52 replies to this topic

[Demoant]

Hello everyone! Hope all of you are doing well and your colonies thriving. After dealing with my exams (including the most important university entrance exam), I am coming back to the hobby.
Before you ask, all the ants in the old journal are gone, either given away or euthenized.

List of ants currently present:

Formicinae:

Camponotus sp.

Camponotus holosericeus

Camponotus sp. lianghuang

Camponotus sp. scarlet

Camponotus cf. herculeanus

Polyrhachis fellowesi

Polyrhachis peetersi

Colobopsis minus

Myrmoteras binghamii

Nylanderia emmae

Nylanderia cf. yaeyamensis

 

Myrmicinae:

Paratopula bauhinia

Pheidole nodifera sp.

Carebara affinis

Cardiocondyla?

Strumigenys exilirhina

Lordomyrma jingpo

Monomorium sp.

Cataulacus granulatus

Aphaenogaster feae

 

Ponerinae:

Odontoponera denticulata

Odontomachus simillimus

Odontomachus silvestrii

Pseudoneoponera rufipes

Harpegnathos venator

Ectomomyrmex leeuwenhoeki

Anochetus risii

 

Dolichoderinae:

Iridomyrmex anceps

Dolichoderus taprobane

Chronoxenus

 

Ectatomminae:

Stictoponera bicolor

 

Amblyoponinae:

Stigmatomma nr. quadratum

Stigmatomma crypticum

 

 

Ants that are goners:

Camponotus albosparsus

Polyrhachis demangei

Pseudolasius spp.

Mystrium camillae

Diacamma rugosum

Hypoponera sp.

Leptogenys rufida

Dilobocondyla fouqueti

Mayriella tranfuga

Myopopone castanea

Dacatria templaris

Ooceraea biroi

Proceratium sp.

and the many that I lost count...

 

 

Link to old journal:https://www.formicul...ts-ant-journal/

I did give some of my old ants to my good friend Leo which you can follow him here:

https://www.formicul...apone-ooceraea/

Edited by Demoant, March 29 2025 - 10:10 PM.

[Demoant]

29th April 2024

The first week after the exams...

 

 

Camponotus sp. (1Q, 40W)

This is a fairly small but charming Camponotus. They have this reddish brown chestnut colour that is pleasing to the eye. Found them nesting in some dead branches while hiking before my exams and took them back home.

This is one of the few photos I took where the queen is in frame. Since I actually put a piece of their old stick nest as the entrace, she has been hiding there and only coming out occasionally.

 

These are recent photos (taken today actually). The colony has been growing very well, callows can be seen everytime I check on them and they always have a good amount of brood.

 

And this is one of the majors in the colony. They act as repletes, constantly having their abdomen swollen with food.

 

 

Paratopula Bauhinia 1Q, 1Q

Caught 2 queens during a night hunt. I originally put them together, but reconsidered and separated them. I don't think P.bauhinia or in fact any Paratopula allow multi-queen founding. 

(This statement is false, there is a guy keeping 6 or 7 queens together and they happily laid eggs and raised larvae)

This is one of the queens. I didn't want to disturb them that much as they are prone to stress. 
Paratopula is infamous for how difficult it is for them to found. I have some experience under my belt so now it really is just about luck.

 

 

Dilobocondyla fouqueti 1Q

Another speices that I have kept before. Similar to Paratopula, they are sometimes not cooperative when it comes to colony founding.

She laid 2 eggs so far, but is ignoring them. This might be a sign of her not being mated and only produce haploid eggs. Only time will tell...

 

 

Catualacus granulatus (many)

Yes, I have 4 queens right now... and they are not developing one bit.

It was not until recently that I learned most queens running about on handrails are not mated/fake queens. Real queens tend to hide in sticks or bamboo immediately after mating and readily produce eggs.

There was also the technique of worker boosting, but it is extremely tedious and does not guarantee success.

