130 replies to this topic

[Ernteameise]

This queen is about to pop!

 

[GOCAMPONOTUS]

Eggs incoming, wow that is an extremely bloated queen! Keep up the good work and you will have a huge colony in no time.

[Ernteameise]

Eggs incoming, wow that is an extremely bloated queen! Keep up the good work and you will have a huge colony in no time.

Well, this species does not really do huge colonies (one of the reasons I got them). Still, let us see how this develops....

[futurebird]

Fat fat fat little ants. Lovely colony, I'm enjoying the photos and seeing how they progress. Also nice job organizing the ant shelf. It's a lot of work I know!

[GOCAMPONOTUS]

 

Eggs incoming, wow that is an extremely bloated queen! Keep up the good work and you will have a huge colony in no time.

Well, this species does not really do huge colonies (one of the reasons I got them). Still, let us see how this develops....

 

By huge a meant a steady colony with many workers.

[Kristijan]

 

Eggs incoming, wow that is an extremely bloated queen! Keep up the good work and you will have a huge colony in no time.

Well, this species does not really do huge colonies (one of the reasons I got them). Still, let us see how this develops....

 

I heard they rarely get to 500 workers even

[Ernteameise]

 

 

Eggs incoming, wow that is an extremely bloated queen! Keep up the good work and you will have a huge colony in no time.

Well, this species does not really do huge colonies (one of the reasons I got them). Still, let us see how this develops....

 

I heard they rarely get to 500 workers even

 

Well, I am curious how they will develop and I hope they will get at least a couple of hundred workers. They are active, they eat, the queen is ready to burst and now that they are in the THA nest I see them much better and more often.

We will see.

I am doing my best in providing the best food and lodgings.

Edited by Ernteameise, April 12 2024 - 11:45 AM.

[Ernteameise]

Since I see them doing so well, I went ahead and bought them another "ready to ship" THA Mini Hearth.

I do not think they will grow bigger than a couple of hundred, but I like to be prepared and want to be prepared if they have a growth spurt.

Since it is not urgent, I left it with snail mail normal shipping (not express). Can take 3 weeks for delivery, but even if the colony grows fast, they are not THAT fast.

[Ernteameise]

This is how they look today, I can even see a new pile of eggs right at the back

 

[Flu1d]

This is how they look today, I can even see a new pile of eggs right at the back

I'm not sure if it is just me or not, however I am not seeing the photo load up.

[GOCAMPONOTUS]

I can see the photo

[Flu1d]

Odd, I can see it now after posting that.

Perhaps it just didn't load at first, and just needed me to back out and come back in.

This colony is gorgeous.

Edited by Flu1d, April 13 2024 - 5:50 AM.

[Ernteameise]

The girls are doing well.

They are not the most active, but at least they come out when I feed a cricket. Then there is some activity up top.

They have laid another bunch of eggs, so they are growing, even at a much slower rate than the Lasius.

At least they are really beautiful ants and very pretty to look at, even if they are not the most exciting.

 

 

[The_Gaming-gate]

What time is it in Germany? For me in Florida, USA it’s 4:25.

Besides that, those are some stunning ants you’ve got there, and they look great in that THA Mini Hearth. I’ve gotta get one, but I’ve already blown more than enough money on nests.

[Ernteameise]

What time is it in Germany? For me in Florida, USA it’s 4:25.

Besides that, those are some stunning ants you’ve got there, and they look great in that THA Mini Hearth. I’ve gotta get one, but I’ve already blown more than enough money on nests.

We are ahead of you time wise, I have now 10.45 pm.

That is 6 hours ahead of you.

 

Yeah, these THA nests are not cheap.

But they are simply amazing and the ants seem to be doing well in them.

Oh yes, I spend a small fortune on that custom nest for my harvester ant colony, but it was worth every single cent.

[Ernteameise]

Since I had removed one of the nestmates from this mini hearth to add it to my new tropical harvester colony, there is a short tunnel closed up by a plug in this mini hearth.

Since the heat cable is crossing close to the plug outside the nest, the ants quickly found a new use for this short tunnel.

They have now stored their puppae in it.

 

[Mushu]

Since I had removed one of the nestmates from this mini hearth to add it to my new tropical harvester colony, there is a short tunnel closed up by a plug in this mini hearth.

Since the heat cable is crossing close to the plug outside the nest, the ants quickly found a new use for this short tunnel.

They have now stored their puppae in it.

 

I plug up all my nestmate holes and my M. placodops love to store larvae on the right side hole since I heat the front of the mini hearth, but less so near the water tower,  so it's cooler back near that hole.  It's extra surface area .

[Ernteameise]

New piles of eggs! One of them also on the shelf were the nestmate had been.

 

 

 

And the old majors help the new workers out of their cocoons.

 

Does anyone know what it means when the majors have these dents in their exoskeleton? As seen with the two majors to the right.

 

[Mushu]

Were they always like that? It's most likely an injury or deformity. 

[Ernteameise]

Were they always like that? It's most likely an injury or deformity. 

No, first time I noticed.

And the colony is doing well and I did not have a single death since I started with them.

This is why I am asking.