13 replies to this topic

[Mercutia]

Caught these babies throughout August. They all have a worker each except one.

 

 

 

 

[wook]

Wooow, second photo is super awesome. She's so full of the eggs.

Formica (serviformica) sp. do not need help, but I guess it will not mind.

Does she have brood? I don't see any reason why her gaster would be so swollen if she's laying an eggs there...

[Mercutia]

Lol that picture is right after she gorged herself on jam. Out of the 4 F. subsericea queens, 3 of them have a worker. Only two of those queens have laid eggs again (although the brood is really small, maybe 1-3 eggs). I was told that this species tends to grow pretty fast so I was a little concerned.

[wook]

Indeed they do, my F. fusca queen died at exact month after I found her, two days later her first workers hatched...

[Mercutia]

Took my Formicas out of hibernation. So far all four of them have survived, including the two workers. They seem pretty hardy, which is nice. They refuse to eat though...

[Matt]

Didn't you gave them something to eat during hibernation?

[Mercutia]

Nope. I just stuck them in the fridge and said, "See you next spring!"

[Crystals]

Can't wait to see how they do this year.

 

If they follow the same trend that my Formica did, within one month they will start laying eggs.

[Mercutia]

I'm debating whether to feed them. They really get ANTsy if I handle their test tube. Do you think they'll be okay if I just let them be?

[Crystals]

If you just pulled them out of hibernation, you should feed them.

 

You can even attach their test tube to a small outworld so it is easier to feed them.  Those small deli containers even work pretty good.  That way you don't have to handle their test tube.

 

Just use a piece of vinyl tubing that fits snuggly inside the test tube.  Or if it is a bit too small, wrap the tubing in some fabric until it fits tightly.

 

Or you can even just place the opened test tube into a foraging area. You may want to narrow the test tube opening to keep the humidity higher inside.  A small piece of tubing wrapped in cloth or clay works well.

[Mercutia]

I saw two of my queens running around the test tube with what I assume is an egg in their mandibles. YAYYYYY. Hopefully these eggs survive this time.

[Mercutia]

 

Cocoons make me so excited! That's a healthy starting brood for an overwintered queen. Good for her!

[Mercutia]

Managed to take a picture of a freshly eclosed nanitic. So cuteeee.

 

[Crystals]

Cute. 

After the first few workers arrive, the colony tends to grow pretty quickly.