72 replies to this topic

[That_one_ant_guy]

Alright, these will be my first update shots for this journal. Again, apologies for the crappy photo quality… #1: P. rugosus, #2: Prenolepis imparis, #3: Linepithema humile, #4: Tetramorium immigrans

watch out for the linepthema humile, there known escape artists

[bmb1bee]

 

Alright, these will be my first update shots for this journal. Again, apologies for the crappy photo quality… #1: P. rugosus, #2: Prenolepis imparis, #3: Linepithema humile, #4: Tetramorium immigrans

watch out for the linepthema humile, there known escape artists

 

Yup, I'm well aware of that. I'm planning to keep them in a simple test tube setup, while just observing them and trying out what they prefer eating (since they're known for not eating any kind of feeders in captivity). If they get too hard to manage, in the freezer they go!

[bmb1bee]

As of 3/4/2022, the mimicus "dud" may not be a dud after all. After checking on the queen, she seemed to have a few tiny larvae, but they were scattered around. I also gave her some honey, which she gorged on until she looked slightly more inflated (physogastric maybe?). However, she could still be infertile... I can post some pics when I get home, but I'm 99% sure that no one will see the larvae since they're so tiny, plus the color of the sand and the quality of the camera...

[bmb1bee]

As of 3/4/2022, the mimicus "dud" may not be a dud after all. After checking on the queen, she seemed to have a few tiny larvae, but they were scattered around. I also gave her some honey, which she gorged on until she looked slightly more inflated (physogastric maybe?). However, she could still be infertile... I can post some pics when I get home, but I'm 99% sure that no one will see the larvae since they're so tiny, plus the color of the sand and the quality of the camera...

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[DRpepper]

Um sorry to point this out but CA stands for Canada and California.I also wonder if Prenolepis imparis brood develops faster in the cold.

I would say no they do not develop quicker in the cold. I have even had people say that they don't and that they kept theirs too cold so it took way longer for them to get workers. But it depends on your definition of Cold. For some people cold is below freezing for some its 50f for some its 70f. Also depends on the time of the year what somone would call cold. So what do you mean by cold? I have read that people keep them anywhere in the 70s-75 somtimes even 80 (during certain parts of spring and summer) but personally I would not put them at 80f. 

[ColAnt735]

 

Um sorry to point this out but CA stands for Canada and California.I also wonder if Prenolepis imparis brood develops faster in the cold.

I would say no they do not develop quicker in the cold. I have even had people say that they don't and that they kept theirs too cold so it took way longer for them to get workers. But it depends on your definition of Cold. For some people cold is below freezing for some its 50f for some its 70f. Also depends on the time of the year what somone would call cold. So what do you mean by cold? I have read that people keep them anywhere in the 70s-75 somtimes even 80 (during certain parts of spring and summer) but personally I would not put them at 80f. 

 

Okay after looking up how to convert Fahrenheit to Celsius I would say cold for ants is 60 degrees Fahrenheit so what I mean is: do Prenolepis imparis brood grow quicker at 60 degrees Fahrenheit or lower .

Edited by ColAnt735, March 10 2022 - 10:14 AM.

[bmb1bee]

I'm currently keeping my 3 queens at around 70 degrees Fahrenheit, maybe a little less. They still haven't laid any eggs, although I'm not surprised since this species is notorious for taking a while to get brood...

[DRpepper]

 

 

Um sorry to point this out but CA stands for Canada and California.I also wonder if Prenolepis imparis brood develops faster in the cold.

I would say no they do not develop quicker in the cold. I have even had people say that they don't and that they kept theirs too cold so it took way longer for them to get workers. But it depends on your definition of Cold. For some people cold is below freezing for some its 50f for some its 70f. Also depends on the time of the year what somone would call cold. So what do you mean by cold? I have read that people keep them anywhere in the 70s-75 somtimes even 80 (during certain parts of spring and summer) but personally I would not put them at 80f. 

