220 replies to this topic

[DinoH]

 

 

These are some of the less common kept species that I have kept in the past.

Some have been released, some have been sold to local ant keepers. Some I got bored of, others were just too much effort/work to keep such as proceratium and stigmatomma.


1. Stigmatomma pallipes

2. Proceratium sp.

3. Temnothorax longispinosus

4. Myrmecina americana

5. Colobopsis obliqua

6. Formica pallidefulva (red variant) and subsericea

7. Camponotus nearcticus (black and yellow variant)

8. Camponotus subbarbatus

Stigmatomma pallipes must of been a challenge given their diet. Did you raise them to alates.

Most cryptic species like stigmatomma, proceratium are challenging and not really to be kept in captivity for long.

I kept them for a few months and got really tired of looking for centipedes or spider eggs etc… so either released or sold

 

Can't spiders be breed?

I got a Stigmatomma queen and I have no Idea if I can keep her. I heard they will need to be feed daily and I don't know if I can afford that.

[ANTdrew]

Spiders can be bred, but it is probably a slow process.

[kiedeerk]

Closer look at Pogonomyrmex badius and barbatus.

Very different looking Pogonomyrmex species

Badius: Pictures 1-4
Barbatus: Pictures 5-8

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[Jonathan5608]

Closer look at Pogonomyrmex badius and barbatus.

Very different looking Pogonomyrmex species

Badius: Pictures 1-4
Barbatus: Pictures 5-8

beautiful polymorphism

[kiedeerk]

Future honey pot expansion nest

This is a large, dual sided viewing cavern style nest with two large water reservoirs and rocky decor on ceiling and floor

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[ChenZ]

That's a fantastic formicarium!

[100lols]

Yeah I love the formicarium as well! Double sided viewing should make for some great pics.

[kiedeerk]

Closer look at pheidole rhea.

They are extremely fast growing even with 90% of their consist of seeds

With more protein intake they will grow even faster. They can easily grow into the hundreds of thousands within a year or two

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[Jonathan5608]

Closer look at pheidole rhea.

They are extremely fast growing even with 90% of their consist of seeds

With more protein intake they will grow even faster. They can easily grow into the hundreds of thousands within a year or two

have they produced any alates yet.

Edited by Jonathan5608, September 2 2023 - 7:08 AM.

[kiedeerk]

Closer look at pheidole rhea.
They are extremely fast growing even with 90% of their consist of seeds
With more protein intake they will grow even faster. They can easily grow into the hundreds of thousands within a year or two

have they produced any alates yet.

They have produced a bunch of males but no queens maybe not enough proteins. I also don’t want them to explode in numbers. Their set up is already fully saturated

[kiedeerk]

M Placadops update

All three colonies doing well. Heating is quite important to their success as well as something for the workers or repletes to hang. You will see in the horizontal nest at all the workers/repletes just lining up and hang from small ledges

The colonies inside the cavern style nests are doing better than the horizontal nest

The largest colony is probably nearing one hundred workers. I have noticed they produce a lot of repletes at certain point. They seem to produce more repletes than actual workers. Some of the new worker/repletes are massive well over 1cm. The fully bloated repletes are easily 2+ cm

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[That_one_ant_guy]

The rheas make me wonder how they can be 'rare' with a growth rate like that   

[kiedeerk]

Back to some native ants.

Caught lasius neoniger a couple weeks back. To my surprise all the neoniger queens have laid eggs and some have larva now. Usually they would diapause and lay eggs in the spring. Maybe they will diapause with small larva now.

Pheidole bicarinata queen walked into my ant room one day. So maybe I will keep her for fun. She has larva larva already.

Camponotus pennsylvanicus colony was moved into a formicarium and produced a decent sized major really early and the chromaoides are still in test tube with ac portal.

Solenopsis molesta groups have pupae.

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[kiedeerk]

Big photo dump and update for the colonies

1. Most of my native Camponotus colonies are going into diapause

2. Lasius neoniger actually getting nanitics before diapause. Usually they hibernate then lay or hibernate with small larva but a couple of the queens have pupae already.

3. Solenopsis molesta now have their nanitics

4. Pheidole bicarinata has a few pupae

5. Pogonomyrmex barbatus on their rock. They have thousands of workers now very scrammed into their nest.

6. Pogonomyrmex badius and their weird looking queen surrounded by her consort

7. Novomessor albisetosus grow incredibly fast even with diet of nuts and fish flakes

8. Pheidole rhea close up massive super major

9. Odontomachus clarus drinking sugar water

10. Odontomachus haematodus

11. M placadops thriving. One colony is pretty massive now with “major” workers and massive repletes

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[kiedeerk]

My placadops colony is doing so well they are producing “major” workers

They seem to be distinct from repletes.

Bonus pictures of the broods and repletes

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[Jonathan5608]

Cool

[Virginian_ants]

I know this is a little off topic but what did you feed the myrmecina. I finally got a queen.

[kiedeerk]

I know this is a little off topic but what did you feed the myrmecina. I finally got a queen.

The usual things. Sugar water and fruit flies

[DinoH]

I know this is a little off topic but what did you feed the myrmecina. I finally got a queen.

I also got mine but it just died

[Virginian_ants]

Okay. I know a place I find many. I will give her care like a myrmica.