36 replies to this topic

[Antkeeper01]

I'm making this to list your most sucessful colonies/queens(and to test a theory of ANTdrews)

[Skwiggledork]

I had a Tetramorium immigrans colony get to a couple hundred workers and was going strong before I made a mistake and killed it.

My Camponotus colonies are going strong.

I've got a Lasius colony that should have died forever ago, but it somehow still here. Going on 3 years and has less than 30 workers still.

[PetsNotPests]

Yessss! Finally a thread on something positive for a change. I can't wait to read the responses on this. 

[ConcordAntman]

Camponotus pennsylvanicus 150+ workers and growing, founded 5/2018

Purchased Camponotus americanus 16 workers with an active brood pile of eggs & larvae founded, spring 2017

 

What’s the theory being tested? Oh, never mind, I see. 

Edited by ConcordAntman, July 6 2021 - 8:19 AM.

[Antkeeper01]

look at the worst queen/colony deaths topic https://www.formicul...e-3#entry192793

[ConcordAntman]

I'd sure hate to prove ANTDrew wrong but with worldwide membership you’d think there should be at least 5 ant keepers on the forum with successful colonies that’d want to brag a bit

[DDD101DDD]

What are we considering as successful?

[Manitobant]

I have a polyergus Mexicanus colony that i raised from a queen and now has biological workers.

[Canadian anter]

I have 2 colonies of Pogonomyrmex in their hundreds, and a colony of Formica bradleyi which is going back up after a huge die off from 300 or so

 

I also have a Formica montana going strong at around 500, an Aphaenogaster tennesseensis at a couple dozen, and a Lasius brevicornis at a a hundred or so.

 

I'm only posting to prove AntDREW wrong

[ConcordAntman]

What are we considering as successful?

I can’t speak for Antkeeper01 but what about surviving one season with active foraging, larvae and pupae for the start of the colony’s second year?

[ConcordAntman]

I have 2 colonies of Pogonomyrmex in their hundreds, and a colony of Formica bradleyi which is going back up after a huge die off from 300 or so

 

I also have a Formica montana going strong at around 500, an Aphaenogaster tennesseensis at a couple dozen, and a Lasius brevicornis at a a hundred or so.

 

I'm only posting to prove AntDREW wrong

Hey, don’t be too harsh now  but that’s what I’m talking about. Antkeepers with some pride in their work!   

[to_be_announced]

I have a Tetramorium colony of 100+ and going strong.  I'm actually selling this colony.

 

I also have a Camponotus pennsylvanicus colony of 20+ doing quite well.

 

I have a prenolepis imparis queen that I caught this spring that has 5+ workers now.  Doesn't fit the "surviving one season" that ConcordAntman mentioned, but I included it since it seems to be doing well.

[DDD101DDD]

 

What are we considering as successful?

I can’t speak for Antkeeper01 but what about surviving one season with active foraging, larvae and pupae for the start of the colony’s second year?

 

Ah, ok. In my case I have a Campontous pennsylvannicus colony with about 250 workers, founded in 2019 and a Lasius neoniger colony with about 500 workers, the queen was caught in 2019 but got her first workers in 2020.

[NickAnter]

My polygynous Lasius americanus colony is at over 200 workers, my Pheidole navigans colony is around 500 workers, and my Nylanderia vividula colony at over 400 workers.

 

None of those have shown any sign of slowing down, have decent amounts of brood, and over 100 workers. Those are generally my criteria for a successful colony, unless the species rarely gets over 100 workers.

[ANTdrew]

I stand corrected.
Here are mine:
Crematogaster cerasi 8k+ workers, queen alates
https://www.formicul...-divas-journal/

Pheidole bicarinata at least 2k workers, queen pupae
https://www.formicul...-the-phatheads/

Nylanderia vividula 1,200 workers, more than 30 queen alates.

Attached Images

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Edited by ANTdrew, July 6 2021 - 10:40 AM.

[Antkeeper01]

i proved him wrong! hehe

[DDD101DDD]

Honestly though, it's a little weird in my opinion how few large colonies there are with alates. Off the top of my head, I can think of maybe 3-5 people on this forum with large mature colonies. A lot of people seem to leave after about a year or 2 too, judging from all the journals that were started and never updated past a few months or years. In discord too, many people are active for about a year and then disappear randomly.

Edited by DDD101DDD, July 6 2021 - 3:38 PM.

[ANTdrew]

Honestly though, it's a little weird in my opinion how few large colonies there are with alates. Off the top of my head, I can think of maybe 3-5 people on this forum with large mature colonies. A lot of people seem to leave after about a year or 2 too, judging from all the journals that were started and never updated past a few months or years. In discord too, many people are active for about a year and then disappear randomly.

That’s exactly why I made that comment on the other colony death thread.

[ConcordAntman]

Honestly though, it's a little weird in my opinion how few large colonies there are with alates. Off the top of my head, I can think of maybe 3-5 people on this forum with large mature colonies. A lot of people seem to leave after about a year or 2 too, judging from all the journals that were started and never updated past a few months or years. In discord too, many people are active for about a year and then disappear randomly.

I hear ya! It takes a fair chunk of time to care for our colonies. Some may think, ants, how hard can it be, only to get discouraged when tending issues arise and casualties occur. 
As for alates, my smallest colony had one alate probably from an unfertilized egg but isn’t it unlikely for any of our colonies to replicate the conditions necessary to foster alates?

[cocdeshijie]

Myrmecocystus mexicanus

Queen from August of 2020, now 500+ workers