28 replies to this topic

[sgheaton]

Actually found TWO of these. Both had more-or-less similar set ups on my back patio. Lil dirt nests in the bricks. NO idea where they came from as I haven't seen Pogonomyrmex in my yard ever...

 

Title:
1. Location of collection - Firestone, CO. On my back porch - Walking on my bricks. 
2. Todays Date - 7/27/16
 
Body:
1. Location of collection - This is a picture of where I have found them - http://i.imgur.com/ZeyIgIQ -  she had it made. 

2. Date of collection -  7/26/16      ~4:00 p.m. 
3. Habitat of collection  - backyard? 
4. Length  - Calipers showed ~8 mm
5. Coloration, hue, pattern and texture - Red all over
6. Nest description - I should have taken a picture of it but I will describe it as a "mud-daupers nest" in the channel between my bricks. I can't believe I saw her running around. 
7. Post the clearest pictures possible of the top, side, and face of the ant in question, and if possible, their nest and the habitat they were collected in.

One immediately began to dig when she touched dirt. I took videos of this because while my phone ....clearly operator error....I can't do decent pictures, it will do NICE videos. They both were doing the cleaning-dance. ....when people have compared them to dogs, not until I saw it roll on its side and clean its legs did I understand. It was fascinating to watch. Pictures of the two queens

Picture 1

Picture 2

Picture 3

Picture 4

Picture 5

Picture 6

Picture 7

 

Moved 1 into a somewhat..thing. 

hah...I looked in on them 7/27/16. The one was in her foil-tube-house thingy. The other one...haha...buried her honey water. The video shows a flat earth with the honey-water on top. Now its...yeah.. Didn't take a picture of the other one but I should have known giving her any liquid nectar would result in it being buried. 

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UPDATE - 7/28/16 - 2 Pogonomyrmex Occidentali (1 laying for sure)

 

As my per-usual form, I'm doing an entry the day after I checked up on everything. Oh well. Copied my ID request and threw that up top. Need to mention that I found another Pogonomyrmex queen last night, same spot and everything...except I messed up during capture and so she won't be joining the collection. NO idea where they are coming from. Scared for my back patios levelness....

Needed to get the queens into some..thing...Put together this. Both have identical set ups. http://imgur.com/GTQxUAV. Water in a test tube, two sunflower seeds, tiny tube container wrapped in foil. 

I did..little..cap things with the foil so I can open it and look in. As I moved one over..not knowing if the queen was in it..opened and she was in there with an already large pile of eggs so go team! But seriously the foil makes it no good. Can't see anything and I have no idea if they are in there sometimes. It really makes me scared that they are somehow going to get out (can't) and set up camp under my carpet. Either way they are now set up as such. Gaming room closet with a few of the others - http://imgur.com/qXk61rI

 

Side note -- Drilled a hole in my second PT vase. Terrifying. I use to work in a brewery where we had accidents of dumping the entire 9,268 bottle pallet (fun story though) so the dust/cutting fear isn't an issue. Its just really hard and scary and does a death whine the whole time. I only put one in the bottom and have changed my mind multiple times....its been tough...hard to do. Can't get the 1/8" fully set. Its even cracked a small bit (can't be seen as its inside the inner tube lip thing. Not even going to put one on the side for fear of doing damage to the vase. While I love the professional lab look of glass, drilling it just isn't a wise choice. Being in the hippie dippie world of Boulder, CO - I MIGHT be able to find someone to blow a glass shape exactly to how I'd want it - but I really am not going to fret too much about that. The vase was a temporary solution as I have plans to try and do a cylinder-cylinder combo of my own...but that involves work and I haven't done much in terms of construction yet. 

 

Edited by sgheaton, December 8 2016 - 6:23 AM.

[XZero38]

I would look at a party or craft store and get some red cellophane. I picked some up for my Pogonomyrmex and its really nice being able to see in without them freaking out.

[sgheaton]

Update - 8/1/16 - 2 Pogonomyrmex. occ queens

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So I had two Pogonomyrmex queens in Tupperware containers. One decided to set up camp inside the water tube...I decided this was because the chamber I made for her in the tube/foil was dry as sin. Took Q-tip tops and put them in there wet. Checked in on her another day and she was in there laying eggs so I believe she is happier now. Haven't assigned an identifier yet.

 

Second one...lost? ..lost. Couldn't find. Took my lil spatula tool and began to gently poke around and rake the dirt. I verbally say outloud that, "This queen is inside her container and I have snapped all the sides of the lid closed," whenever I seal them all up -- just as a check that THEY ARE SEALED IN THEIR CONTAINERS. Well I found her and she wasn't happy at my prodding. Decided if she was already wanting to dig in the handful of sand I provided for her...why not just drop her in PTs vase? Well she loved that and began to instantly tunnel. http://imgur.com/61gbRhr- bad picture sorry... The video I have of her is great though. Pulling pieces/chunks of sand out of the tunnel and dropping at the entrance before going back in for more. 

