Now that I have graduated high school and have more time on my hands, I've decided to get back into ant keeping and have started 3 new colonies for now.
The first is a Camponotus Floridanus queen I caught about a week ago, she somehow wandered into my house and I found her in the bathroom.
It's been a good while since our house has been sprayed with indoor pesticide, and she seems active and has laid a fair number of eggs so I think she is fine.
The second is a three-queen colony of Solenopsis Invicta I caught two days ago.
I've put them in a Hitechants founding formicaria rather than a test tube so that feeding them with the first generation will be easier.
They've already created an impressive ball of eggs and are cooperating, so I am very interested to see how their polygyne develops.
The third is a five-queen test tube colony of what I am fairly certain is Lasius Americanus, which I also caught yesterday.
They have not laid eggs yet, but all queens seem to be getting along. I distinctly remember raising this species before without hibernation, so I will try it that way again.
I do not have pictures yet as I want to avoid stressing them out so early with the obnoxious flash of my macro camera, but I will probably try to get some good photos in about a week.
I also have a senior friend whose brother in middle school has gotten way into ant-keeping,
he does a ton of research and has a huge colony of trap jaws and has even started a Trachymyrmex septentrionalis colony with a few queens, so I will be sure to recommend him to this forum.
