26 replies to this topic

[JackPearl]

16/7/17

Hey so this is my journal (never done this before) and I know that I've started kinda late, since my first nanitics (ever) arrived last night...but I thought hey I'd give it a go!

So I caught a couple months ago (I'm from Australia, so it's actually winter here) 3 Iridomyrmyx queens, 3 Notoncus queens and a pheidole queen. Now Since then, my Iridomyrmyx have all got ranging amounts of pupae...(between 1-6 pupae in Each queens test tube) With one queens first nanitic arriving last night! With my notoncus they all have larvae and two of them are expecting pupae very soon, and my pheidole, who I suspect is infertile is still kicking about so...we will see!

Now, I will be handing one of my Iridomyrmyx colonies to a mate soon, so we will be seeing them go, and I may also gift the third notoncus queen, (if things get a little busy)...

The Iridomyrmyx queens are "Suzy" "Holly" and (named by my little brother) "Jimmy", with this journal going to mainly be about my Iridomyrmyx ant colonies (I will occasionally update on the two Notoncus colonies from time to time).

Here are some photo I managed to snap of Suzy with her first worker this morning, (off an iPad camera) i don't own a good camera but I am looking into purchasing one soonish.

(Photos refused to upload, so I'm going to post the photos in a comment of the journal)...

Thanks for following this experience with me, and if you have ANY advice, please share because I really am beyond a newbie at antkeeping.

Edited by JackPearl, November 5 2017 - 4:10 PM.

[JackPearl]

16/7/17




Haha! I figured it out, well here's Suzy and her first nanitic, if you look in the back of the first (better) picture there are 2-3 pupae and one is yellowed, so hopefully she should receive her second nanitic in the next day or so.

Edited by JackPearl, July 16 2017 - 2:16 AM.

[JackPearl]

17/7/17

Just a quick notice (from Australia we are ahead, (from most) by a day, so when I say 17th of July, it might be the 16th for you..also this update is for yesterday as today is the 18th of July in Australia, just getting that out there

Just a quick update for my Iridomyrmyx colonies!

So "Suzy" now has 2 workers, and actually had their first meal yesterday, my second queen "holly" is up to 1 worker and will be being fed, tommorrow (19/7/17)

Suzy's first worker drank the honey until full and I'm assuming, then fed her sister and queen!

Here is some footage, with some little edits of the worker drinking honey. (also I know it isn't zoomed well, I will try and get some closer up photos/videos soon)



There will be a bigger update tommorrow.

Edited by JackPearl, July 18 2017 - 12:14 AM.

[JackPearl]

19/7/17

Big update today!

So Suzy now has four workers!





One is newly eclosed, so she is a faint greyish colouring.
I've re-fed them some honey, so hopefully they will start eating that!

Suzy still has a large amount of larvae and pupae left, and I believe she is expecting a new worker today or tommorrow!

Holly still has still only got one worker, but has plenty of yellow pupae so should be expecting workers soon.

On a bad note, I believe Holly has a growing mold in her test tube, which makes it worse since she has quite a small area to move about etc, so I'm attached a new test tube to her Current one, and have her test tube in the natural light, with the other in the darkness, hopefully this encourages her to move!





The cotton ball is plugging a hole in the tape that connects the tubes, so the don't suffocate due to there being no air.

To finish off, the other queens still have pupae which are all turning yellow, so I'm expecting the other queen to have her first workers in the next day or two!

Thanks.

[JackPearl]

21/7/17

So we have some important news about our Iridomyrmyx colonies!

Suzy now has 5 workers with holly still having one, (with one eclosing currently).
Suzy has been rapidly becoming more and more difficult to feed inside the test tube due to the ever growing number of workers arriving! So due to this, I have decided to build them their own outworld!







So this is my first ever attempt at an outworld (if you have any recommendations, please leave a comment)
It comes with an extra (covered at the moment) hole for another test tube or connector, airholes, straw entrance for (comfort apparently?) ant barrier, dirt and rock!
They are slowly working up the confidence to explore the barren land, and hopefully find the surprise fallen foe! (Dead cricket).

Everything else is pretty good right now, everyone seems ok and happy! Going to be feeding holly and her two workers their first meal tommorrow, so I'll have photos of that in the next day or two.

Thanks, hope you are enjoying these journal entries, and would you guys like videos? Or are photos and text ok?

[EDIT]

So I forgot that I was moving holly and her worker last update, so after some deliberation, I have decided to postpone her moving until she has more workers before she makes that journey of moving

Edited by JackPearl, July 21 2017 - 2:49 AM.

[JackPearl]

21/7/17 quick update, suzys workers have moved dirt into the test tube as substrate!

