354 replies to this topic

[Antkeeper01]

Why not catch the queens instead. Dummy

lol you calling somone whos been keeping ants since 2018 a dummy?

[SYUTEO]

It's now Chinese new year! (I know I posted this late, my parents are using the computer for the whole day). I'm currently spending my days in my grandparents house but I will update you as soon as I get back.

[ANTS_KL]

It's now Chinese new year! (I know I posted this late, my parents are using the computer for the whole day). I'm currently spending my days in my grandparents house but I will update you as soon as I get back.

Happy Chinese New Year!! I'm enjoying myself eating biscuits

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[SYUTEO]

I arrived home, all the queens and colonies are doing fine except for 2, Cremaogaster queen is dying and there is no way I can help her, she may have been attacked by pharaoh ants as I saw a few dead pharaoh ant workers in the test tube. Cf Paratopula queen ate her pupa which is about to eclose.

Here are some good updates.
S. geminata has a major, a small one but still a major. Colobopsis colonies both have more workers and one of the queens is physogastric. O. simillimus has a new worker and a new pupa. Colobopsis leonardi queen laid more eggs. Carebara affinis has a large batch of eggs and possibly some small larvae. Gnamptogenys also could have some small larvae.

Sorry that I didn't get pictures, we only came home for some maintenance and only stayed there for a few minutes.

[SYUTEO]

I'm sorry that I kept you waiting, I was going to post the pictures yesterday but I had to go to school and I'm also studying for an exam and I planned to post them when I get back home but then I injured my right arm.  I will post them as soon as I can once I get the chance.

[ANTS_KL]

I'm sorry that I kept you waiting, I was going to post the pictures yesterday but I had to go to school and I'm also studying for an exam and I planned to post them when I get back home but then I injured my right arm. I will post them as soon as I can once I get the chance.

Don't pressure yourself buddy. What matters is your own wellbeing and not some pictures lol

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[SYUTEO]

I. anceps has been killed by pharaoh ants. T. bicarinatum colony's queen mysteriously died. YCA died. O. simillimus has 7 workers. Anochetus sp1 started to produce alates. Gnamptogenys has at least three confirmed larvae. My dad caught an Oecophylla smaragdina queen yesterday and she already broke off her wings and started to lay eggs. She is currently housed in a glass bottle with wet tissue papers (interestingly she stayed in the darkest part of the bottle which is the entrance) since my dad didn't bring test tubes with him, should I keep her in the bottle or transfer her to a much more suitable setup right now? For now let's look at these pictures of Anochetus feeding.

 

 

I'm sorry that I kept you waiting, I was going to post the pictures yesterday but I had to go to school and I'm also studying for an exam and I planned to post them when I get back home but then I injured my right arm. I will post them as soon as I can once I get the chance.

Don't pressure yourself buddy. What matters is your own wellbeing and not some pictures lol

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Ok. Anyways, my arm is healing and hopefully I did well on the exam(s).

[ANTS_KL]

I. anceps has been killed by pharaoh ants. T. bicarinatum colony's queen mysteriously died. YCA died. O. simillimus has 7 workers. Anochetus sp1 started to produce alates. Gnamptogenys has at least three confirmed larvae. My dad caught an Oecophylla smaragdina queen yesterday and she already broke off her wings and started to lay eggs. She is currently housed in a glass bottle with wet tissue papers (interestingly she stayed in the darkest part of the bottle which is the entrance) since my dad didn't bring test tubes with him, should I keep her in the bottle or transfer her to a much more suitable setup right now? For now let's look at these pictures of Anochetus feeding.
photo6062176743386624390.jpg
photo6062176743386624389.jpg

I'm sorry that I kept you waiting, I was going to post the pictures yesterday but I had to go to school and I'm also studying for an exam and I planned to post them when I get back home but then I injured my right arm. I will post them as soon as I can once I get the chance.

Don't pressure yourself buddy. What matters is your own wellbeing and not some pictures lol

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Ok. Anyways, my arm is healing and hopefully I did well on the exam(s).