 

Okay after looking up how to convert Fahrenheit to Celsius I would say cold for ants is 60 degrees Fahrenheit so what I mean is: do Prenolepis imparis brood grow quicker at 60 degrees Fahrenheit or lower .

 

hmmm i would say below 60f is too cold. 

[ColAnt735]

 

 

 

Um sorry to point this out but CA stands for Canada and California.I also wonder if Prenolepis imparis brood develops faster in the cold.

I would say no they do not develop quicker in the cold. I have even had people say that they don't and that they kept theirs too cold so it took way longer for them to get workers. But it depends on your definition of Cold. For some people cold is below freezing for some its 50f for some its 70f. Also depends on the time of the year what somone would call cold. So what do you mean by cold? I have read that people keep them anywhere in the 70s-75 somtimes even 80 (during certain parts of spring and summer) but personally I would not put them at 80f. 

 

Okay after looking up how to convert Fahrenheit to Celsius I would say cold for ants is 60 degrees Fahrenheit so what I mean is: do Prenolepis imparis brood grow quicker at 60 degrees Fahrenheit or lower .

 

hmmm i would say below 60f is too cold. 

 

The ants here in Canada are quite active at 60f.

[DRpepper]

 

 

 

 

Um sorry to point this out but CA stands for Canada and California.I also wonder if Prenolepis imparis brood develops faster in the cold.

I would say no they do not develop quicker in the cold. I have even had people say that they don't and that they kept theirs too cold so it took way longer for them to get workers. But it depends on your definition of Cold. For some people cold is below freezing for some its 50f for some its 70f. Also depends on the time of the year what somone would call cold. So what do you mean by cold? I have read that people keep them anywhere in the 70s-75 somtimes even 80 (during certain parts of spring and summer) but personally I would not put them at 80f. 

 

Okay after looking up how to convert Fahrenheit to Celsius I would say cold for ants is 60 degrees Fahrenheit so what I mean is: do Prenolepis imparis brood grow quicker at 60 degrees Fahrenheit or lower .

 

hmmm i would say below 60f is too cold. 

 

The ants here in Canada are quite active at 60f.

 

active yes brood no. when they are active in the spring they normally don't have brood they are forging for tons off food to survive off of during the summer so no I don't think they like 60f temperature for brood. good for forging though. I have a friend that lifted up rocks and found preno queens under them so they like heat just not too much. 

[AntsCali098]

 

As of 3/4/2022, the mimicus "dud" may not be a dud after all. After checking on the queen, she seemed to have a few tiny larvae, but they were scattered around. I also gave her some honey, which she gorged on until she looked slightly more inflated (physogastric maybe?). However, she could still be infertile... I can post some pics when I get home, but I'm 99% sure that no one will see the larvae since they're so tiny, plus the color of the sand and the quality of the camera...

 

I saw the larvae near the queen in the first pic 

[bmb1bee]

Update: one of my Preno queens laid her first egg! The queen (middle one) that laid it appears to be carrying it around in its mouth though. I’m still keeping them as a pleometric group of 3, since I heard that they’ll do better with around 2 or more queens per test tube. I also received a small colony of Camponotus us-ca02 from SleepyAsianAnter this week, hoping they’ll do well! The Tetras are growing quickly as usual, at around 25 workers I think, and the Rugos have a few large larvae and a pile of eggs!

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[antsriondel]

Update: one of my Preno queens laid her first egg! The queen (middle one) that laid it appears to be carrying it around in its mouth though. I’m still keeping them as a pleometric group of 3, since I heard that they’ll do better with around 2 or more queens per test tube. I also received a small colony of Camponotus us-ca02 from SleepyAsianAnter this week, hoping they’ll do well! The Tetras are growing quickly as usual, at around 25 workers I think, and the Rugos have a few large larvae and a pile of eggs!

nice, keep up the good work

[bmb1bee]

Update: one of my Preno queens laid her first egg! The queen (middle one) that laid it appears to be carrying it around in its mouth though. I’m still keeping them as a pleometric group of 3, since I heard that they’ll do better with around 2 or more queens per test tube. I also received a small colony of Camponotus us-ca02 from SleepyAsianAnter this week, hoping they’ll do well! The Tetras are growing quickly as usual, at around 25 workers I think, and the Rugos have a few large larvae and a pile of eggs!

nice, keep up the good work

Thanks!

