16 replies to this topic

[Ants_Dakota]

Ants_Dakota's Micro Ants Journal

Entry 1: Solenopsis molesta-complex

9/8/2024

Background

The Solenopsis molesta-complex is one of the most numerous ant species in South Dakota. Several years back I caught over 30 queens on a tennis court and helped RushmoreAnts catch around 100 queens later that night (I cannot find that journal for the life of me). It was one of the first successful colonies I remember RushmoreAnts raising from just queens. Although this year I was only able to catch 6, I thought that this entry and the ones following could perhaps add slightly to the conversation surrounding this species complex.

 

So, why can I only add slightly? There are a huge number of S. molesta-complex journals out there. I am not even going to start mentioning them because there are too many. I will, however, mention two journals you could check out if you are interested in micro sized ants, the theme of this journal. bmb1bee had a journal for micro ants and so did AnthonyP163. Like these journals, most S. molesta threads rarely go past two pages (I found only one that did). Very few mature colonies have been documented, and the ones that have are usually wild-caught. So I hope to be able to raise these queens to workers (which is really easy) and document their progress to maximum size. Small ants are fun to keep! I will attempt to convince you of that in this journal.

 

There is one journal of utmost importance to further research on this species, and this is by Mdrogun. In it, they document the inbreeding process of a wild-caught S. molesta colony and capture some amazing video footage of it happening (as well as a super cool colony). Because queens of this species live a very short time, maybe only two years, inbreeding allows these colonies to live for a theoretically unlimited time and grow to a theoretically infinite size. Although these ants grow super fast, they take up a super small amount of room, and therefore can also be budget-friendly to ant-keepers. As always, please post information and pictures of your colony below to add to the conversation!

 

So, why did I label my species as a species complex? Firstly, there is a huge color variation in S. molesta queens around here, ranging from all a light yellow to some with darker heads, to some with darker heads and abdomen. These queens all found together but it still makes ID's hard. Secondly, Antwiki calls this species group "difficult to identify." Finally, ReignofRage, An Entomology Technician at the LACM, notes in their journal that the molesta "species group has quite messy taxonomy, so I'm not too keen on making a species identification until workers arrive."

My colonies

I caught my six queens on 8/20 along with the L. neoniger and L. brevicornis flights in my neighborhood. My Lasius sp. journal is located here; I encourage you to read it  . I cannot accurately determine the health of this species in my area as I was not at my usual ant hunting ground, and therefore do not have past statistics on how many queens were caught. I split them into two groups of three queens, one for me and one to sell here.

 

9/2/24

 

 

 

9/8/24

 

 

 

Edited by Ants_Dakota, September 15 2024 - 3:57 PM.

[OwlThatLikesAnts]

The little cuties   btw, they take very long to grow. abt 52 days from egg to worker. They don't require hibernation

Edited by OwlThatLikesAnts, September 8 2024 - 4:40 PM.

[bmb1bee]

The little cuties   btw, they take very long to grow. abt 52 days from egg to worker. They don't require hibernation

They can actually take much sooner to develop into workers, when heated well.

[Ants_Dakota]

The little cuties   btw, they take very long to grow. abt 52 days from egg to worker. They don't require hibernation

True, they do not, but I do like to treat my ants how South Dakota would too. I have heard negative stories about what happens when you don't hibernate ants that live in areas that do have winter, but if you do know of an article or post that disproves that I may think again about hibernating them. I agree though, they are cute!

[Ants_Dakota]

 

The little cuties   btw, they take very long to grow. abt 52 days from egg to worker. They don't require hibernation

They can actually take much sooner to develop into workers, when heated well.

 

Currently they have no heat but I do plan on creating something for them at some point. I just need to get a temperature sensor first. By the way, what happened to the colonies in your journal micro journal?

Edited by Ants_Dakota, September 9 2024 - 4:24 AM.

[Ants_Dakota]

Ants_Dakota's Micro Ants Journal

Entry 2: Brachymyrmex depilis

9/11/2024

Background

Even though I have been around Solenopsis molesta for much of my ant-keeping career, small ants continually surprise me. For one thing, they are so hard to find. The only queens of this species that I have were caught out of the air because that was the only place RushmoreAnts and I could see them. The other is how, even though there are multiple tiny ant genera (as of writing this, three of which will be featured in this journal!), they all behave and are raised completely differently. For example, my last post was about Solenopsis molesta, which will literally grow despite you doing anything for them. Brachymyrmex depilis is completely the opposite (it is even the opposite of its cousin, Brachymyrmex patagonicus). There are dozens of S. molesta journals but only four for B. depilis. Firstly, and most importantly because it is active, is RPT's journal. [Edit: an updated and detailed post can be found here] In it, he remarks "It's taken four queens and three years of seeing very few if any ants to finally have one colony that now regularly feed from protein that I give them and appear to be raising brood and increasing." This is really the only success I know of when it comes to captive B. depilis colonies. If you happen to have one, please post about it below! There is also a very short journal from Manitobant. AnthonyP163 has a longer journal with some helpful information, such as "All of the Brachymyrmex have died, which seems to happen a lot" and, following another year's catch "The Brachymyrmex didn't make it, as always" (just kidding, those first two are just laying out how difficult the species is ) and finally, "a single depilis queen has large larvae and eggs. This is as far as I have gotten founding this species. She has a claustral chamber in some damp dirt in a test tube." This is the information I based my care of the species on. Finally, Mettcollsuss has a depilis archive essentially of their and others' failures and successes with keeping this species. Antwiki notes that one of the unique features of these ants is that "depilis workers have flexible connections that permit their gaster to easily expand and contract." They are mini honeypot ants!

