2124 replies to this topic

[ConcordAntman]

I was feeding my C. americanus today and noticed this behavior from a foraging worker. It appeared to be in response to a frozen/flash-boiled Dubia roach. While the feeders were quite dead, I was surprised at the behavior which persisted over a few minutes. It occurred whenever the worker brushed against the antenna or leg of the Dubia. I looked up aggressive behavior and threat posture in Hölldobler & Wilson’s The Ants along with Hölldobler & Wilson’s Journey to the Ants. The posture they described was standing tall, with open mandibles and a forward tilted gaster. She’s standing tall with open mandibles but doesn’t have the gaster position. The lunge certainly seems aggressive. Still curious about how a dead feeder insect triggered a threat behavior. 
 

https://share.icloud...YubTbmPr2YU8JIA

[Aquaexploder]

Hey guys, any luck with flights today?

[ConcordAntman]

Not by me

[ConcordAntman]

My C. pennsylvanicus colony turns 4 years old in 10 days! Though I last glimpsed the queen a few months ago, I know she’s busy making her colony grow. 
 

 

 

My 2020 C. novaeboracensis colony is also growing. During a feeding last Tuesday, I was able to capture my first eclosure! Sorry for the distortion and glare, my AC test tubes and portal are 4 years old and scratched. I suppose I really need to up my Photoshop skills

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A day or two later, another eclosure and a curious mesosoma coloration for this one! There are now 6 workers and with the remaining pupae, larvae, and eggs, I might have 20 by the fall. Enough to move the colony into a formicarium. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ConcordAntman]

I guess there must’ve been a flight recently. This was walking on a bedroom window screen. Wouldn’t it be nice if all the species we want would just come over and wait to be caught  
 

 

 

[ConcordAntman]

I’m noticing this brood care behavior in my C. americanus colony. A band of workers carry a pile of larvae out of the nest to the feeding dish and place them on the food (Dubia roaches and crickets on a slice of apple). It certainly adds a degree of difficulty to feeding sessions! This is different behavior from my C. pennsylvanicus and C. novaeboracensis (though when she had only one larva and no workers, the C. novaeboracensis queen did it too). Anyone else have their workers bring the larvae to the food rather than bring the food to the larvae?

 

Edited by ConcordAntman, May 20 2022 - 5:58 PM.

[OiledOlives]

I've only had this happen with ants that can't do trophallaxis like Aphaenogaster and Ponera and I've heard of it happening with Novomessor, Odontomachus, Harpegnathos, and other ponerines. Funny that your Camponotus are doing it though.

[Aquaexploder]

Large Camponotus flights here today! Seems like most Camponotus are flying.

[ConcordAntman]

I’ve got a question. Watching my C. novaeboracensis eclose got me thinking about what triggers eclosure? Obvious general triggers would be the nutritional state of the queen (in founding colonies) or the overall colony, combined with ambient thermal conditions. I went to Höldobler & Wilson’s The Ants, to see if they covered this specifically but no dice. I found this on the thermospecificity of Fire ant colony metabolism and growth under various feeding regimens.

 

https://www.jstor.org/stable/4600822

 

It’s behind a paywall and I’d rather spend the money on something a bit more fun! Anyone with resource information or suggestions would be appreciated!

Edited by ConcordAntman, May 22 2022 - 11:57 AM.

[ConcordAntman]

An inadvertent crushing fatality during yesterday’s feeding session prompted me to move my C. novaeboracensis into a formicarium earlier that I’d initially planned. 
 

It seems C. novaeboracensis like Sunburst more than my C. americanus 

 

 

[ConcordAntman]

I’ve got a question. Watching my C. novaeboracensis eclose got me thinking about what triggers eclosure? Obvious general triggers would be the nutritional state of the queen (in founding colonies) or the overall colony, combined with ambient thermal conditions. I went to Höldobler & Wilson’s The Ants, to see if they covered this specifically but no dice. I found this on the thermospecificity of Fire ant colony metabolism and growth under various feeding regimens.

 

https://www.jstor.org/stable/4600822

 

It’s behind a paywall and I’d rather spend the money on something a bit more fun! Anyone with resource information or suggestions would be appreciated!

Still looking for empirical data on triggers for eclosure and came up with very little. I did find this freebie though.

 

https://www.research...-Formicidae.pdf

 

It’s a 29 year old paper looking at the effect of temperature on brood development. While the effect is somewhat species dependent, it is not surprising that within limits, brood development in all stages is directly proportional to temperature. So, in general, colony/queen nutritional state, the pupa’s endogenous hormonal state, and temperature are likely the prime factors in eclosure. 

 

Edited by ConcordAntman, June 2 2022 - 11:54 AM.