[JackPearl]

23/717

Hey, so a fair bit has happened between today and the last update,

So starting from the beginning, I was checking Suzy and her workers and how they were coping, and I'd noticed they'd continued moving dirt into the test tube as substrate, and to cover the small honey spill, now as I was watching this fascinated, I went to count the workers, only to find 4...I looked everywhere for the fifth worker, and after a while noticed the shape of a worker under the dirt, in the honey.
I was gutted, my first worker had died due to a stupid mistake of mine, I was so upset and guilty that it'd died so soon...

The next day I told myself it was fine, and after checking noticed the fifth worker! , I checked back where I last saw it drowned and realised the ants had PULLED it out of the honey!

I was beyond thankful that it hadn't died.
Now they are enjoying their outworld and so all is good on their front.

Sorry the photos went great it was 1:13 when I took them...



Holly now has her second worker! (Yay) I decided to finally feed her and her two workers and so moved them into a small container to do so, immediately the older worker (darker one) was drinking the honey, after 5 minutes it ran to the queen and other worker to perform trophylaxis. After a couple trips the queen decided she wasn't getting the honey quick enough and went to the honey!!! The workers quickly brought her back to the safety of the test tube ;D







The other iridomyrmex queen has no workers yet, (soon) and the notoncus have (THE FATTEST) larvae I have ever seen! So workers soon for them aswell.

[JackPearl]

25/7/17

Just an update,

Suzy's Iridomyrmyx colony is now at 8 workers!
Three workers eclosed overnight, and so the test tube is a whole lot busier



Holly has 2 workers still, and the mold has managed to get worse, and worse, and worse...so I've decided that with a new worker arriving soon, that I'll connect them up to a new tube!
The notoncus still have huge larvae but are starting to become milky in colour, so they should be pupae soon!

I'll update again soon, or when something cool happens!

Thanks for reading everybody, and if any of you have advice with keeping the ants, moving ants, or writing a journal, please reply and help!

[JackPearl]

30/7/17

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, been very busy, but since I've been back...quite a bit has occurred!

So Holly has 3 workers now! And with one worker eclosing they are progressing well,
The third colony, with Annie, has two workers and also one worker closing currently.
They are both being fed honey and seem to be all happy and healthy.




Now, Suzy...she is at 10 or so workers with 2 eclosing currently, but the big news is, she has had multiple escapes (I have managed to collect them up and put them back) but the issue remains that there is a gap that they are escaping through,
After (hours) of checking, I've decided to move them into a new container!

Using red sand and dirt that I'd collected while at a families house over the weekend I have decided to make a completely new (terrarium?) for them.



After a good hour or so of complete stress (me and the ants) they were officially moved in!




Please tell me whatcha think about their new home and if there are any recommendations on improving anything!
Thanks for reading!

[JackPearl]

3/8/17

Heya, so I have really been slacking with my posting recently, and well I've decided to post

So Suzy and her workers have as you've seen In the last post moved into the new terrarium thing, have been THRIVING! Every time I check them there is a bigger and bigger pile of assorted brood! Eggs, larvae, pupae...she's going nuts! And I reckon they are between 15-20 workers now.

The two smaller colonies have 3 and four workers and are doing well.


(Don't mind the name, just chose something random)

P.S

My pheidole queen, whom I've considered infertile as she hasn't laid a (single) egg for months, LAID AN EGG!

Edited by JackPearl, August 2 2017 - 10:09 PM.

[JackPearl]

6/8/17

Update time!

Hey guys, so a lot has happened today and it's all pretty exciting, so I have been chatting with a fellow antkeeper Jon, (antmate) and I had decided that I didn't particularly want three Iridomyrmyx colonies, as I felt that I would only have a similiar experience with all three. So I met up with Jon and traded ants!! I trade the two smaller Iridomyrmyx colonies and two of my three notoncus queens for a Camponotus consobrinus colony and an ochetellus glaber queen.



(Camponotus colony)

(Ochetellus queen)

So unfortunately we won't be seeing the two smaller colonies grow but we will have a new Camponotus colony to watch grow up, I will change the name of the thread to something likewise.

On the Iridomyrmyx front our main colony are going bonkers, honestly the queen is pumping out new eggs like she's the Easter bunny and every time I check, more workers more brood, they couldn't be going any better!



(Sorry about the photos, the glare was really bad and I honestly couldn't seem to get them into a glare-free area)

[JackPearl]

10/8/17

Hey guys, sorry I haven't been posting so often, just been busy and I really haven't had much time to get some photos and videos of the colonies.

Ok, so I did manage to (finally) feed my new Camponotus Consobrinus colony!
It took me about three days to do, as I had to adjust the heating cable so they wouldn't pile the brood all right at the front of the test tube, kinda (extremely) difficult to feed them if they are all just sitting there.