 

My colonies

I caught these queens with RushmoreAnts during a blacklighting trip on 8/31/2024 in Union Grove State Park in South Dakota. As with Lasius, it was too light for the blacklight to be effective when they flew, so we ended up catching mating queens with our hands. Important note, bring a net with you when going on an anting trip, and one with fine mesh. It will save you from running around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to catch queens who fly low and before dark. In total 14 queens were caught, and two died before we made it back to Sioux Falls. I currently care for 9 of them, and RushmoreAnts has a three-queen personal colony. I have added vermiculite to each of my colonies to make the setup natural and replicate AnthonyP163's journal to see if this makes a difference.

 

9/2/24

 

 

 

9/8/24

 

 

9/11/24

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Ants_Dakota, September 15 2024 - 7:01 AM.

[OwlThatLikesAnts]

They also very cute 

always wanted bachymyrmrex

[Ants_Dakota]

They also very cute 

always wanted bachymyrmrex

Just wait for the workers...

[bmb1bee]

Currently they have no heat but I do plan on creating something for them at some point. I just need to get a temperature sensor first. By the way, what happened to the colonies in your journal micro journal?

A mix of things ended up happening to them haha. A couple I sold/traded off for better colonies, while the Hypoponera ended up dying. I was also pretty preoccupied with other things, so I couldn't find the time to dedicate myself to a journal or two. This year though, I'll be maintaining a couple of journals on the more uncommon ants I keep, since those would be much more worth it! Good luck on founding B. depilis by the way, I've heard they can be difficult to keep.

Edited by bmb1bee, September 12 2024 - 7:46 AM.

[Ants_Dakota]

 

Currently they have no heat but I do plan on creating something for them at some point. I just need to get a temperature sensor first. By the way, what happened to the colonies in your journal micro journal?

A mix of things ended up happening to them haha. A couple I sold/traded off for better colonies, while the Hypoponera ended up dying. I was also pretty preoccupied with other things, so I couldn't find the time to dedicate myself to a journal or two. This year though, I'll be maintaining a couple of journals on the more uncommon ants I keep, since those would be much more worth it! Good luck on founding B. depilis by the way, I've heard they can be difficult to keep.

 

Yup one look at the journals will show you that. Good luck on the species and journals!

[ANTdrew]

These are some of the last queens to fly in my area. They are quite cute. Good luck with them.

[Ants_Dakota]

These are some of the last queens to fly in my area. They are quite cute. Good luck with them.

Thank you, I hope to have better luck than the few other journals, but time will tell!

[rptraut]

Hello Ants Dakota;

 

I was pleased to read that you're interested in my journal entry regarding Brachymyrmex depilis.   I've updated the B. depilis colonies development in my journal located here   RPT's Journal - Ant Keeping Journals - Ants & Myrmecology Forum (formiculture.com)

 

I'll be watching your journal with interest because I've never kept a B. depilis queen in a test tube, there were times I wished I had kept at least one where I could see its development.    Most of the time I had to guesstimate what was going on.   I hope my journal will help someone succeed keeping these ants.  I'm happy to answer any questions.

RPT

[Ants_Dakota]

Hello Ants Dakota;

 

I was pleased to read that you're interested in my journal entry regarding Brachymyrmex depilis.   I've updated the B. depilis colonies development in my journal located here   RPT's Journal - Ant Keeping Journals - Ants & Myrmecology Forum (formiculture.com)

 

I'll be watching your journal with interest because I've never kept a B. depilis queen in a test tube, there were times I wished I had kept at least one where I could see its development.    Most of the time I had to guesstimate what was going on.   I hope my journal will help someone succeed keeping these ants.  I'm happy to answer any questions.

RPT

My entry has been updated to reflect your detailed and helpful post! I am also excited to see what happens and to compare the similarities and differences between our colonies. I do know that raising a queen to workers can happen in a test tube, as one of the journal writers above was able to do it, but after that things become a mystery. If I have any questions, you will be the first place I will go!

Edited by Ants_Dakota, September 13 2024 - 4:37 AM.