...

...well I think I was looking at her too much because the next day.... http://imgur.com/3F3U6Gw. You guys weren't joking at saying they will literally plaster all possible open sides with what they can. So much for watching her do her thing. She made an L shape against the glass. Straight down about an inch and a half...then took a hard 90 turn straight towards the center. And now we play the waiting game......

[sgheaton]

8/2/16 - She took things in a new direction. http://i.imgur.com/ENoZENm

Edited by sgheaton, August 2 2016 - 5:28 AM.

[sgheaton]

So interesting to watch.... She's made a tunnel that's wrapped the wall of the cylinder from the top down to about midway. I'm surprised she completely plugged and won't even acknowledge the tunnel I tried to make for her from the get go. This new one....my video is too large to attach..She's got big globs of dirt in her mandibles and carries it to the surface to duck back down...Think she's got a chamber in the middle as well. Either way, it's already been really fun watching her do her thing. 

[sgheaton]

1 - Swirling tunnel has now been blocked of all visibility. Small pockets she missed but otherwise she's now hidden. Had a sprout growing from the sunflower seed she didn't seem to care for. Removed it - put a few on a cap/lid this time. Picture for reference.

 

2 - Stays inside her foil tube - longing for some sweet tunnel diggin' action I'm sure. She's kinda piled some sand in front of the foil entrance. I haven't looked in on her as much as I've just made sure she has water, seeds, and is INSIDE the container. Need to construct the window pane farm for her. Havent done ANYTHING for this though. Is there something else I should be doing for her?

Edited by sgheaton, August 8 2016 - 5:09 AM.

[sgheaton]

8/11/2016 - 2 Pogonomyrmex queens, doin'' their thing

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Just an update for my records, while consolidating some of my tetras together last night, when I moved the container into the closet I use for my other ants, I noticed the queen that's in PTs vase. Might as well label her..queen (P) was surface side. She took a big glob of dirt and took it back down into her tunnel? Was kinda confused by that. Gave her fresh sunflower seeds to eat.

Didn't look in on the other. Will check her tonight. 

[sgheaton]

8/12/2016 - 2 Pogonomyrmex

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I haven't checked in on the tupperware Pogonomyrmex in awhile that I decided to last night while I was consolidating some tetras. She has an egg pile in her foil tube thing-thang. 

(P) was out on the surface the night before that I gave her some fresh sunflower seeds. I have yet to see either queen eating. A little concerned that they haven't touched (from what I can tell) the sunflower seeds and they blocked the liquid feeders up that I removed them. I'm thinking if I did a q-tip of nectar they would do the same thing. I might catch a grasshopper from the back yard, freeze it, and give that to one. ...except its....10X her size. 

[sgheaton]

8/15/16 -  2 Foraging Queens

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With all the ants in the same (gaming room) closet now, it is rather difficult to get to just one rather than them all at once. While doing tetra-work, noticed that the tuppa-queen was out foraging. I'm concerned they haven't eaten/touched the sunflower seeds. One of her shell halfs was clean so maybe... Gave both of the queens a very tiny piece of my sausage link as there weren't any grasshoppers out in the early morn.... Then I forgot to capture one for foods later. Maybe today I'll remember to snag one. 

[sgheaton]

With my concern of the two never eating anything I gave them sunflower seeds, cooked piece of sausage, and a piece of catfood the other day. I haven't seen queen (P) in PTs vase lately. Harder to view her though.... Not giving up on her yet! Queenie in the tuppaware with the egg pile has been foraging a lot lately. Really bothered with the no eating - well finally I can tell that the tuppaware queen has moved the cat food out by a good...inch or so. One side looks munched on so that has me relieved to know she's ate something and has eggs. Fingers crossed for (P).

Edited by sgheaton, August 16 2016 - 5:16 AM.

[sgheaton]

Update 8/22/16 - And then there was one

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I had company over the weekend so I moved them into a warmer-temp spot. 

 

I'm pretty sure that (P) in PTsvase set up has died. I'm basing this on the fact that I haven't seen her at all in...awhile. Unfortunately I think that she never ate anything - which was a factor on my part. I gave her access to a foil tray of liquid food and sunflower seeds. Twasn't till later I discovered they they enjoyed the hell out of my cat's food, that I gave her some of that later.

