26 replies to this topic

[ColKurtz]

Hey everybody,

I'm from the Northeast, Bergen County, New Jersey, and Great Barrington, Massachusetts since I have a house in both states.

 

 

I am currently in possession of, Crematogaster Cerasi, Camponotus Pennsylvanicus, Aphenogaster Picea?, many Pheidole bicarnata queens, Pheidole Tysoni or Morrisii (still trying to figure it out), Prenolepis imparis (3x), Lasius Neoniger (5x), Lasius Brevicornis (2x), and a founding Solenopsis molesta super colony.

 

Here is some of the colonies, ill try to update as best as I can

 

P. Morrisii or Tysoni 9-4-23

 

 

9-4-23P. bicarnata 9-4-23

 

 

C. pennsylvanicus 9-4-23

 

 

C. Cerasi  9-4-23

 

 

P. imparis 9-4-23

 

[Ottercl]

Nice, did you catch the Lasius brevicornis in MA? I’ve been trying find one forever.

[ColKurtz]

Nice, did you catch the Lasius brevicornis in MA? I’ve been trying find one forever.

I captured them in NJ. I seem to find them in/near moss 

[Virginian_ants]

An easy way to ID Tysoni or Morrisi is that Morrisi are bigger. If the queen is similar in size to your other Pheidole when than that's Morrisi. I think it's Tysoni.

[ColKurtz]

An easy way to ID Tysoni or Morrisi is that Morrisi are bigger. If the queen is similar in size to your other Pheidole when than that's Morrisi. I think it's Tysoni.

Thanks for the info

 

This is the first year I've kept Tysoni so I wasn't sure which one it was

[Virginian_ants]

Tysoni have to be my favorite Pheidole I've ever kept.

[azzaaazzzz00]

Cool I live in Bergen County as well and I've failed to get a succesful Pheidole colony going yet. Did you find Pheidole in NJ or MA?

[ColKurtz]

I found Bicarnata in south Jersey and found Tysoni in my backyard

 

I was hoping to get my hands on pilifera this year but I'm in too north of jersey form them or not a local population of them

[ANTdrew]

Don’t forget the i in bicarinata.

[ColKurtz]

Journal entry 9-7-23

 

Couple of days ago I found a Tetramorium immigrans queen thar I forgot about, most workers dead. I transported into a new test tube and and brood boosted it. Turns out , I moved the cotton too far in the water and its starting to flood, so I had to get them a new test tube and here is a picture of the colony

 

 

Other photos of my colonies

 

Aphenogaster picea or rudis

 

 

 

Solenopsis molesta

 

 

Edited by ColKurtz, September 7 2023 - 1:20 PM.

[ColKurtz]

Entry 7-15-24

 

So its been a while since I have updated this forum. Mainly due to school and the fact I lost the password for this account. Many of my ants have died from hibernation this year. The ants I have left are Camponotus. pen. C. Cerasi, A. picea, one of the L. Neonigers, and my nine queen L. brevicornis and one P. imparis colony.

 

Although hibernation hit hard this year, I have found 2 species that I though didn't exist in my area. Those being C. americanus and C. lineolata. I collected 2 C. americauns queens and 2 C. lineolata colonies (one with 2 queens, one with 3), I have also collected another colony of A. picea, A. fulva, Nylanderia sp., and F. Neogagtes. In terms of queens I caught this year, I caught 3 successful P. imparis queens, a Camponotus. pen. queen, A. picea queen, 2 C. subarbatus queens, M. americana queen, and a S. molesta queen. I also bought a P. Pilifera colony.

 

I also collected a C. chromaiodes colony, which I originally thought was a second year colony, however I went back a few weeks later to the same fallen tree they were in and pretty much directly where I found the colony, there was a massive amount of brood and workers of C. chromaiodes. I was able to collect most of them and tried to integrate them with the queen and the workers with her. But because of the time elapsed, the colony had changed their scent and integrating the workers couldn't happen, so I just put the brood with the colony, which the accepted. However when about half of them eclosed, they started having what to me, looked like a seizure, most died the next day. The queen and some of the workers are still alive, and have new larvae and eggs. If anyone has an explanation, please let me know.

 

I might be updating this forum later tonight depending if Formica and Solenopsis fly.

 

Here are some pics of some of the colonies (I'm sorry they aren't the best, I don't have a macro and the lighting wasn't the best

 

 

Edited by ColKurtz, July 15 2024 - 9:45 AM.

[ColKurtz]

Wasn't able to find and Solenopsis molesta, but found Formica neorufibarbris

[OiledOlives]

If you are looking for some IDs, the Aphaenogaster in the Fortress nest are Aphaenogaster fulva and Pheidole in the tube with the PVA sponge is Pheidole morrisii

[ColKurtz]

No, they are Pheidole pilifera, the workers were newly eclosed so they looked liked P. morrisii. I will send better pictures in the morning since now they are in a THA formicarium

 

 

Also, I did know they were A. fulva, I just didn't say where they were nesting in when I did the journal entry.

Edited by ColKurtz, July 16 2024 - 8:07 PM.

[ColKurtz]

Here is a better picture of the Pheidole pilifera

[ColKurtz]

Entry 7-20-24

 

 

Just bought a Pheidole morrisii colony with about 25 workers, they didn't have a ton of brood so I gave them a byFormica liquid feeder and a mealworm. Its hard to take pictures of them in their current state, I have connected a nest for them which will allow me to take pictures of them when they move in.

[The_Gaming-gate]

Pheidole really do look like Solenopsis at times, although they are easy to distinguish when paying attention.

[ColKurtz]

Entry 7-24-24

 

Update on my Pheidole colonies and Lasius brevicornis colony

 

 

Pheidole pilifera

 

Its been about 2 weeks since I got my P. pilifera colony, and they have already doubled in size, about to triple, maybe quadruple. They brought sand from their old testube into the THA formicarium, which does block some brood and the queen, but I was able to get most of the pupae in a photo.

 

 

 

 

Pheidole morrisii

 

Not much has happened in 4 days, but the colony does have new eggs and small larvae. But was able to get a halfway decent image of them.

 

 

 

 

Lasius brevicornis

 

 

So I miscounted how many queens I had, it was actually 11 queens, not 9 queens, they recently had an explosion in the amount of eggs they produced. I'm expecting them to have 300 workers at least by the time for them to go into hibernation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Artisan_Ants]

Lasius absolutely dominate especially with so many queens. Love these colonies. Keep up with the good work!

[ColKurtz]

i hope it stays a 11 queen colony