29 replies to this topic

[nurbs]

I am creating this just as a placeholder. I don't know how much time I will have to keep this updated on a consistent basis, but wanted to just put it out there.

 

I caught her two summers ago. Colony was doing very well. They were thriving, growing rapidly.

 

But at the end of last year I got really busy with work and neglected them. Found lots of dead workers in their outworld which I just recently cleaned, and it looks like the queen stopped laying eggs (but I do see a few). I would guestimate it is around 100 workers right now.

 

Would giving her eggs from another colony help revive her egg pooping? These guys are really fun to watch.

 

Edited by nurbs, October 1 2017 - 12:38 AM.

[BugFinder]

I can't answer your question but, but I agree they are so much fun to watch.  I just moved mine into a nucleus last week. I think I like them there, although I wish I had more of an outworld for them to explore.  I may work on that soon.

[nurbs]

Yeah. I think I may know the reason why she is not laying eggs. Been keeping them cool with AC on, and when I was caring for them and not neglecting them, I had a heatpad underneath the plastic box.

 

I just setup the heatpad again and we'll see if she starts laying more eggs. Fingers crossed.

[nurbs]

Fed them a spider this morning....

 

[nurbs]

Ever since I started properly feeding and caring for them again, the queen has begun laying lots of eggs now. Most of them are in larvae stage and I also see a large cluster of eggs.

 

I also caught a new batch of Pogonomyrmex earlier this month and they are also doing well. I have about a dozen of them (a few are P. subnitidus). There is one where I placed two queens together and they appear to be doing well. All of them have eggs and larvae. I have them in a test tube setup with dirt inside.

[nurbs]

Here is a video of a P. californicus and I believe to be a P. subnitidus in a polygynous setup. I do not know how long this will last, but I caught so many a few weeks ago that I put these two together. They both seem settled and at this point are working together to raise the brood.

 

[dspdrew]

So do you have a P. californicus queen and a P. subnitidus queen living together?

[nurbs]

So do you have a P. californicus queen and a P. subnitidus queen living together?

 

Yeah, technically that is what I have now. I don't know how long it will last. I think when the workers eclose they are going to choose one queen and most likely kill the other. It would be fascinating if the workers got along with both queens.

[dspdrew]

I was wanting to try something like that, but with truly polygynous species of ants.

[nurbs]

Just an update on my oldest colony. They are two years old. I neglected them earlier this year and the queen had stopped laying eggs. Once I started to feed and care for them again, you can see they are producing again.

 

[Foogoo]

Are they just in the tube or is there an outworld?

[dspdrew]

How large is the colony?

[nurbs]

Are they just in the tube or is there an outworld?

 

They are in three test tube setups inside a plastic tupperware as an outworld.

 

 

How large is the colony?

 

I haven't counted, but probably around 200 or so workers.

[Mdrogun]

update?

[nurbs]

Forgot I had a journal on this 

 

They doing swell! 

 

[nurbs]

Colony is around 300 workers.

 

How large is the colony?

[YsTheAnt]

They look amazing! Do you by chance know if and how much the sting hurts?

[nurbs]

They look amazing! Do you by chance know if and how much the sting hurts?

 

Yes and yes. Sting is extremely painful. It's one of the reasons I avoid selling Pogonomyrmex to kids. Feel more at ease when the buyer is an adult. 

 

Stepped on one of these while transferring them one time. Stung at the middle bottom of feet. Walked around for a week like I had a hernia.

[Bryce]

Yeah the pack a punch. I don't keep any Pogonomyrmex anymore for that reason. I had a few get out and stung my 4 year old. He swelled up really bad we had to take him to the ER.

[YsTheAnt]

Ehh I guess I'm a kid but I think I can contain Pogonomyrmex, going to try them this year. Hopefully I don't get stung.