I may as well tell you that I attempted Cataulacus founding for at least 14 times, only two of those attempts were succesful.

Alas, we have hope.

An egg! From an unboosted queen! Right now I can only hope the queen will lay more and won't want omelettes for food.

 

 

Shots of the Wild

This part will show the different photos I took during my trips.

This time we have slug, mantis and jumping spider.

 

 

Hope you have enjoyed this entry of the journal. I will see you next month. Happy anting!

Edited by Demoant, January 14 2025 - 1:28 AM.

[Demoant]

8/5/2024

I have been hiking almost non-stop...

 

Diacamma sp.

3 workers

A very small budding colony. I found them nesting under a rock and quickly scooped them up.

They are extremely sensitive to light and vibrations so I usually cover them with a piece of tin foil.

I am not actually sure if they have a gamergate even. I can't find the gemma, aka the thing that indicates an ant is a gamergate in Diacamma, on any of the three ants.

Perhaps they are waiting for the the eggs to develop into new workers for gamergates or I just have terrible eyesight. I did notice however that only 2 workers forage at a given time, so that one in the nest might be the gamergate.

We shall see if they develop or not.

 

 

 

Odontoponera denticulata

2Q

Ah, the ant that is a tradition to keep every year. I have a two queen founding colony this year. This photo was taken before they were placed in the nest.

One queen is smaller than the other. They also seem to be from the same colony as I did catch them in the same area, about 20cm apart.

 

This is the current brood pile as of today, pretty nice.

 

 

 

Mystery Camponotus

1Q, 6W

Make a guess of what they are. Hint, very sensitive to any disturbance.

I do know the species, blanking them out as I am not sure if they will be successful.

They do have a small pile of eggs now and I will reveal them once they managed to produce new workers. 

 

 

 

Iridomyrmex anceps

1Q

This is a species that I have been wanting for years. In 2020 I had a colony which escaped (and I froze them like an idiot) and I wanted to keep them every since.

Went out on a hot, sunny day after some heavy rain and voila, a queen running in some grass.

She has already begun to lay eggs, and will grow in no time.

 

 

 

Dinomyrmex Gigas 

1Q

Just a queen specimen, not a real living queen.

She was gifted to me by Martin, a keeper who lives nearby.

 

 

 

Shots of the Wild

We've got plenty of photos to show.

Good old Harpegnathos venator.

 

Weaver ants murdering a beetle.

 

 

Wasp, not sure what species.

 

Neocollyris sp. Tiger beetle

 

Juvenile of Conocephalus melaenus, a katydid.

 

Odontotermes formosanus dealate.

 

 

Hope you have enjoyed this entry of the journal. I realised that I have more to show than I initially thought so the entries might come more frequently.

See you next time and happy anting!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ernteameise]

Very nice pictures!

And Dinomyrmex are amazing giants, aren't they? I now also have a taxidermied specimen proudly displayed on my wall.

I am amazed that these weaver ants, they appear to change color depending on where you go.

I remember the ones I saw when I visited Queensland and Kakadu National Park were a bright green at the back, while yours are more reddish.

[Leo]

Wasp is probably in the genus auplopus

[Demoant]

21st May 2024

The growing does not start...

 

Cataulacus granulatus

1Q x4

This is how many queens I have right now. They really aren't doing much. The one that laid an egg ate it, typical Catau behaviour.

 

I did worker boost one queen. Now that I discovered the way of using acetone to remove the original colony's scent, worker boosting got a bit easier.

 

 

Dilobocondyla fouqueti

3Q

Found a few more queens and mixed them together with acetone (again). This was done after the queen in the previous update ate her eggs......

This is exactly what happened when I first tried to found Dilobocondyla, them not laying eggs no matter what......

 

 

Paratopula bauhinia

1Q x2

At this rate I am just running wild with my ideas, so I made this.

It is just a tube shoved into a snap cap vial. The vial acts as the foraging arena.

