42 replies to this topic

[Ants.co]

Hey guys! I've recently moved to China (well not recently, it has already been almost a year), and I am currently keeping the following colonies:

 

With me at school currently, which I will provide updates for once every two weeks:

- Polyrhachis Dives 1 queen 35 workers (deceased)

- Messor Aciculatus 11 queens 100+ workers

- Camponotus Nicobaresis 1 queen 80+ workers

- Anoplolepis Gracillipes 1 queen 70+ workers (deceased)

- Tetramorium Bicarinatum 3 queens (2 injured) 150 workers

- Carebara Diversa/Affinis 4 queens 2000ish workers

- Tetramorium "Caespitum" (according to seller, but I doubt it) 3 queens 200ish workers

 

With my grandparents (in a separate province) of which I only have left-over pics:

- Camponotus Japonicus 2 queens 350 workers

- Messor Barbarus 1 queen 150+- workers

 

Old Australian colonies which I no longer own (of which I have archived pictures):

- Camponotus Innexus 1 queen 100+ workers (deceased)

- Iridomyrmex Purpureus 1 queen 200+ workers (given away, now deceased)

- Myrmecia Nigrocincta 1 queen 80+ workers (given away)

- Polyrhachis Ammon 1? queen 100+ workers (I don't remember what happened tbh)

- Random species of Polyrhachis (given away)

 

I will upload photos and updates whenever I get the chance, though with school and unstable vpn I'm not sure how often that will be... Anyways, happy anting! 

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Edited by Ants.co, April 18 2022 - 3:12 AM.

[That_one_ant_guy]

Nice colonies👌

[Ants.co]

More random pics First 3 are of Messor barbarus macro shots, 4th is P.Dives queen, and last 3 are Iridomyrmex purpureus meat ants (the ultra blurry one was my attempt at photographing the queen, you should be able to see her if you look closely)

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[Ants.co]

More photos of my Myrmecia Nigrocincta colony in their Aus Ants Medium Nest, and my Polyrhachis Ammon in their AntWorld acrylic "honeycomb" nest (photos taken at the start of 2021) I will take some new photos of my current colonies on Sunday, when I am allowed to use my phone

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[Ants.co]

My Messor Aciculatus have been laying like crazy after feeding them mealworms and the weather heating up, while more than half the Polyrhachis Dives died after it snowed on Thursday  ... I just moved them into a smaller formicarium, it's a bit small but better than the acrylic. Unfortunately this founding nest also has a really loose lid, and after one of my dorm mates took them out to look at them he didn't realise it slipped off, and you can kind of guess what happened... In short, there went another 10 - or - so workers  . At least the queen is still alive.

 

Anyways, I have bought a Tetramorium Bicarinatum 5 queen 200 worker colony for the acrylic nest (for what is equivalent to $7 AUD), and another 20 Messor aciculatus queens and a small plaster formicarium ($4 for the aciculatus in total, $3 for the formicarium  ), they should arrive by Thursday and I'll be able to photograph on Sunday. Stay tuned! 

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[United-Ants]

beautiful ants 

[Ants.co]

Hey guys! Weekly update! 

 

First of all, my Tetramorium Bicarinatum, test tubes, mealworms and protein jelly still hasn't arrived (it has already been 6 days ), and my small store of ant food is running out 

 

The Polyrhachis Dives have died out completely, with only the queen and 2 workers left, they are currently in a small plastic thing with ventilation and a moist cotton ball, not sure if they will last until my proper test tubes arrive 

 

Messor aciculatus are going okay, though their larvae are deflating/starving and I have NO MORE MEALWORMS    I've been feeding them any insects I can catch (not many), since our school is somewhere up in the mountains there are no pesticides. And for some reason, they are no longer eating seeds, after I spoilt them with mealworms

 

Camponotus Nicobaresis larvae are growing (they for some reason accept dried mealworms while the acics don't).

 

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[Leptomyrmx]

My Messor Aciculatus have been laying like crazy after feeding them mealworms and the weather heating up, while more than half the Polyrhachis Dives died after it snowed on Thursday  ... I just moved them into a smaller formicarium, it's a bit small but better than the acrylic. Unfortunately this founding nest also has a really loose lid, and after one of my dorm mates took them out to look at them he didn't realise it slipped off, and you can kind of guess what happened... In short, there went another 10 - or - so workers  . At least the queen is still alive.