Here's a bit of dodgy footage of the Camponotus consobrinus! (Hope You enjoy).

[JackPearl]

15/8/17

Hey everyone, so a fair bit has happened recently and i managed to grab some photos and footage of stuff.

So with the Iridomyrmyx colony, it's been really hard for me to take good photos or videos of them recently as they are in an natural terrarrium or "tubs and tubes" styled scenario. This means instead of being contrasted against white paper, the blend into the sand and dirt, however I did manage to get some footage of all the workers dashing around like idiots.



This is by far the best footage I've managed to record in a while with the guys, and so you guys can all see their progress.

Now with the Camponotus consobrinus, I was honestly a little gutted when I noticed a dead worker, and then nervous when I tried to put my finger on WHY it died. After contacting the guy who sold them to me, he said that it was an older worker and had been about for maybe two to three months, and so it's death was probably due to old age.

Honestly it was a bloody relief, as I really didn't want to explain to him they had died randomly.
Anyway since then two more workers have eclosed and they are now at 4 workers.

Now for a bit of a reveal? I dunno honestly, I've been looking into acrylic nests as I feel the Iridomyrmyx colony will soon outgrow their current test tube, and I was hoping for something a bit more permanent or where I could attach more nests and outworld easily. So I went down to the shops and found this thing!




I found this thing (minus the holes) for $1.50 at the store, and I just thought "wow, it's basically an ant nest!"
And within the day, I'd drilled the holes into the container.

I thought it looked good and then suddenly remembered *Hydration* *Humidity*
So I'm planning on buying some sponge next time I'm down the shops, and finish it off!

Thanks for reading, and please tell me if I should change anything on the nest!

Edited by JackPearl, August 14 2017 - 9:55 PM.

[JackPearl]

22/8/17

Hey guys sorry I haven't posted in ages, I've been super busy and there hasn't been too much to report on. Both colonies and all the queens are doing fabulously.

Here's some footage of the Camponotus, now called the "sugar bandits"!!

Hope you enjoy, will be getting some better footage and photos soon!
Thanks.

[JackPearl]

18/9/17


Hello! Been a super long time since I've updated this journal and so yeah, here is an update

The Iridomyrmex colony had recently had their second generation of eggs hatch. I couldn't count, but I was guessing at about 100 larvae. They ate through two or three whole crickets in a couple of days and within maybe two weeks...pupae are arriving.
Currently these pupae are all starting to appear aswell as a fair few of them are eclosing into new workers.

I'm guessing the colony will be at 100+ workers in a month or so.
When this population explosion occurs, I will be moving them into a nest I make, updates on that soon.

[EDIT] thanks to @Serafine for the great idea, these guys are now called the "Speedos" if you know Mikey Bustos, you get the reference.

(Here's a terrible photo of the colony and all their brood.)




Now, the Camponotus, now officially known as the "Sugar Bandits" are going well. Slowly but surely growing in numbers.
Currently at 7 workers with 4 pupae, 5-7 larvae and a new generation of eggs being laid as we speak.
These ants have been a wonder to care for and watch, and have been pretty photogenic.

(Here's some photos)





Finally, the Ochetellus glaber queen has workers!
Four to be exact. Currently they are growing well, and I'm happy with their progress. Soon when I give them an outworld I will supply them with small pieces of raw paper, as they like to chew up paper and use it for nesting etc.

(A photo I managed to take of them)



With summer just around the corner, we have had some nuptial flights!
Yes! This is my second nuptial flight season, and I have caught myself a range of ants.

Iridomyrmex queens: 5



Monomorium queens: 5 (1 dead)




[EDIT] if anyone knows the species of monomorium this is, it'd be GREATLY appreciated
Some info:
Found in NSW australia.
About 5mm in length.
Brown to black in colour with orange to yellow gaster.

Rhytidoponera queen:




So, hopefully I can start posting a tiny bit more regularly now, as summer is coming again in Australia and we will be having some more increased activity within the colonies. Hope you enjoyed the read, if you have any idea on the Monomorium species or any recommendations on what type of nest I should make or buy for my Iridomyrmyx colony, please comment. The advice is much appreciated AND needed

[JackPearl]

23/9/17

Update time!

So nuptial flights have been starting up in Australia and I've caught 11 more iridomyrmex queens since I last updated.
These ants will be available to sell in about a month or so. If any is from Australia and Is looking to buy or trade PM me.

Anyway, the colonies.

The "speedos" (thanks to serafine for naming them xD) are doing fine. Their larvae are all pupating and I'm seeing another population explosion coming on. I FINALLY got a good photo of them, (had a few escapees but I put them back).




