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Legendary Atta Mexicana - It doesn't get any bigger than this ;)

Started By Luke_in_AZ , Aug 4 2021 8:43 PM

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#61 Offline Luke_in_AZ - Posted August 22 2021 - 3:19 PM

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Apparently founding Atta Mexicana queens is almost as hard as catching them.  I'm down to 58% of the queens left.

This queen is doing great but starting to grow mold on her wings so I took the recommendation of  mmcguffi and removed her larger top wings yesterday.  They came off easily and she looks happy today.  :)

 

Have you ever heard an ant make noises?  Whenever you pickup or mess with these queens they make a chirping, squeaking kind of sound.  Surprised me. 

Attached Images

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  • 20210821_170057.jpg

Edited by Luke_in_AZ, August 22 2021 - 7:44 PM.

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#62 Offline KadinB - Posted August 22 2021 - 3:34 PM

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Could you get a video of the queen chirping pls? I would love to hear it and it would be very interesting. 


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#63 Offline antgallery - Posted August 22 2021 - 5:36 PM

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Apparently founding Atta Mexicana queens is almost as hard as catching them.  I'm down to 58% of the queens left.

This queen is doing great but starting to grow mold on her wings so I took the recommendation of  mmcguffi and removed her larger top wings yesterday.  They came off easily and she is looks happy today.  :)

 

Have you ever heard an ant make noises?  Whenever you pickup or mess with these queens they make a chirping, squeaking kind of sound.  Surprised me. 

I have found P. Occidentalis chirp or make some kind of noise like that. It might have been a fluke though because I've only had one colony, but still.... makes you wonder.


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My YouTube Channel.

My Ant Store: https://www.missouriantshop.com/

#64 Offline ZTYguy - Posted August 22 2021 - 6:35 PM

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Acromyrmex make a bunch of noise. I’ll randomly here noises in the night. It’s terrifying.


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Currently: Considering moving to Australia
Reason: Myrmecia

#65 Offline Luke_in_AZ - Posted August 22 2021 - 7:52 PM

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Could you get a video of the queen chirping pls? I would love to hear it and it would be very interesting. 

That's a great idea!  Ok, I'll try.  lol


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#66 Offline KadinB - Posted August 22 2021 - 7:52 PM

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Could you get a video of the queen chirping pls? I would love to hear it and it would be very interesting.

That's a great idea! Ok, I'll try. lol
thank you!!!!!!!!


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#67 Offline Cephalotus - Posted August 22 2021 - 9:48 PM

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Have you ever heard an ant make noises?  Whenever you pickup or mess with these queens they make a chirping, squeaking kind of sound.  Surprised me. 

 

Yup, it's called stridulation! Many larger ants such as atta and neoponera will do it.


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#68 Offline Antkeeper01 - Posted August 23 2021 - 4:26 AM

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I've had my pogonomyrmex and leptothorax do it


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1X Pogonomyrmex occidentalis 40-50 Workers

1X Solenopsis molesta 10 Workers (mono)

Ants I Want: Crematogaster sp, Camponotus Sp., Ponera Pennsylvanica, Mymercocystus sp.

 

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#69 Offline antgallery - Posted August 23 2021 - 5:03 PM

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Have you ever heard an ant make noises?  Whenever you pickup or mess with these queens they make a chirping, squeaking kind of sound.  Surprised me. 

 

Yup, it's called stridulation! Many larger ants such as atta and neoponera will do it.

 

Wow! The more you know.


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My YouTube Channel.

My Ant Store: https://www.missouriantshop.com/

#70 Offline TexTech - Posted August 23 2021 - 5:10 PM

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Apparently founding Atta Mexicana queens is almost as hard as catching them.  I'm down to 58% of the queens left.
This queen is doing great but starting to grow mold on her wings so I took the recommendation of  mmcguffi and removed her larger top wings yesterday.  They came off easily and she looks happy today.  :)
 
Have you ever heard an ant make noises?  Whenever you pickup or mess with these queens they make a chirping, squeaking kind of sound.  Surprised me.

Did you catch these queens in August??
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Keeping:
Cephalotes texanus-1
Neoponera villosa-1
Myrmecocystus mexicanus-1
Atta texana-4
Trachymyrmex septentrionalis-1
Pogonomyrmex barbatus-1

#71 Offline Luke_in_AZ - Posted August 23 2021 - 9:49 PM

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I caught them on July 31st. Makes it easy to keep track of days. 23 days as of today.
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#72 Offline ZTYguy - Posted August 23 2021 - 10:44 PM

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Was there any previous rain? If so how many days prior.


