102 replies to this topic

[dspdrew]

[dspdrew]

Update 3-12-2016
 
Both colonies are still doing great. One is up to around 35 workers, and the other is up to about 60 workers. They both have plenty of brood too.
 

 

 

 

 

 

[Gregory2455]

Do you put anything in your sand that keeps it so sturdy from caving in???

[Interested Anter]

He might put clay.

Edited by Interested Anter, March 29 2016 - 9:48 PM.

[dspdrew]

Yeah it's a clay/sand mixture that comes like that naturally from the desert.

[dspdrew]

Update 7-23-2017
 
I found a few more of these queens in Nipton, California on 7-18-2017. I dug them out of founding chambers.

[Antking117]

These are creepy looking.

[marcel]

Interesting to see that Myrmecocystus queens and small colonies die so quick and unexpected. I wonder what causes the loss of a queen of a small colony so fast. My Myrmecocystus mendax started with 3 workers and grew up to be 41-42 workers until 4 repletes and 2 weeks later the queen died without changing temperature or anything. They were also definately not underfed. From what I experienced from several journals I read ever since I am a member of this forum is, that all kind of dirt box or earth/sand mixed in setups had the highest survival rate. Maybe we Myrmecocystus keepers are missing 1 natural component that Myrmecocystus needs, be it wrong moisture or temperature, some sort of bacteria or nutrition.

 

You can keep any Camponotus, Pheidole or whatever species as long as they accept food, don't dry out, don't get flooded, attacked by other ants, not over/underheated they will always survive for years if all stays in check.

 

But Myrmecocystus even if u had the perfect temperature, moisture, food supply they still randomly die. And this is a big mystery. Too bad nobody could solve it yet. 

[Superant33]

I have two M. mimicus colonies that are nearing a decade. It would be three, but I accidentally squashed a queen while doing formicarium maintenance.

[dspdrew]

It would be three, but I accidentally squashed a queen while doing formicarium maintenance.

 

Wow that must have sucked. Was it just extremely bad luck, or was she part of larger group of colony members that died?

[dspdrew]

Update 10-31-2017
 
I sold one of the older colonies, leaving me with just the largest one, which now has over a hundred workers.
 
I decided to move it out of the old-style Dirt Box and into one of my large new ones.
 

 
 
All the new ones I found this season are already gone.

[dspdrew]

Update 1-28-2018
 
This colony is continuing to grow larger and larger. They still haven't moved into a new Dirt Box yet. They simply won't move until their nest completely dries out, but even then sometimes they still won't move and end up dying instead. I keep adding water because I'm afraid they're going to die when it starts getting too dry and they aren't budging. I'm now going to try a different approach. Since these are connected at the out world surface level, I'm going to see if I can flood them out slowly. Unfortunately some repletes are probably going to die.

[Superant33]

Sorry for the late reply, but I was trying to add substrate with a chopstick. I thought the queen was in another location. She paid for my lapse in judgment.

[YsTheAnt]

Could you make a tutorial on how to move ants out of the dirt boxes, for people who buy them?

[Derpy]

Are you also going to start selling the bigger dirt boxes?

[FSTP]

Wow, Drew that's amazing! 

 

I'm so excited to start anting again, I'm having ant withdrawal.. I just need to wait till its not so chilly here in Fresno. 

[dspdrew]

Could you make a tutorial on how to move ants out of the dirt boxes, for people who buy them?

 

As long as it's not Myrmecocystus you're trying to move, all you need to do is connect the two Dirt Boxes together using the little connector tube. Let the old one dry out while keeping the new one hydrated.

 

 

Are you also going to start selling the bigger dirt boxes?

 

Yes.

[YsTheAnt]

Ok, with Myrmecocystus is there any way you found that seems to have at least some success?

[dspdrew]

Ok, with Myrmecocystus is there any way you found that seems to have at least some success?

 

Yes. Carefully dumping them out.

[YsTheAnt]

Ok. Through the top? Or from the little hole?