Both queens like the ruin their tubes. One keeps having diarrhea after I fed her sugar water while the other littered cashew bits all around which caused mold to appear.

 

 

Hypoponera (?)

1Q

Tiny, 2 or 3 mm sized queen found under a rock. Gave her a vial setup, that is a vial with plaster base. She burrowed into some substrate and disappeared.

 

 

Shots of the Wild

Liocheles australasiae, the only scorpion here, which can perform parthenogenesis.

 

Some butterflies enjoying fallen figs.

 

Thereuopoda clunifera, cave centipede.

 

 

If you can't tell already, I am getting frustrated with these founding queens. Still, more ants will appear as we approach summer.

Hope you have enjoyed this entry of the journal, see you next time and happy anting.

[Demoant]

23rd May 2024

The drab weather is bringing ants out...

 

 

Camponotus sp.

1Q

During a night anting trip I noticed a queen that was quite a bit larger than the queens of a Camponotus species that was flying that night.

Coming in at 16mm, she is the largest Camponotus queen I have caught in the wild. Largest kept still belongs to C.holosericeus, which I did misidentify as C.auriventris.

 

I am not sure of the exact species as there are a few that look very similar, namely C.siemsseni, C.largiceps and C.friedae.

The ironic thing is that none of the aforementioned species are distributed in Hong Kong, the place where I live.

 

 

Pheidole sp.

1Q

One of the larger Pheidole species here, found next to the sink in a public toilet, not the best place for ants.

Very lucky that it already laid eggs, just in a scattered manner. I have doubts if she was able to mate in the toilet.

 

 

Pseudolasius sp. (man do i need to work on my ID)

1Q

A smallish ant that flies in mass after rain in late May. Gave her the same treatment as Hypoponera with vial and substrate.

You can see that she dug a chamber next to the plastic. You can also see her back right in the middle of the chamber.

 

Odontoponera denticulata

2Q

Changed them to a glass tube. A nice pile of eggs, no larvae yet.

 

 

 

[Demoant]

27th May 2024

Went on an anting trip with Leo, got some cool ants.

 

 

Odontomachus simillimus

1Q

A species which I have been targeting for the last 2 years. Very exciting to catch a queen.

Gave her a vial setup and she is quite busy shifting substrate around. She has already laid 1 egg, a very good start.

I only learned this after chatting with Leo that O.simillimus is introduced and not native. 

 

 

Pheidole sp.

1Q

Found under a rock and I sucked her up with my aspirator (i got one now). She has a small pile of brood.

 

 

Iridomyrmex anceps

1Q

The eggs have developed into larvae and they will pupate in no time. 

 

 

Camponotus sp.

1Q, 50W

Moved them to this test tube as they are expanding rapidly. However, the tube seems to be flooding as they like to litter trash close to the wet cotton and I have AC on.

In typical ant fashion they reduced their nest entrance by piling up debris of past prey.

I would likely move them to a nest in a few days. 

 

 

Thank you to Leo for anting with me (bet you would be reading this Leo). Learned a lot of things that would certainly help me in my future anting adventures.

Hope your new Ooceraea and Carebara does well and your Cerapachys enjoy the ant rice.

[Demoant]

25th June 2024

I have finished my trip from Australia, now for some updates...

Mom has been taking care of my ants during the time I was gone. Big thanks to her!

 

 

Pheidole sp.

1Q, ~10W

One month time and they already got workers. I am not used to keeping ants that grow this fast.

 

 

Odontoponera denticulata

2Q

Now with some larvae. They haven't gotten any insect protein but they were fed shrimp and cashews. I need to get feeders.

 

 

Pseudolasius sp.

1Q

Furtherest I have gotten with this species. Now with pupae!

 

 

Paratopula bauhinia

1Q

Mom is a better ant keeper than me... She made her lay eggs which has turned into larvae.