 

Anyways, I have bought a Tetramorium Bicarinatum 5 queen 200 worker colony for the acrylic nest (for what is equivalent to $7 AUD), and another 20 Messor aciculatus queens and a small plaster formicarium ($4 for the aciculatus in total, $3 for the formicarium  ), they should arrive by Thursday and I'll be able to photograph on Sunday. Stay tuned! 

 

 

beautiful ants 

 

And CHEAP ants...

I wish you could get deals like that in Australia, I'd be bathing in Myrmecia queens XD

[Ants.co]

XD Unfortunately exotic ants (imported with WTO licenses... most of them) are also really stupidly expensive here, Meat Ant queens are worth what is equivalent to $200 for single queens, and M.Nigrocincta are worth more than $1000. Pyriformis and Brevinoda... $1800+

[Ants.co]

Still no sign of the mealworms 

[Ants.co]

My shipment finally arrived! Part of it... Chinese sellers have a somewhat irritating habit of sending one large order in 3-4 different parcels, and since my school is located in a remote area our postman comes with a limited amount of parcels once every 2-4 days, so I will have to wait until Tuesday for them to arrive 

 

This shipment I received my colony of 2 queen 100 worker YCA (without their fluon, so I'll have to move them into a tiny acrylic nest WITHOUT it  ) and my Messor Aciculatus 20 queens (and the seller gave a few dozen extra workers). My colonies are now completely out of food, and their brood populations are declining   I've resorted to foraging for dead insects just like a worker ant 

[Ants.co]

Yellow Crazy Ants (Anoplolepis Gracilipes, Pic 1 and Pic 2):

They have culled one of their queens    though I did see aggressive posturing and small fights between the workers and this queen on arrival, I'm guessing that is why this colony was on sale  At least they have 8... 9... 10... and counting... eggs now, the queen literally pumps out one egg every few minutes

 

Messor Aciculatus 11 queens 100 workers (Pic 3):

Brood explosion! Turns out they won't accept dried mealworms, but will accept them if they are soaked for an hour 

 

Messor Aciculatus 20 queens 10+ workers (Pic 4):

Seller gave an extra 10 workers 

 

Camponotus Nicobaresis 1 queen 80+ workers (Pic 5):

More eggs, more larvae, as usual

 

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Edited by Ants.co, March 20 2022 - 4:21 PM.

[Ants.co]

Well the Tetramorium Bicarinatum finally arrived yesterday, but the seller only sent 4 queens, three of which were injured on arrival (missing legs, antennae, two were killed by the workers shortly afterwards), and one was already dead by the time they arrived. This is the same seller that I bought the YCA from, and both colonies culled their queens very early on. I'm guessing that when an order is placed for a multiple-queen colony, the seller just chucks a few new dealates into an existing monogyne/queenless colony... The listing offers 1 queen with 200 workers, 2 queens with 200 workers, 3 queens with 200 workers, etc, so it does make sense... Anyways I'll see how they go, pics on Sunday 

 

P.S. the mealworms arrived at last, after 2 and a half weeks 

[Leo]

XD Unfortunately exotic ants (imported with WTO licenses... most of them) are also really stupidly expensive here, Meat Ant queens are worth what is equivalent to $200 for single queens, and M.Nigrocincta are worth more than $1000. Pyriformis and Brevinoda... $1800+

 

what currency?

[Ants.co]

 

XD Unfortunately exotic ants (imported with WTO licenses... most of them) are also really stupidly expensive here, Meat Ant queens are worth what is equivalent to $200 for single queens, and M.Nigrocincta are worth more than $1000. Pyriformis and Brevinoda... $1800+

 

what currency?

 

AUD... I wish it was RMB  

[Ants.co]

Sorry ran out of time to take pics on Sunday but not much to report...

 

M.Aciculatus have 2 piles of eggs, each the size of a small peanut

 

C.Nicobaresis are exploding in brood, no deaths atm

 

YCAs are still laying, no eggs have hatched into larvae yet

 

T.Bicarinatum ate all their eggs, I put them in my luggage case so no dormmates will check on them like every 20 minutes -_-

[Leo]

you using 淘宝？

[Ants.co]

yep, the only possible way to get Carebara Affinis 1 queen 1000 workers for less than $4 AUD 

[Leo]

Yes, when I ordered ants I would usually use TB. Not available in HK any more though

[Ants.co]

Ooof.

 

Bad news here as well, the younger kids in my next door dorm took the Messors out for a joy ride while I was in class, gave them some LIVE spiders, a massive poisonous beetle, and a earwig, which chewed one of the queens to bits before chomping a few larvae and then being butchered by me... And those kids were next   I'd better lock my closet with a 10-digit combination lock next time