89 replies to this topic

[Gregory2455]

I have 22 of these queens including the special "bejeweled" one which I found with a dead Solenopsis xyloni minor worker on her leg.

 

   Just as I am writing this, the first of the queens got her first worker to eclose. She seems to have put everything into this pupae nutrient-wise, because she has not been laying any more eggs, until a few days ago. I am probably going to feed them today as well.

 

Edited by Gregory2455, February 20 2019 - 10:03 PM.

[dspdrew]

I recently found an Acromyrmex queen with a dead Acromyrmex worker stuck to her leg. I removed it though, it was a bit large to have dangling from your leg.

[Gregory2455]

It is still on her, I hope the workers let it stay on too. 

[dspdrew]

I removed it.

[Gregory2455]

I was talking about mine. 

[Gregory2455]

The worker still seems a little bit clumsy and unable to stand up, also her exoskeleton is still light as ever... 

[dspdrew]

Yeah, they're pretty light colored when they're callow.

[Gregory2455]

The worker finally started to darken, still not quite as fast as the Solenopsis, and she started to take her first steps. The queen seems to stand above her, surrounding the worker with her legs.

[Gregory2455]

Update: 9/2/2014

It took the worker this long to be fully darkened, and I think it still has some more pigment to go...

There is another queen with a pupa starting to get pigment, so she will probably get her first worker as well soon.

[Gregory2455]

Update: 9/9/2014

The other queen got her first worker to eclose, and has a larva as well. The first queen to get workers just got a second pupating larva with another one following close behind.

[Gregory2455]

Ok, out of these, I suspect 5/22 of these are fertile. Some of the ones from earlier this summer that are infertile have started dying, do I guess I will not have much extras to give to people.

[dspdrew]

Probably about 1/6th of the ones I got were infertile.

[Gregory2455]

Yeah? Well as of now, 17 out of 22 of mine seem infertile. At least the bejeweled one has pupae. I will feed them, and put them into yet a darker location.

Edited by Gregory2455, September 15 2014 - 10:23 PM.

[dspdrew]

Also, last year, I thought the one I had was infertile, but it turned out that she was eating her eggs, making it look like they weren't developing. I just put her away in a cupboard and left her alone for weeks at a time, and suddenly she had larvae. After this I put her back in a place where I could check on her more often.

[Alza]

are these queens bigger then pogonomyrmex californicus queens ?

[Gregory2455]

A couple millimeters actually. This is one of the largest Pogonomyrmex in California. They are also a lot more broad than P.californicus.

[Gregory2455]

Wook is right about some Myrmicinae being "stupid ants", I saw one of these queens fighting with their worker over an egg... It was pretty funny actually. I haven't seen much like that.

[Alza]

I'm guessing it wasnt to the death. My californicus queen tackled a worker because it fell on her 

[Gregory2455]

Of course not to the death... Except the egg, which was squished in the process. I see even formicanae tackle each other after mistaking each other for a threat.

[Gregory2455]

The bejeweled one's first worker is about to emerge.

The second colony to get nanatics has a pupating larva, after it pupates I am going to have to move them, their test tube is now absolutely dry.

Edited by Gregory2455, September 25 2014 - 8:48 PM.