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#73 Offline Luke_in_AZ - Posted August 25 2021 - 10:49 AM

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Lots of eggs!  Here is an update today on a few queens and their eggs.

 

Queen 120210825_111136.jpg

 

Queen 220210825_111020.jpg

 

Queen 320210825_111259.jpg 20210825_111319.jpg 20210825_111324.jpg

 

Queen 420210825_111359.jpg 20210825_111401.jpg 20210825_111409.jpg


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#74 Offline SoySauce - Posted August 25 2021 - 10:56 AM

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Woah that is a crazy amount of eggs! Fingers crossed they all hatch!!! What are you doing with the fungus and eggs of the queens that die?
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#75 Offline Luke_in_AZ - Posted August 25 2021 - 8:23 PM

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Sometimes I give it to other queens but they most often don't accept it.  They're really picky.  Recently I've been giving it to my Acromyrmex versicolor just to see if they would take it.  They've accepted the fungus if it's in "good" condition only.  They throw out the eggs.  I was thinking they might eat them but nope!  Only fungus food for them I guess. 


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#76 Offline Luke_in_AZ - Posted September 5 2021 - 8:33 PM

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Well, however unlikely I've confirmed a few times that Acromyrmex versicolor will not accept Atta mexicana eggs. I was really hoping so though because that would have been awesome.

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#77 Offline Moonant01 - Posted September 19 2021 - 6:19 PM

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Update?


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#78 Offline futurebird - Posted September 19 2021 - 6:34 PM

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Apparently founding Atta Mexicana queens is almost as hard as catching them.  I'm down to 58% of the queens left.

This queen is doing great but starting to grow mold on her wings so I took the recommendation of  mmcguffi and removed her larger top wings yesterday.  They came off easily and she is looks happy today.  :)

 

Have you ever heard an ant make noises?  Whenever you pickup or mess with these queens they make a chirping, squeaking kind of sound.  Surprised me. 

I have found P. Occidentalis chirp or make some kind of noise like that. It might have been a fluke though because I've only had one colony, but still.... makes you wonder.

 

I grabbed a membrane microphone that someone was throwing out a few months back thinking "maybe I'll try to record ant sounds" knowing that my Pogonomyrmex might make noise isn't that surprising to me. They are so damn frantic. 

 

I did a bunch of research on "how to record insect sounds" and you can use a guitar pick up... but ideally you need to isolate the nest from outside sounds... so move it into a closet maybe? 

 

I'm now motivated to get working on this project again. Guitar pick ups ("membrane microphones" aren't that expensive... the more tricky thing is if you have something to plug it in to ... My camera should work...)

 

 

Also... AMAZING work removing those moldy wings. You are doing a great job and I know the deaths really hurt even though "it's just bugs" ... I bet you are learning a lot about what works and will help others be more successful in the future.  Thanks for the great posts and images. I love it. 


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Starting this July I'm posting videos of my ants every week on youTube.

I like to make relaxing videos that capture the joy of watching ants.

If that sounds like your kind of thing... follow me >here<. 

#79 Offline Leptomyrmx - Posted October 8 2021 - 10:36 PM

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I just realised I was reading a journal that wasn't 4 years old...

A very fun to read journal. I'm very jealous of the leafcutter ants you have in the US... oh well... at least my state has twice the amount of species than in any state in the over there-  :lol:

I really wanna hear ant sounds now.


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My Ants:

Colonies: Camponotus humilior 1w, Opisthopsis rufithorax 11w, Aphaenogaster longiceps ~5w, Pheidole sp. ~235w ~15m, Iridomyrmex sp. 2q 1w, Brachyponera lutea 6w, Crematogaster sp. ~20w, Podomyrma sp. 1w

Queens: Polyrhachis cf. robinsoni, Polyrhachis (Campomyrma) sp. (likely infertile)

Previously Kept: Colobopsis gasseri, Technomyrmex sp., Rhytidoponera victorae, Nylanderia cf. rosae, Myrmecia brevinoda/forficata, Polyrhachis australis, Solenopsis/Monomorium

Key: Q = Queen, W = Worker, M = Major

Youtube Channel: Ants of Sydney - YouTube

Patreon (for YouTube channel): https://www.patreon.com/antsofsydney

#80 Offline ANTdrew - Posted October 9 2021 - 2:41 AM

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I just realised I was reading a journal that wasn't 4 years old...
A very fun to read journal. I'm very jealous of the leafcutter ants you have in the US... oh well... at least my state has twice the amount of species than in any state in the over there- :lol:
I really wanna hear ant sounds now.

By being Australian, you kind of forego your right to be jealous of anybody else’s ants.
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"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.
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