[bmb1bee]

Cleaned up my Tetras' test tube, so I should be able to send better pics of them soon. I went out yesterday and found a Monomorium ergatogyna colony! I was able to collect about 7 queens and a bunch of workers, guessing about 70 or so. The us-ca02 are kinda picky, but have accepted moths that I gave them. I'll see if I can buy fruit flies for them to eat. The Tetras are growing quickly as always, at least at 25 workers so far. I collected a bunch of mature Linepithema larvae for my small colony of them a few weeks ago, and they're all pupae now. The 2 queens have laid a decent pile of eggs, around 20-30. They're also super picky about their food, but they're hanging on. I prefer to keep them in a test tube setup, but they go crazy when I feed them. I separated some of the workers into another container, so they should be easier to feed. The Prenos have been separated into different test tubes, 2 queens in one tube and the third in another test tube. They still have one egg in total. I'll also have to get myself some more test tubes, since I may or may not split the ergatogyna colony to sell... Pics will be uploaded later. 

[bmb1bee]

It’s been a while since any updates… but here they are! The Tetramorium were moved into a small formicarium, since they were a little cramped in their test tube. They’re growing crazy fast, now at around 100 or so workers! Prenolepis imparis queens from February are still in their claustral stage, and a couple have larvae at this point. Argentine ants are doing ok, although I’ve neglected them for a while. The Camponotus us-ca02 now have huge larvae and a batch of about 10 eggs, but are still at 2 workers. I’m hoping that they’ll grow quicker later on. The Pogonomyrmex rugosus are growing quickly as well, they got a new worker and have about 6 pupae, some larvae, and a new batch of eggs! The Monomorium ergatogyna are doing well heated, and have a pretty impressive brood pile. They’re down to 3 queens, but I got them a couple hundred workers. I’m going to move them to a formicarium soon, but still have them in a large test tube. I also caught a small colony of Tapinoma sessile a couple days ago, with 3 queens and about 30 workers.

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[DRpepper]

Great job keep it up.

[bmb1bee]

Great job keep it up.

Thanks!

[bmb1bee]

Been a while since I updated. Starting now, I'll organize this journal in a much neater way, since I've been just typing in nonstop paragraphs. Must've been an eyesore to read... New ants: Cardiocondyla mauritanica and Liometopum occidentale!

Cardiocondyla mauritanica: I currently have two colonies of them, one was caught from my school with 7 queens and around 20 workers or so, while the other was obtained from a trade with NancyZamora and have around 5 queens and over 35 workers. I have both in test tube setups and feed them honey and fruit flies, both of which they seem to like.

 

Monomorium ergatogyna: The main colony still has 3 queens and about 200 workers, but have a huge pile of larvae. They're still in a test tube setup, but I'll have to move them soon. I came back to the place where I caught them and managed to find another queen and about 75 workers. I suspect they're from the same colony as the previous one I caught, but I'm going to keep them apart just in case if they don't recognize each other, since there was a one-and-a-half month gap between capturing them. They're currently in a test tube setup similar to the first colony.

 

Tetramorium immigrans: The colony is growing at a horrifying pace. They're currently at 200 workers and growing. I moved them back into a large test tube in which they're okay with and doing well in, but I really need to get a proper formicarium for them, which I'm getting soon. I don't give them sweets like honey often since they like to bury it in sand, but some things they enjoy eating include fish flakes, any kind of insect I drop in for them, crushed almonds, and seeds, such as sunflower and bluegrass.

 

Pogonomyrmex rugosus: They're also growing fairly quickly, up to about 12 workers now. I have them in a small formicarium from Etsy in which they're doing fine in. They like eating bluegrass seeds, crushed sunflower seeds, and sometimes insects.

