6 replies to this topic

[Skwiggledork]

Figured I would start a new journal. Didn't keep good records from when I started keeping again and I have a few colonies now. First post will be a bit long.

30May2023 - Caught a single Camponotus pennsylvanicus queen. I didn't take any pictures, but she ended up getting a few workers and I moved her into an AntsCanada small ant tower and haven't seen more than a worker at a time since.


03June2023 - Caught 8 Tetramorium immigrans queens. I was running low on test tubes, so split them up among 3 tubes (4,2,2)


16Jun2023 - All three colonies had a bunch of brood. No fighting yet that I was aware of, but I was well aware they would all end up with single queens or no queens if I got unlucky.


30June2023- Getting closer to workers in all Tetramorium colonies. The 4 queen attempt killed one of the queens, one of the 2 queen tubes was down to 1 and the other still had 2 queens.


25July2023 - Everyone had a decent number of workers.The 4 queen colony was down to a single queen and I attached the tube to a test tube portal, I sold the 2 queen colony just to make sure one queen survived shipping and let the new owner know one would probably be killed eventually.

10August2023 - Bought a 3 queen colony of Pheidole morissii from someone in Long Island. Arrived with one dead worker and a small pile of eggs. No progress so far, so we'll see if I wasted money or not, but they are beautiful.



10August2023-14August2023 - Not 100% sure when I did it, but I got a heat pad because I read the Pheidole need heat, Tetramorium like it and I couldn't find heat cable near me. Also got an Antkit large outworld, so one Tetramorium colony has a lot of foraging space and some heat and the other has a small test tube portal and is at room temperature. 

15August2023- Caught a Aphaenogaster fulva queen.

[100lols]

Nice start! The three queen Pheidole colony does indeed look beautiful

[Skwiggledork]

24August2023
Tetramorium immigrans - my heat pad gets hot so I have just the tip of one colonie's test tube over the pad with an outworld and an unheated test tube in it if they decide they need to move. So far they have loved it and are a lot bigger(pic 1) than my unheated colony(pic 2).

Pheidole morrissi - Got a feeling i was lied to, but holding out hope. They were supposed to come with worker(s), arrived with one dead worker in the tube. Don't know if they ate the brood during shipping, but I didn't see anything. They are up to a nice small pile of eggs. Fingers crossed.

 

Aphaenogaster fulva - Up to a few eggs.

 

in the past week I have caught a Crematogaster sp. queen and Lasius sp. queen who is up to a few eggs, but they look a little scattered and she still has her wings, so we will see there. I've read the Crematogaster might not lay eggs till after the first diapause.

[Skwiggledork]

Tetramorium immigrans - Heated colony is growing a lot faster than the unheated colony. Condensation looks a lot worse than it is and they have a second tube they can escape to if it bothers them.



Pheidole morrissi - Still just eggs, but a nice pile of them.


Crematogaster sp - neither queen has brood yet.

Lasius sp. - Still just a few eggs scattered and she still has her wings.


Aphaenogaster fulva - Both queens have a decent pile of eggs. Jostled the one tube before taking the picture ad apparently flipped some eggs on her head.

[Yourbasicantkeeper]

Amazing! Your colonies are growing!   

[azzaaazzzz00]

The Lasius queen probably isn't fertile because when a queen scatters her eggs it a good sign she isn't mated. Happened no my Pheidole queen and Prenolepis queen. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong

Edited by azzaaazzzz00, September 6 2023 - 12:46 PM.

[100lols]

Awesome shot of the Pheidole morrissi.