing that bothers me about the setup is basically opening every single chamber every time you need to open even one of them. That and the difficulty moving them. I heard Pogonomyrmex aren't great climbers so maybe it works for them, but I feel like while I was transferring a queen and her eggs the other would just all suddenly make a break for it lol.

 

If an ant does well in a test tube, I'd probably prefer that, but if they need something like this it isn't a bad setup. 

Edited by BrittonLS, June 17 2015 - 8:25 AM.

[antsinmypants]

Yes, you are right about it upsetting the other occupants of the tackle box, but that's the cost of community living. I haven't had any loose convicts go AWOL but one queen did manage to climb up to the top using the brackets that hold the tab dividers. That surprised me, but that was the only one out of almost a hundred that were kept in there.

[dspdrew]

There have been times when I thought about using divided containers as a solution, but like BrittonLS said, this means opening the lid on all of them, just to get into one. If you want to move one of them somewhere, you will be moving all of them. If you need to wash one of them out, you certainly won't be putting it in the sink and washing it the easy way, unless you want the rest of your colonies going down the drain. There are obviously some advantages, which is why I have thought about it before myself, but I always figured the bad outweighed the good in my opinion, so I left the idea alone. We all have different values and priorities though, so maybe the good outweighs the bad for others.