108 replies to this topic

[100lols]

He mentioned he had five minihearths connected together at one point! Awesome colony

Edited by 100lols, October 10 2023 - 7:09 AM.

[JAnt]

He mentioned he had five minihearths connected together at one point! Awesome colony

It started with a test tube of up to 100 workers, then I transferred them to my first THA formicarium for quite a while, and as they grew in numbers, I connected more XL/mini hearths; up to this date, they currently reside in a three mini hearth and 2 XLs attached with magnets and tubing. The 6th hearth connection will be coming up soon, and I will include it in my next update.

I’ll send a photo of the setup later when I have time!

[JAnt]

a three year old colony?
could you post an image of their full setup?
I am alwasy curious what a colony's "total setup" looks like as they grow.
the upclose images are great, but the big picture context of how their whole world looks helps me learn a lot about how people are dealing in
their colony's need for more space.

The evolution of, they started in this, then moved into this, then expanded to all this, and so on and so on. Holds a lot of interest for me.

Thanks for any time and effort you can spare,
FFY

Here’s my setup! As you can see, they’ve fully occupied all 5 THA formicaria and are in need of more space! Great outworld and layout, by the way, on your Pogonomyrmex journal!

[Full_Frontal_Yeti]

Thanks for the pic(and compliment). I love the show of how well the minis can be expanded with just more minis.
Also thanks for the w/wo red screens, to show their regular situation vs. viewing.
That's exactly the sort of thing that helps me get a better sense of what's common/normal for experienced keepers and their ants.

 

I am curious, are the minis only magnet connected or do you have a bit of vinyl hose in there too?

Edited by Full_Frontal_Yeti, October 11 2023 - 7:58 AM.

[JAnt]

Thanks for the pic(and compliment). I love the show of how well the minis can be expanded with just more minis.
Also thanks for the w/wo red screens, to show their regular situation vs. viewing.
That's exactly the sort of thing that helps me get a better sense of what's common/normal for experienced keepers and their ants.

I am curious, are the minis only magnet connected or do you have a bit of vinyl hose in there too?

Of course! Viewing is even better with a light under the water towers. The magnets are strong only for 2 THA together, in my experience, so it has an inch of 3/8 tubing connecting each formicarium’s connection port. If you didn’t notice, I also added copper-colored see-through tape around the bottom part of their outworld.

[ANTdrew]

Why the copper tape?

[Full_Frontal_Yeti]

yeah i saw that tape and was wondering what is was providing, so i get now it is part of keeping the set of minis kept pressed togther.

 

 

Thanks for all the info.

[JAnt]

Why the copper tape?

I thought it was a nice size, not too wide, but I don’t know how much support it does. I hold on to the middle THA when lifting the whole set. I also use copper tape for many other purposes, so it was my first choice.

Why the copper tape?

I thought it was a nice size, not too wide, but I don’t know how much support it does. I hold on to the middle THA when lifting the whole set. I also use copper tape for many other purposes, so it was my first choice.

[michiganantsinmyyard]

Hows the colony now?

[JAnt]

[quote name="michiganantsinmyyard" post="235669" timestamp="1705986442"]
They have been doing great! The colony has paused brood production for winter. I will update soon. Thank you for asking.

Edited by JAnt, January 27 2024 - 11:47 PM.

[BleepingBleepers]

 

Here’s my setup! As you can see, they’ve fully occupied all 5 THA formicaria and are in need of more space! Great outworld and layout, by the way, on your Pogonomyrmex journal!

 

 

 

OHHHHHHHHHHHH that's almost exactly like what I plan to do myself. My plan will have one major difference but I'll post it when I get to it, hope I do before I get any lazier.

 

Anyhow, super neat picture, quite the conversation starter piece right there!

 

I saw this a few days and was meaning to say something.

 

I also have both my ants in these mini hearths and I also bought more than one to connect them, so it was quite fascinating to see.

 

How do you heat them in the back and do u have front condensation problems too or are you wiring the cable away from the water tower, which I'm doing as well unless it's for my ecto ants that likes really high humidity?

Edited by BleepingBleepers, February 4 2024 - 9:27 PM.

[antsriondel]

Hey, just wondering did you catch your Queens in the wild? I am looking into finding some this year and would love to know how to find them. Thanks.

[JAnt]

Here’s my setup! As you can see, they’ve fully occupied all 5 THA formicaria and are in need of more space! Great outworld and layout, by the way, on your Pogonomyrmex journal!

OHHHHHHHHHHHH that's almost exactly like what I plan to do myself. My plan will have one major difference but I'll post it when I get to it, hope I do before I get any lazier.

Anyhow, super neat picture, quite the conversation starter piece right there!

I saw this a few days and was meaning to say something.

I also have both my ants in these mini hearths and I also bought more than one to connect them, so it was quite fascinating to see.

How do you heat them in the back and do u have front condensation problems too or are you wiring the cable away from the water tower, which I'm doing as well unless it's for my ecto ants that likes really high humidity?

Hey there,

Oh man, it’s been awhile!

Thanks for the compliment; it looks neat!

I use a heat cable for this colony, and condensation does happen on the first use of the formicarium; it could also occur when you flood the nest.

[JAnt]

Hey, just wondering did you catch your Queens in the wild? I am looking into finding some this year and would love to know how to find them. Thanks.

Hey there,

This was a wild-caught colony that I bought from another keeper. Hopefully, you find some! Good luck!

[JAnt]

Update!

It has been seven months since I last updated this journal in October 2023.

This colony is doing excellent this year. They are off to a strong start with a massive amount of brood starting February-March 2024.

Interesting fact: They have not eliminated the dealate queens and are still actively involved in the colony’s brood care. They don't help with food or their chia seeds. I do not know the exact number, but there is more than a little over 10. I’m not sure if they produce themselves besides our original duo queen.

I’m hoping they produce alates this year!

Here are the most recent photos I took this year!

They brought some brood out!


How many queens do you see?


This is just magnificent. They fill every space there is available on the surface. Although it is difficult to take a photo within the nest.




Here’s something I haven’t shared yet, but when one of the hearths is out of water. They leave it empty and only use it as a passageway between the watered nests, and that’s it; there is no other purpose. (It’s like a communication; it’s time to do water refill)

*Notice the glasses are also not cleaned and maintained, compared to the other photos I took. (P.S. I never cleaned their glasses; it’s all them)



Four years and three months!!!

Thanks for reading this journal,
Have a great day!

[ANTdrew]

Awesome!

[JAnt]

I had the opportunity to capture this moment with more queens in one frame. They all seem healthy and well-taken care.

[AntsCali098]

That is an awesome setup! But I'm sure it takes up a lot of space.

[JAnt]

That is an awesome setup! But I'm sure it takes up a lot of space.

Almost since I’m planning to connect another two hearths to provide them with more adequate space once their brood are officially workers.

[JAnt]

Update!

They’re heating up along with the summer heat!
This is pretty much the same update as last month. I do want to emphasize the amount of brood present.



It is tough to take a photo inside now, lol

Four years and four months!

Thanks for stopping by!


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