288 replies to this topic

[kiedeerk]

It’s the weekend and finally it’s getting warmer where I am. We are seeing temperatures in the 70s. This signals the start of a new anting season. There are bugs out finally and flowers are blooming. I will be able to give my ants more variety in terms of insect proteins. I find the ants enjoy insects from the outside more than the fruit flies and mealworms.

The native Camponotus are doing great. The pennsylvanicus finally are out of diapause mode. The queen laid a big batch of eggs and they have their first pupae of the year. I included a lesser known species of native Camponotus the caryae. They are very similar to nearcticus apart from having malar hairs. Many ant keepers probably catch them and think of them as nearcticus. You have to look with a very good camera with macro lens or with microscope to see their malar hairs. However they seem to be struggling with only 3 workers by year two. The queen laid a batch of eggs so hoping they can catch up and recover.

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[kiedeerk]

Acromyrmex versicolor update. The largest colony which I transferred to a new nest have had a set back. Possibly due to the stress of the move or changing conditions. They had a die off of 15-20 workers. I don’t think these were from old age and most likely due to the move and changes in nesting condition. The fungal garden also seem to have shrunk a bit. I hope they will recover and restart growing their fungus. or else I might have to make a new nest and move them again. I feel maybe this nest wasn’t made properly or something but I will continue to watch. From close up photos the fungus seem to be doing ok. They still have 50+ workers so I am not too worried. I also have two more colonies which are doing great also. I also have plenty of fungus from my trachy colony if somehow their fungus dies.

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[kiedeerk]

Trachymyrmex septentrionalis Are monster fungus growers. Their fungal garden is almost 2inches tall and covering the entire nest. They keep on building the garden upwards. As you can see I have plenty of fungus to donate to my Acromyrmex if they are ever in need. Flowers are blooming now so I should be able to give them a variety of flowers to pick from. Their favorite are still the rose petals. Their fungus have a strong rose smell it’s quite pleasant.

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[kiedeerk]

If I had not so many colonies. I would focus on a few and have them grow to their true potential. The easiest of the species to do that imo is the novomessor species. They need heat, water, and a source of nuts/seeds. I have not fed these ants any insect proteins for months but that doesn’t stop the queen from laying massive piles of brood. The growth rate of these ants are pretty impressive. They are not picky about food and are super aggressive. They do not have a stinger so they are safe to handle and are easily contained with fluon.

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[kiedeerk]

Camponotus socius are well into their second season. They grow quite a bit faster than most of the native camponotus. They reached 150+ workers in their first season. I expect them to grow faster this season. I hope they can get to 500+ workers which is unheard of for our native camponotus species as socius are large ants comparable in size to castaneus and pennsylvanicus. For example, castaneus may reach 15-20 workers by end of first season and lucky to get to 100+ workers by second season.

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[kiedeerk]

Some nice pictures of acromyrmex versicolor. The largest colony is still somewhat recovering. I will see if they can begin to thrive again if I feel that they are declining then I will probably make them a new nest and move them. Meanwhile the two smaller colony are doing great and have increased their worker count from 5-6 to 20-30 in the last month or so. So I believe there is definitely something different about the conditions in the large colony. They sit on the same shelf and are in similar temperature environment so it must be the plaster and humidity.

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[kiedeerk]

Trachymyrmex starting to pump out tons of alates. If I see new queen alates then I am pretty sure the real queen is alive. If I just see male alates then most likely the true fertile queen didn’t make it through diapause. Their fungal garden has almost filled their nest up. I have attached a T shaped port and going to make a new nest for them soon.

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[kiedeerk]

A closer look at my native Camponotus species. They have been thriving after coming out of diapause. The weather is warmer now so I am able to get a variety of insects from the outdoors. Spring time is the best time to go look for termites which are ant ants favorite food. They have tons of termite alates in fallen logs. For those people living on the east coast or south, this is the best time to catch termite alates to feed your colonies. With ample food and warmer temperatures, my native Camponotus are going through their growth phase.

Photos 1-2: C nearcticus. Recently moved into a new nest
Photos 3-6: C subbarbatus
Photos 7-9: C chromaoides. Worker count close to 30
Photos 10-14: C castaneus. Worker count up to 20
Photos 15-19: C pennsylvanicus. Superb growth

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[ANTdrew]

Indeed, termites flew various times this week, which surprised me.