 

 

There are some losses. Camponotus mutilarius, Cataulacus and a few more did not survive my absence. However, my mom has done well caring for my ants.

Here are some ants I saw in Australia.

Myrmecia cf. fortificata queen, Myrmecia fulvipes, Camponotus intrepidus and Amblyopone.

 

 

Now that I am back in Hong Kong, the anting journey will continue here. Wish me luck in finding the large Ponerine ants that are flying.

[Ernteameise]

Thank you for sharing these amazing species.

You do not see these very often!

Keep us updated on the ponerines!

[GOCAMPONOTUS]

Demoant, on 25 Jun 2024 - 01:23 AM, said:

25th June 2024

I have finished my trip from Australia, now for some updates...

Mom has been taking care of my ants during the time I was gone. Big thanks to her!

 

 

Pheidole sp.

1Q, ~10W

One month time and they already got workers. I am not used to keeping ants that grow this fast.

phei3.jpg

 

 

Odontoponera denticulata

2Q

Now with some larvae. They haven't gotten any insect protein but they were fed shrimp and cashews. I need to get feeders.

odpo4.jpg

 

 

Pseudolasius sp.

1Q

Furtherest I have gotten with this species. Now with pupae!

psedLa2.jpg

 

 

Paratopula bauhinia

1Q

Mom is a better ant keeper than me... She made her lay eggs which has turned into larvae.

para4.jpg

 

 

There are some losses. Camponotus mutilarius, Cataulacus and a few more did not survive my absence. However, my mom has done well caring for my ants.

Here are some ants I saw in Australia.

Myrmecia cf. fortificata queen, Myrmecia fulvipes, Camponotus intrepidus and Amblyopone.

thing1.jpgthing2.jpgthing3.jpgthing4.jpg

 

 

Now that I am back in Hong Kong, the anting journey will continue here. Wish me luck in finding the large Ponerine ants that are flying.

I love the M.fulvipes, sorry for your losses

[Demoant]

30th June 2024

That is already half of 2024...

 

 

Pseudoneoponera rufipes

1Q 

Went night anting last night after some rain and saw her walking on the ground. 
This is one of the big pone targets. Now I just need Harpegnathos.

 

 

Tetramorium cf. parvispinum

2Q, ~30W

Found them in a fallen branch. They have a surprising amount of brood for a colony this size.

One of the queens.

 

 

Tetraponera nigra 

1Q

Found her on the same day as the Tetramorium, walking on some handrail.

Only laid one egg for now.

 

 

Iridomyrmex anceps.

1Q, ~20W

Got around 20 workers now. This species will grow explosively and I bet I will need an actual formicarium for them in 2 months time.

 

 

I have some plans for night anting but after yesterday's scenario (almost missed the bus home) I probably need to think more thoroughly before stepping into the trails.

Not to mention some of the places have monkeys that are still active at night...

Oh well, if I get attacked I will write about it. See you in the next entry.

 

 

[Demoant]

13th July 2024

Mid summer anting is really just mosquito feeding...

 

 

Anochetus sp. 

3Q, ~20W (5mm Q&W)

A colony found under a rock by Leo during our anting trip. I counted like 3 queens. However they might be female alates as some males are present.

As you can see there is a lot of pupae. I couldn't even collect all of them. There are already some eggs which is nice.

 

 

Odontomachus simillimus 

1Q

Speaking of trap jaws, the sister of the Anochetus has been doing well. Daily feeding was certainly the key to this success. The larva that the queen is holding already became a pupa as of now.

 

 

Ectomomyrmex sp. 

2Q (9mm Q)

A smaller species of Ecto here. The two queens actually don't quite like each other and I have seen surprisingly aggressive behaviour between the two.

They now have a small pile of eggs.

 

 

Paratopula bauhinia

1Q

The larvae are taking their time to develop but should soon be turning into pupae. Queen accepts food eagerly these days.

 

 

Pseudolasius sp.

