18 replies to this topic

[bmb1bee]

May 6, 2024:

bmb1bee here with the start of a new journal. Shoutout to AsdinAnts, who I got this Manica invidia queen from! She arrived with a nice pile of around 10-15 eggs, which she brings around with her whenever she moves around. I plan to keep her in a test tube setup, with biweekly feedings of either fruit flies or insect larvae. Hopefully she reaches workers within a month or two.

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Edited by bmb1bee, July 18 2024 - 8:22 PM.

[bmb1bee]

May 24, 2024:

After a couple weeks, the eggs have hatched into larvae! Unfortunately, most of the eggs ended up as food because I couldn't seem to find a good protein source to offer the founding queen. Manica invidia don't require food while founding, but it seems to greatly benefit them. I finally offered a Camponotus fragilis minor callow, which was accepted and quickly dismembered to feed the 5 larvae, which seem to be growing rather quickly. Hopefully things go smoothly from now until workers show up!

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Edited by bmb1bee, June 3 2024 - 4:20 PM.

[Izzy]

Awesome! Glad you're keeping these. I'm really hoping to find some Manica in Utah this year, but there hasn't been a lot of recent data on them. I'm excited to see how they do and learn a thing or two.

[bmb1bee]

Awesome! Glad you're keeping these. I'm really hoping to find some Manica in Utah this year, but there hasn't been a lot of recent data on them. I'm excited to see how they do and learn a thing or two.

Yeah, Manica are pretty cool ants to keep! I unfortunately don’t live anywhere close to spots that have them, so I was extremely lucky to be able to trade for one from AsdinAnts. As for care, I mainly just check out AntWiki for how they behave in the wild and ReignofRage’s journal for his notes on how they fare in captivity. Hope any of this info helps if you do manage to find any Manica!

[AsdinAnts]

nice, are you heating her? My queen still has eggs.

[GOCAMPONOTUS]

Nice coloration on the queen, Keep it up  . AsdinAnts are you feeding them?

Edited by GOCAMPONOTUS, May 25 2024 - 12:08 PM.

[bmb1bee]

nice, are you heating her? My queen still has eggs.

She’s been at slightly over room temperature due to being placed near some tubes I’m heating. Hoping more eggs appear soon now that I’ve fed her.

[AsdinAnts]

Nice coloration on the queen, Keep it up . AsdinAnts are you feeding them?

yup, she’s been eating plenty.

[bmb1bee]

June 3, 2024:

The Manica now has another small batch of eggs, likely because I’ve been feeding her several times a week. Turns out that Tetramorium immigrans alates make good feeders as well. All five larvae are also growing well, with the largest one having turned into a pupa already. Not gonna lie, these are my favorite myrmecine ants that I currently have.

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Edited by bmb1bee, June 3 2024 - 4:20 PM.

[AsdinAnts]

that’s amazing, yet to see a manica worker!
From the looks of it, the other larvae look close to pupating as well.

[bmb1bee]

that’s amazing, yet to see a manica worker!
From the looks of it, the other larvae look close to pupating as well.

Yep, all larvae are getting pretty big in size.

[bmb1bee]

July 18, 2024:

Housed in a Petri dish I got from user JenC, these Manica currently have 5 workers and a decent pile of brood. After the pupae eclose, I’ll be expecting a total of around 10 workers. I’ve been feeding them plenty of mealworms, fruit flies, and random ants from my colony. Hopefully their brood production increases with the amount of powerfeeding I’ve been giving them.

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Edited by bmb1bee, July 18 2024 - 8:23 PM.

[GOCAMPONOTUS]

Colony seems to be growing very well, I love it!

Edited by GOCAMPONOTUS, July 19 2024 - 2:16 PM.

[NotAxo]

By the looks of the larvae, they are very active. Does this species lack a social stomach?

[bmb1bee]

By the looks of the larvae, they are very active. Does this species lack a social stomach?

I don’t think so, given that I’ve never seen trophyllaxis take place between any members of the colony. The larvae seem to feed directly from the food, as do the adults.

[NotAxo]

Do all myrmecine lack social stomachs?

[mbullock42086]

dried hard-boiled egg yolk powder is working pretty well for me as a protein source.  

   you could try that-  just hardboil an egg, then break the yolk apart over cardboard and let it dry overnight in a hot room.  

  i just ground it up with my fingers after it dried completely.  

[ANTdrew]

Do all myrmecine lack social stomachs?

No, many do have social stomachs.

[bmb1bee]

Do all myrmecine lack social stomachs?

Basically what ANTdrew said. 

 

dried hard-boiled egg yolk powder is working pretty well for me as a protein source.  

   you could try that-  just hardboil an egg, then break the yolk apart over cardboard and let it dry overnight in a hot room.  

  i just ground it up with my fingers after it dried completely.  

For most other myrmecines I would gladly feed egg yolk to, but Manica seem to do well enough on feeder insects and worker ants of various species.