I reckon they'll be at 100+ workers in a month.

The Camponotus are going well, with 5 pupae and 5-6 larvae. The queen is still laying eggs and it's going great.
Although, tragedy struck. Overnight a worker died. I'm not sure how or why, but it's dead. It's a little sad, but I've got to move on, 5 pupae are here and in a couple of days they'll be at 12-13 workers.

I fed them some green sugar water to see how much they drink, and also to see their green garters
I circled the dead worker, they are using her to feed the larvae ;(

The Ochetellus are at 5 workers now and the queens I'm catching are all happily situated.
Thanks for reading.

[JackPearl]

23/9/17

Update time!

So nuptial flights have been starting up in Australia and I've caught 11 more iridomyrmex queens since I last updated.
These ants will be available to sell in about a month or so. If any is from Australia and Is looking to buy or trade PM me.

Anyway, the colonies.

The "speedos" (thanks to serafine for naming them xD) are doing fine. Their larvae are all pupating and I'm seeing another population explosion coming on. I FINALLY got a good photo of them, (had a few escapees but I put them back).




I reckon they'll be at 100+ workers in a month.

The Camponotus are going well, with 5 pupae and 5-6 larvae. The queen is still laying eggs and it's going great.
Although, tragedy struck. Overnight a worker died. I'm not sure how or why, but it's dead. It's a little sad, but I've got to move on, 5 pupae are here and in a couple of days they'll be at 12-13 workers.

I fed them some green sugar water to see how much they drink, and also to see their green garters
I circled the dead worker, they are using her to feed the larvae ;(




The Ochetellus are at 5 workers now and the queens I'm catching are all happily situated.
Thanks for reading.

[JackPearl]

30/10/17

A really quick update,

Hey everyone, sorry I've been seriously inactive with the journal, I've been waiting for something special that I've organised and I'm excited to show you. I should have a proper update in maybe, a week. I'm really hoping you guys will like to see the colonies again, and I'm excited to start updating the journal regularly again.
30/10/17

Edited by JackPearl, November 5 2017 - 4:11 PM.

[JackPearl]

6/11/17

An update!

Hello everyone, so a lot has changed since I last updated and I have got a few announcements for this journal and more.

So where do we start? I guess the Camponotus

These girls have actually being growing quick and are now at 17 workers, with 3 or so pupae, 10+ larvae and a handful of new eggs. Their brood has been developing really fast, as in Australia its spring, and I'm really happy with them.

With their newfound growth came the decision to move them into a Formicarium, with a bit of research and reading I decided to buy 2 Size 3 Ytong nests from Ants Australia. When they arrived, I moved them into it. They took a while, but finally moved the queen and brood into the new nest.

Before:



After:



I have been told (and can see) that they are a little small for the nest, mind you that 2-3 workers were foraging at the time of the photo, and that three pupae are nearly ready to eclose. They should fit it perfectly soon enough, and I'm not worried.

Anyway,these girls are going great and I'm really excited to see polymorphism in the workers. There aren't any true majors yet, with their big heads, but there are definetly bigger minor workers.



They are very hungry and eat a lot of protein, and I'm hoping that their first true major Is soon to come.

Now, for a brief summary on the other colonies, the Iridomyrmex colony is really slowly growing, and nothing has changed, they eat, they forage, they care for the brood. So nothing crazy there.

Sadly, we have lost the Ochetellus, when I arrived home from school, probably two or three weeks ago, I saw my window covered in workers, and the test tube filled with wild ants, the brood, gone. The workers, dead and the queen? Dieing.
I moved her into a fresh tube but she sadly didn't make it. I felt horrible, and really angry that I let the wild colony get to them, but there was nothing I could do.

Ok, for the big Announcement:

As you can probably see, I've changed the name of the journal. From now on, this journal will be for the Camponotus Consobrinus colony. I may very very occasionally update on the other colonies.

I've also decided, that I want to start some new colonies, and also some new journals.

So, when I went to my school camp, me and my friend caught 6 Camponotus Lownei queens.



I will have a journal on the growth of these girls aswell as another journal on my Rhytidoponera queen that I recently caught.
If you'd like to, please check them out

Thanks for reading, and I promise I will update a little more regularly

[JackPearl]

12/11/17

A very quick update!

These girls are thriving in this nest, with the queen laying a new whole batch of eggs, and I'm very excited to see them grow out this nest. I also added an outworld, which compliments the Aussie bush. I even added a rat skull for ornamental purposes.

Recently they have been a bit difficult to find a food they'll eat. But they've decided Shrimp Is good. I've fed them a whole shrimp and i have plenty more to come.