1Q. ~5W

Now the problem presents itself, how on Earth do I feed them?

Should I use a toothpick and dig a path to their chamber or let them do the work?

 

 

Camponotus wasmanni(?)

1Q, 7W (13mm Q & 7mm W)

A species that practically no one keeps. I have seen like 2 people in the Chinese ant keeping community that keeps them.

 

I added the question mark as the workers do have a red spot at the end of their thorax, which might mean they are actually C.mutilarius.

 

Although the two are essentially identical and the only difference is colour.

 

[Demoant]

16th July 2023

It started raining, and more is expected to come...

 

 

Centromyrmex feae 

1Q, (8mm Q)

A fantastic find under a rock after some heavy rain. I know they eat termites exclusively so looks like I have to start hunting eusocial roaches soon.

 

 

Mayriella transfuga 

1Q, 100+W (2mm Q&W)

Perhaps the smallest ant I have caught and kept. They are tiny but slow, so them escaping is a non issue. The whole colony was caught with my aspirator (finally made one).

 

Here you see they are about 1-2 mm. I do believe this colony is mature as the information about them did say they grow to 100 workers or so.

 

 

Camponotus sp.

1Q,  ~80W

Gave them this nest a while ago in fact. Growing nicely but the condensation obstructs the view.

 

 

Odontoponera denticulata

2Q

Got 2 cocoons. Last time when I did this the queens would fight at this stage. See if they do the same.

 

 

I did see some Carebara males walking about in the lobby of my apartment so that is going to be fun.

Night anting has been halted due to heavy rains   

Finally, here is a time lapse of Harpegnathos venator building their signature nest entrance while I was anting.

 

 

 

 

Edited by Demoant, July 21 2024 - 5:28 AM.

[Demoant]

21st July 2024

There is a tropical cyclone heading my way...

 

 

Pseudoneoponera rufipes

1Qx2

This is another queen I caught around week or two ago. Now in a test tube with 3 eggs.

 

The first queen still has no eggs as she ate hers after I checked on her...

 

 

Iridomyrmex anceps

1Q, 30W

The second generation of workers are arriving. They are growing slower than I expected.

 

 

Pheidole cf. nodifera

1Q, 40W

Got 2 majors now! Brood pile is growing strong and I see more majors coming up. They have a habit of quickily bringing food items back into the brood pile while my other ants act much slower.

 

 

I should take a few days break from anting. I have been going almost everyday this week and haven't really got good results.

Mainly just queens I already have and getting rained on which isn't very fun.

Perhaps after the tropical cyclone has passed the ants will fly. I shall report to you by then.

[Demoant]

28th July 2024

Went around and did more anting, caught some neat things...

 

Colobopsis minus 

Few queens (11mm queens)

A species that I really wanted to rekeep. Very happy to find them again!

Caught these while night anting with Leo, all attracted to the light of a small building. They were all up at the ceiling so it was a bit difficult to catch them.

This is a pair of founding queens with plenty of eggs, I also have some single founding queens.

 

Strumigenys sp.

~3Q, ~60W (2mm queens and workers)

Found by Leo on the same trip by smashing some rotting wood. This is a mature colony with alates. Now housed in a dental floss container with plaster.

Here is a better shot of a worker.

This is a photo taken when I was sorting through the wood. Cat wasn't impressed. It was also quite difficult as the ants blend in with the wood.

 

Carebara affinis

1Q, ~30W 

Scooped this founding colony under a rock one day. Not sure why but they don't seem to like any food with the exception of nuts like almond and cashew.

They also made a chamber to house the queen and brood.

 

Odontomachus simillimus

1Q

Growing steadily. Moved her to this round container nest in preparation for the arrival of workers. 

That massive pile of eggs is making me scared... All those mouths to feed...

 

Centromyrmex feae

1Q

Spotted a few eggs one day while checking up on her (can be seen to the left).