Keep the oec queen in the bottle. It is probably suitable for the colony to live in long term and you can give them an outworld in the future too. (Anochetus are cute)

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[Idontexist]

I'm starting to hate these pharaoh ants

[ANTdrew]

Put your setups on a tray of water mixed with a bit of vinegar. I also recommend shaking the queen into a test tube before she lays any eggs.

[SYUTEO]

I'm starting to hate these pharaoh ants

I always hated pharaoh ants, the first time they attacked my dubia and turkestan roaches. Then they attacked my mealworms and made several nests around my house, now thhey are trying to invade my ant colonies. They first invaded my M. monomorium and T. destructor/mayri but the ants fend them off. Then my Crematogaster, Iridomyrmex and Coptotermes which they successfully invaded and finally my S. geminata which is probably obvious who won. In case you don't know, S. geminata won. Before pharaoh ants it was the ghost ants that invaded my colonies, though they only succeded in invading one small colony of C. albosparsus.

 

Put your setups on a tray of water mixed with a bit of vinegar. I also recommend shaking the queen into a test tube before she lays any eggs.

I'll definitely try doing that to the most vulnerable queens and colonies. I just have to hope nothing goes wrong.

[SYUTEO]

O. simillimus has lots of newly hatched larvae.

 

Gnamptogenys has a fourth confirmed larva.

 

O. smaragdina has two newly hatched larvae.

[SYUTEO]

Wow. I'm gone for only ONE night and O. smaragdina is dead!  It seems that every O. smaragdina queen I have HATES me.

[SYUTEO]

I witnessed the bad thing about Colobopsis, if you kept Colobopsis before then you probably know what I'm talking about. Anyway, Gnamptogenys seemed to have laid a few new eggs and O. simillimus now has nine workers.

[SYUTEO]

Ganmptogenys has a pupa and possibly a second.

 

Interestingly, T. bicarinatum workers are still alive and well even though the queen died, I will try to introduce a new queen to them if I managed to find one. Also one question: can I introduce multiple queens to them? I've heard they are polygynous.

[Leptomyrmx]

Ganmptogenys has a pupa and possibly a second.

 

Interestingly, T. bicarinatum workers are still alive and well even though the queen died, I will try to introduce a new queen to them if I managed to find one. Also one question: can I introduce multiple queens to them? I've heard they are polygynous.

 

I'm 90% sure they are. They can inbreed apparently, so it seems like they'd use those basically unlimited queens to their advantage.

Evolution can make some questionable choices though, maybe not.

[ANTS_KL]

Ganmptogenys has a pupa and possibly a second.

Interestingly, T. bicarinatum workers are still alive and well even though the queen died, I will try to introduce a new queen to them if I managed to find one. Also one question: can I introduce multiple queens to them? I've heard they are polygynous.

You could dip her in alcohol to remove the scent or try introducing without any special procedure.

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[SYUTEO]

Lots of mass deaths in almost every colony due to me being away for nearly two weeks. The worst one is probably the Anochetus colony, all their brood except for some eggs and small larvae and nearly half of the workers have died. Luckily the queen survived and let's all hope they'll make a quick recovery.

[SYUTEO]

Gnamptogenys has three pupae and she laid a few more eggs.

 

O. simillimus has 9 workers.

 

Both Anochetus colonies are doing nicely and both have newly hatched larvae.

[NicholasP]

Why not catch the queens instead. Dummy

Hem hem hem... And now for my grand speech against what you just said... I used to defend you but once I saw your disrespectful comments everything changed. You only have a few months of experience while he has years of experience. Just because Ants Canada did something doesn't mean that it should be done. Like him mixing 7 Camponotus colonies together without many precautions in place if anything went wrong. Pharaoh ants are known to sometimes carry salmonella, staphylococcus, and clostridium. If they were to breach the setup, they have a much easier time at getting into his other colonies without him noticing since they'd probably be closer to his native species which probably wouldn't stand a chance against a big colony of Monomorium pharaonis. Also, you have never kept a single invasive species that you have listed in your journals. Telling someone who has years of experience what to do and especially in a rude manner is not a smart idea as you are having problems keeping your current ants alive.. I want to say nice things about you but your recent comments aren't being nice.