 

Tapinoma sessile: They're down to 1 queen and 3 workers now, but I plan on introducing some more workers later on. They appear to not like test tubes, but I have them in one anyway. The queen is fertile and has laid some eggs, some are probably small larvae now.

 

Camponotus us-ca02: These girls are so cool, but have ridiculously slow growth. STILL AT TWO FREAKING WORKERS!!! However, the queen is still pumping out eggs and they now have around 5 or 6 pupae. They like eating grasshopper drumsticks and drinking sugar water. They're in sort of a tubs and tubes setup, with a tube and some sand in a small wooden box with a transparent sliding lid.

 

Prenolepis imparis: I've sold 3 out of the 4 queens I have, so I just have left. She only has eggs currently, but around 20 or so. Some might develop into larvae soon.

 

Liometopum occidentale: I managed to catch 1 queen near a black light last Saturday night, on May 14 at around 8:50 PM. She laid around 30 eggs or so after I heated her. She is currently in a test tube.
 

Hope you guys enjoy this new format! I'll be posting pictures later.

[bmb1bee]

New update! I should really really REALLY stop procrastinating posting my ant photos... I'll probably send them tonight. MAYBE...

 

Cardiocondyla mauritanica: The 8 queen colony has had a worker die-out, so now they only have 8 workers left. After feeding them a fruit fly and some honey, they've kinda gotten better with a few small larvae and a pile of 10-15 eggs. The 5 queen colony is doing fairly well, with pretty much the same worker count as the last update and a similar amount of larvae. I think the death issue was due to a lack of feeding, so I think I'll have to give them food more often.

 

Monomorium ergatogyna: I managed to combine the two previously mentioned colonies successfully, so now they're at 4 queens and around 200 workers. Feeding them inside a test tube is torture, as a get way too many escapees, so I really need to get them a formicarium. The issue with that is that they're some of the most "escapable" ants I've ever kept. I also got another colony of them from a different spot, which had 1 queen and around 150 workers, with lots of alate pupae. Those pupae also hatched, so now the colony has a grand total of 9 queens!! There were also 2 drones that eclosed in the colony, which is probably why there's a huge pile of eggs that the queens laid, since this is an inbreeding species. They apparently like eating almonds, which I found surprising.

 

Tetramorium immigrans: The colony has nothing new to update, other than getting lots of new larvae as usual. I managed to catch 65 of these queens on the mornings of May 24 and May 25, during their massive nuptial flights triggered by the high temperatures my area got. I sold most of them, but will keep a few to sell once they get workers. The current queens I have already pumped out big piles of eggs, as expected.

 

Pogonomyrmex rugosus: They're up to around 15 workers now, with many new eggs and larvae developing. I also found out that they will accept fish flakes and carrots, which was pretty cool. They probably have one of the most varied diets out of all my ants currently.

 

Tapinoma sessile: Still have 3 workers, but there are at least 1 or 2 rapidly developing larvae. The pile of eggs is still mediocre, only around 8-10. I should feed them more often and boost with more workers.

 

Camponotus us-ca02: These girls finally got a couple new workers, they're up to 4 total now. The recently eclosed workers I got were way bigger than the nanitics, one was a minor worker and the other was a small median. Getting majors from this species will take so so so so LONG though. There are a few small pupae and larvae in development though.

 

Prenolepis imparis: Not much to update, just the same old pile of eggs that she stands over 24/7. Who knew this species would grow so slowly... Either I'm doing something wrong, something with the queen is wrong, or nothing is wrong at all.

 

Liometopum occidentale: This queen now has a big pile of larvae, over 35 so far. There are also a few eggs that haven't hatched yet. 

 

Hypoponera opacior: I'm pretty sure these are Hypoponera opacior, but they might be punctatissima. I caught two alate queens on my black light on the night of May 24, in the midst of a bunch of Linepithema humile drones and other bugs. After transferring them to separate Petri dish setups, one queen shed her wings! She now has around 5 eggs, and is my favorite colony so far. The other queen has no eggs yet and has not shed her wings. Both have accepted fruit flies and weren't very interested in the springtails I offered them, which  was pretty surprising.