She happily takes any termites I throw in, leaving only the hard head behind.

Catching termites for her is fine for now but it might cause issues later on when I get busy with university or when the colony grows. 

 

Some things I saw while anting:

Black damselfly (?)

 

Camponotus nicobarensis queen found during night anting.

 

Firefly larva found during night anting.

 

 

I am now waiting out the rain for the next anting trips. I did spot heaps of Carebara males this morning and one dead queen (rip).

There is also this thing, make a guess for what it is.

Hint: It is a species I have kept before.

Edited by Demoant, July 28 2024 - 4:54 AM.

[Demoant]

3rd August 2024

Rain stopped, anting go...

 

Polyrhachis demangei

2Q 

Following the rain comes Polyrhachis queens, a lot of them. This is the only speices that is unique among the hoards of slivery, golden abdomen Poly queens.

These two were found in the same place but on different days. The smaller one seen here is not doing well as of now, can't seem to walk properly.

I will remove it tomorrow if I find it dead.

 

Pseudolasius sp. 2

2Q, ~50W

Colony found under a rock. This should be a different species to my founding Pseudolasius colony as I think this species' queens are larger.

(Though I am not sure until I excavate my founding colony out)

 

They actually have scale insects with them and they brought them into the tube. Pretty certain the scale insects will go bye bye later due to the lack of food (I assume plant sap).

The ants do drink sugar water and honey water so there shouldn't be an issue.

 

Carebara affinis

1Q

Found this queen in a toilet sink. I have collected Carebara queens in such conditions before and they all failed. Don't really have high hopes for her.

 

Anochetus graeffei

3Q, ~50W

Moved them to this dirt+plastic sheet nest as the old one was getting packed after all the cocoons hatched.

 

Tiny larvae appeared and there is now a massive pile of eggs.

 

Mayreilla transfuga

1Q, ~80W

The old setup killed quite a lot of workers due to me putting vaseline as an escape barrier. The ants would get stuck and die. The setup was also way too large for these tiny ants so I gave them a new one.

 

I feel like they are the most boring ants I have kept. Small, slow, not fast growing(surprising for a small speices) and not really interested in eating. I guess they are pretty to look at.

 

Tetramorium cf. parvispinum

2Q, ~40W

Moved them to a dirt setup where they can dig. They made a chamber at the bottom but I am unsure exactly how much brood or workers they have.

 

 

[Demoant]

30th August 2024

It is the end of the month already!? I have so much to show!

 

Paratopula bauhinia

1Q, 3W

Going along nicely, the two larvae that I suspected to have issues were fine. 

 

Odontoponera denticulata

2Q, 1W

Sadly they are underperforming. They had 4 cocoons but destroyed 3. The remaining cocoon became a worker however. 

They are now doing better in this plaster nest.

 

Ooceraea biroi

~300W (4mm ants)

Ah yes, the clonal raiders. These are the Ooceraea that are queenless and clone themselves, hence the name.

This massive colony was found under a rock (the usual). Ironically they were found after a friend asked me if I wanted to take one of his colonies.

They are brood raiders but so far has taken mealworms and roaches with no issues. Guess you can't be picky with so many mouths to feed.

 

They already got a massive pile of eggs which is epic.

 

Stictoponera bicolor

~50W 

I have really only found 2 nests of these fellas since 2020 so I immediately scooped them up when I saw them under a rock.

I think I caught the gamergate as there are fresh eggs. These ants are also very pale when they eclose, check out that golden worker.

 

Ectomomyrmex leeuwenhoeki

2Q, 4W

I actually managed to find some wild colonies and stole some cocoons for them. The majority of the queens' larvae became pupae as well so there should be a big population jump soon.

 

Pheidole nodifera

1Q, 200W

I made this timelapse of them moving awhile ago.

 

They have grown a lot more since. Majors popping up here and there. I need to give them a larger tube.

The quality sucks...