[ConcordAntman]

Sadly, down to 2 colonies and a founding C. pennsylvanicus with eggs and larva. At yesterday’s feeding session I found my C. novaeboracensis queen had died. I’d just moved them into their formicarium a bit over 2 weeks ago. I noticed over each of the past two days, a dead nanitic in the outworld. They were actively foraging and there are eggs, larva, and pupa left. Their formicarium had been unused for 2 years so I doubt it’s the culprit. I think it’s just the Captive Camponotus Curse  I generally euthanize the colony when the queen dies but I always find it hard to do…

[Antkeeper01]

Sadly, down to 2 colonies and a founding C. pennsylvanicus with eggs and larva. At yesterday’s feeding session I found my C. novaeboracensis queen had died. I’d just moved them into their formicarium a bit over 2 weeks ago. I noticed over each of the past two days, a dead nanitic in the outworld. They were actively foraging and there are eggs, larva, and pupa left. Their formicarium had been unused for 2 years so I doubt it’s the culprit. I think it’s just the Captive Camponotus Curse  I generally euthanize the colony when the queen dies but I always find it hard to do…

did your big Camponotus colony die?

[ConcordAntman]

Thanks for asking Antkeeper01. No my big colony is C. pennsylvanicus and they’re still going strong at 4 years, 1 month. My C. novaeboracensis queen died. I found her about 2 years ago. She survived 2 winters and started strong after diapause. I’m surprised at losing her. She’s left a fair sized brood pile too!

[ANTdrew]

Thanks for asking Antkeeper01. No my big colony is C. pennsylvanicus and they’re still going strong at 4 years, 1 month. My C. novaeboracensis queen died. I found her about 2 years ago. She survived 2 winters and started strong after diapause. I’m surprised at losing her. She’s left a fair sized brood pile too!

Try blacklighting to find different genera. Sorry for the loss.

[ConcordAntman]

 

Thanks for asking Antkeeper01. No my big colony is C. pennsylvanicus and they’re still going strong at 4 years, 1 month. My C. novaeboracensis queen died. I found her about 2 years ago. She survived 2 winters and started strong after diapause. I’m surprised at losing her. She’s left a fair sized brood pile too!

Try blacklighting to find different genera. Sorry for the loss.

 

Great idea. I’ll get my blacklighting rig out of the basement. I’d tried it a few seasons back but didn’t have any success. This is the perfect time to give it another go. Thanks ANTdrew! 

[ANTdrew]

Try running it right before sunrise, too. Preferably with some stiff coffee! You can get some cool Pheidole and Aphaenogaster that way.

[ConcordAntman]

So, I got my blacklighting rig out of the basement but haven’t gotten around to using it. We’re into phase II of the farmhouse rehab we started last spring. My C. americanus colony is having a growth spurt and has generated male alates.  
 

 

There are also several other pupa so they seem to be soldiering on for another season. I’d mentioned that my C. novaeboracensis queen died but I haven’t had the heart to euthanize the colony. I’m still feeding them but there’s a slow attrition. I have a pair of nanitics from a C. pennsylvanicus queen I found in May so I still have 3 active colonies just not much species diversity. Finally my May 2018 C. pennsylvanicus colony with ~300 ants, has a carpet of eggs and late instar larva covering the floor of the upper chambers in a THA Phalanx formicarium but only one pupae. They’re fed every day or two, watered, and warm so I’m surprised I haven’t seen any more pupa. I’m really just glad my colonies are surviving. 

[ConcordAntman]

I haven’t gotten around to blacklighting this season or to do much posting. Juggling a few too many things to found more colonies I guess. I couldn’t bring myself to euthanize my C. novaeboracensis colony after the queen died so I still tend them. Futurebird had a post a few weeks back conceptualizing the death of a colony’s queen as being similar to menopause. The colony still performs the functions necessary for survival but it’s reproductive phase ends. From my observation, they’re not as animated as they once were but they (10-12 ants) gather with the remaining larvae and forage sparingly. None of the brood have progressed to pupate. I suspect it’s just a matter of time. 

 

My big C. pennsylvanicus colony (~300) had a wealth of eggs and larvae but I’ve seen few if any pupa. They’re well watered and fed 3 crickets every 1-2 days so I don’t quite understand why I haven’t seen more. While they actively forage, I notice that they are trending away from the proteins and feeding more on the fruit I provide. I’m not sure what that means other than perhaps a shift in the queen’s reproductive production. Nothing more significant, I hope. My C. americanus are confusing. I’ve had the most brood production this season in the 3 years since I’d acquired them. The colony is still small (15-20) but they’ve been generating alates! There are 2 monster pupae and there were two alates earlier in the season. I’d expected to see more colony growth before alate production. Finally, my newest C. pennsylvanicus queen had a half dozen nanitics so for the time being, I still have 4 colonies to tend. 

[Ottercl]

Does anyone know if Lasius Neoniger have started flying yet?

Also, I was able to find a Camponotus Pennsylvanicus queen today, which seems odd considering they fly early in the year.

Edited by Ottercl, August 20 2022 - 8:21 AM.