[Ants_Dakota]

Ants_Dakota's Micro Ants Journal

Entry 3: Temnothorax ambiguus

9/15/2024

Background

Temnothorax ambiguus, one of the species in the Temnothorax longispinosus group, was a unique and special find for me because it was the first ant ever to be attracted to my at the time brand new blacklighting setup (please let me know if you are interested in me creating a post detailing my setup and how I made it). It was also an important find because I promised RushmoreAnts and Thunder_Birds I would eat my shoe if we didn't catch and queens that night (the weather was just to perfect). One of the things unique to this genus is that colonies rarely grow above 200 workers, with Temnothorax ambiguus rarely getting above 100 according to Antwiki. This is very attractive to some ant-keepers because it means less maintenance, food costs, and pricy formicaria bills. I have in fact had multiple people PM me specifically asking if I had Temnothorax available for these very reasons. Interestingly, the few ant suppliers in the US who sell Temnothorax only sell T. curvispinosus, which appears to be more common.

There are very few specific journals detailing Temnothorax ambiguus, especially mature colonies. OiledOlives posted in their general journal about their Temnothorax ambiguus colony, and was also very helpful in IDing my colony, as well as providing helpful information about the ID's of different Temnothorax species native to North America. CatsnAnts' has a journal with beautiful pictures detailing a Temnothorax sp. colony that they originally thought was T. ambiguus. This is about the reach of the formiculture documentation of this species, so hopefully I can add to the conversation surrounding these micro ants.

As a continuation of the ID topic, another species (or microgene, which is a queen of the same species which is unusually small), was caught at the same blacklight as these queens. I took the larger queens (maybe 12 of them?) and RushmoreAnts took the smaller ones (maybe 9?). Unfortunately, RushmoreAnts's colonies never took off as it appeared all of his queens were unmated, but three of mine are still alive today. This goes to show how blacklights catch a pretty high number of unmated queens in some circumstances and with some species. Hopefully, RushmoreAnts can post pictures of his dead queens for comparison.

My Colony

I caught these queens in Newton Hills on 7/20/24, and they have their first nanitic!
 

9/2/2024

 

 

 

 

 

9/8/2024

 

Album: Temnothorax sp. ID

11 images

0 comments

 

9/14/2024

 

 

 

 

Edited by Ants_Dakota, September 15 2024 - 11:27 AM.

[RushmoreAnts]

Edited by RushmoreAnts, September 15 2024 - 11:48 AM.

[Ants_Dakota]

Ants_Dakota's Micro Ants Journal

Update #1: Diapause preparation and loss/transfer of colonies 

10/30/2024

Background

This is going to be a standard update before I put all of my queens into diapause for the next 5 months. Several of the colonies in this journal are making their last appearance but hopefully, I will be able to catch more queens next year.

Brachymyrmex depilis

I am down to one colony of these little ants, with some being sold and one colony, unfortunately, perishing due to unknown circumstances (as typical with this species). There is little to note about the last remaining colony, as Brachymyrmex depilis do not lay eggs before spring because they are caught so late in the year. The good news though is that these queens are almost positively mated, as I caught them in the act of mating.

 

 

Two of the three queens in my last colony (which is still available for sale on my Shop.

 

 

 

Queens seem to rarely remove their wings when caught while flying. Only one-fourth of B. depilis queens caught this year did this.

 

 

Solenopsis molesta

Due to me only catching one nuptial flight of Lasius this year, and not being in my usual S. molesta hunting ground, I only have 2 colonies of these ants this year, each with three queens. Fascinatingly, even though they were stored centimeters from each other, one colony decided to eat its eggs and wait until spring to get workers, while the other already had around 8 workers raised, with more on the way. This reinforces that queen genetics plays a huge role in the success of colonies kept by antkeepers. Many Formica queens that I have kept (one of such colonies found in my Formica sp. Journal) refuse to lay eggs even when fed often, while some colonies lay eggs even when not fed. This is an important piece of information to think about when purchasing a queen with a set number of workers from a bulk distributor. Did the colony you got raise workers in a month, or three months? The difference determines the growth rate and success of your colony in the future.

 

 

Colony with around 8 workers. They are reserved for sale from my shop.

 

 

 

Amazing detail on one of the smallest ants known to exist

 

 

Temnothorax ambiguus

Unfortunately, this colony, or rather the queen, perished due to mold. I was aware of the mold problem, caused because three-fourths of the queens in her test tube died due to infertility, but decided to wait to change the test tube until my Por Amor Cryptic Ant Inserts arrived. I believe Por Amor is backlogged currently as the inserts are taking weeks to ship, and during this time all three of the queens died. Interestingly, both of the workers and all of the brood were still alive at this time, but there was little I could do. This is a great lesson on being proactive with your colonies and taking the 5 minutes to change their test tube if something comes up.
This is a very sad ending for this colony, as I was excited to keep them for the first time, but I will hopefully be able to keep them one day in the future (as I do not currently have another trip planned to target this genus).

Edited by Ants_Dakota, October 31 2024 - 6:05 AM.