 

Some Myrmicinae

5Q, 10W (2mm ants)

I honestly have no idea what these are. I was thinking maybe Cardiocondyla but no conclusion was ever reached. 

I found these between the gap of a split rock.

 

Probably could have a better idea if I look them under a microscope (I don't have one at home but I should be able to use the University lab ones)

 

Odontomachus simillimus

1Q 5W

Doing considerably better than their cousins. Now with 5 workers and some small larvae. They are oddly really timid and panick everytime I check on them.

 

University is gonna start soon so my anting time will go crashing down. Still I got people who would certainly like to go on a mountain with me so my adventures won't stop.

Let's see how it goes. 

 

 

[ANTdrew]

Such weird and wonderful ants!

[Demoant]

6th September 2024

First week of school, got hit with typhoon...

 

Strumigenys exilirhina

1Q, 15W (2mm ants)

They were gifted to me by Leo. This is the second species of strumi that I will keep. The first species unfortunately perished as I forgot to water them... sad

As many strumigenys goes, they eat springtails. I noticed them putting the prey on the larvae, much like Ponerinae ants.

  

Polyrhachis peetersi

1Q, (10mm). 
Caught her during university orientation camp outside the window of my accommodation. Not a species you see frequently. So far no eggs.

 

Polyrhachis fellowesi

1Q, (14mm)

Out of all the Myrma subgenus polys here, this species is the most unique (the competition is non-existant actually).

This is one of the larger species here, workers are not often seen and queens are very rare.

Like the average poly queen, she is not laying eggs (and being very skittish). I was also tasked to find out their nesting habits, aka, if they weave nests or not.

Size comparision with peetersi.

   

Harpegnathos venator

1Q, 16W

An ant that needs no introduction. I purchased the colony as I had 0 luck finding any queens.

Here is the queen with her pile of brood.

  

Odontomachus silvestrii

1Q (14mm)

A very lanky speices of trap jaw. They seem to fly the day before a rainstorm. I went out on such day and bam, queen.

No eggs yet as that is likely due to me not feeding her frequently. Trap jaws need almost daily feeding, O.simillimus would know.

She is affectionately called "Lankymachus", together with P.fellowesi as "Lankyrhachis", they form the Lanky Duo.

 

Leptogenys rufida

1Q, 30W (5mm ants)
On the small side of the scale for leptos, their red colour is what stands out. They are also my first lepto colony. It is good that they are generalists, happily accepting roaches.

This is the ergatoid, notice the larger abdomen. 

 

Centromyrmex feae

1Q

She is quite the odd one. Seeming ignoring termites but the larvae continues to grow...but the larvae do eat, I saw them munching on termites I shoved into the chamber.

I guess if it works, don't touch it.

 

Myopopone castanea

1Q, (14mm)

A fairly large Amblyoponinae at 14mm. She is doing the same as centro but worse. Also unsure why she hasn't cleaned off the dirt on herself.

I was advised by another keeper to change to a wood substrate to facilitate the pupation of the larvae.

She does have a good pile of eggs, but they are taking their time to hatch. Also that larva isn't growing...

  

Colobopsis minus

One founding queen died but all others are thriving. These 2 queens are doing excellent.

 

Colobopsis minus x sp. And here comes the bombshell. 

2Q, 1W

The black queen could be C.vitrea but I am unsure.

Back when I only had the black queen, I already had this thought of putting the queens together. However, I thought the C.sp was only just a dark morph for minus.

It wasn't until I caught minus that I found out they are 2 different species, with Sp. being larger than minus (12mm vs 10mm).

Still, that didn't stop me from mixing them with acetone. At first they just seemed to be "mere roommates", both not really caring about each other.

Until...

Now with one worker and a bunch more to come, I am very excited to tell you more about their progress.

 

 

 

Well that is a long update. After all I have to clear some backlog. Hope you have enjoyed it and see you next time.