 

Holy tupperware full of mold. The second one...the entire container was mold. Two days where a piece of cat food touched some water...insta mold. wow. I thought she was dead. Really did. She COULD NOT WALK ANYWHERE it was that bad. Quickly had a new container and put the foil tube inside to...see...Aha!!! She lives! With a big ole egg cluster the size of a q-tip tip. Crisis narrowly adverted. She has a new container and foil tray of goodies. 

Thinking the plan will be to move her to PTsvase as the newbie and go receive one of Zeros extra sets. Haha...Pogonomyrmex tank building materials are all in a box - awaiting assembly. 

[XZero38]

Well my second Pogonomyrmex queen that has workers currently has 2 workers as of Saturday. So if you want her ill give her to you, and brood boost a bit from the other queens i have

[Saftron]

Ill take her!

[sgheaton]

Update 8/29/16 - And then there was one

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Pretty sure I'm down to one Pogonomyrmex queen. She must be taken care of. I will try my best to give her a proteiny insect today and move her into a warmer spot.

[sgheaton]

9/6/2016 - Pogonomyrmex Soup

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Had a problem of over hydrating PTs vase and ended up with some sandy soup  .

 

While there is still some movement in the PT-Tetra Set up -- I haven't seen anything from this particular set up. One Pogonomyrmex queen left in the tuppaware.

 

****9/1

Small back track -- As I sit at the library finishing up the last of my book on tape..I notice a group of ants running around something. Turns out it was their colony. Silly Pogonomyrmex in the parking lot  . But more importantly, when everyone asks, "Where do you go to find Pogonomyrmex?" let's play a game! Spot the Pogonomyrmex mound(s)  . That's a good idea of where I find all my ants. 

Edited by sgheaton, September 6 2016 - 5:56 AM.

[sgheaton]

9/22/16 - The Farm

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Considering they (they being uncle milton farm people) will mail you more Western Harvester Ants, I figured why not buy a farm for my Pogonomyrmex queen? Well after some inebriation, I ended up buying one. Do not mix adult activities with amazon prime kids. Because while I felt a little silly buying the "Uncle Miltons Giant Ant Farm" -- I'm even more upset with my impatience and lack of adulting. With the one pogonomyrmex that I have left.... she doesn't have nanitics. Hardly an egg pile. Has been alone for...months? I'm a bad care taker and haven't assembled all the crap I've gotten for her but I will buy a chunk of plastic because!! Booo me. 

Anyways, I knew as I was adding the perlite to the farm that I should use sand instead. I added the queen to the farm anyways. As I laid in bed last night I realized I should have poured a hydrostone base OR drilled some holes in the side for a plug. It's a plastic side...no way can the heating wire be used there... Ok maybe a glass insulator in between.. nah....

 

I'm a bit upset with myself but am trying to convince myself that because I'm at least trying to provide her with something, well it'll be better than what she had before. Immediately jumped into digging as she hasn't been able to in quite awhile. I put it (the farm) in the garage as it's the hottest room in my house. 

 

()

Edited by sgheaton, September 22 2016 - 5:28 AM.

[XZero38]

You had the chance to have a Pogonomyrmex queen with workers from me. 

[sgheaton]

You shshshshssssssssssssssssssss...................  

[sgheaton]

9/28/16 - Feeding

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Probably going to use ID 3/8" piping to connect the side of the farm to an outworld foraging area considering the queen just left her tractors and stuff out. Not much room topside for farming activities. Haven't found a good "box" yet. Been busy with things. Dropped in this cricket for her to munch on in the meantime. I haven't fed her since I gave her the farm, she's lazy and won't grow seeds, makin' me do all the work.... . 

 

She seems fine in that she's diggin' chambers and spaces. Hoping to find half a cricket when I get home. 

Edited by sgheaton, September 28 2016 - 5:32 AM.

[sgheaton]

10/4/16 - Power Digging

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She has been digging up a storm! This is probably my favorite part of the whole anting experience. However I feel bad for this particular queen because while I haven't been keeping her like a prisoner, I've been keeping her like a prisoner. She has food and a place to live! I've been giving her heat now as well but it's not the season...so I had a thought....

 

She has laid very little. Was separated from her egg grouping during the transfer over to the farm and has since buried it making her entirely alone. I don't think she has laid anymore and I haven't seen her holding any in her mandibles. I knew full well that I set this up differently from how I wanted/should have. So..........

 

I'm thinking I might extract the queen and hibernate her. I'd like to put her in the outworld container that will be attached to the farm next year.  That will allow me to redo some things on the farm and get it set up for next year. She is alone and would be fine in a tuppaware container in the basement.

 

Should I leave and hibernate her in the farm or should I move her into a new container and hibernate from there?