71 replies to this topic

[Nathant2131]

I found a Pinkomyrmex floyderus queen last January underneath a log. Here is the original thread of where I found it.

 

Right now, I have her in a relatively small metal storage container. She has a nice pile of eggs and some leftover humpback whale stakes. Here is a picture of when I checked on her earlier today:

 

 

The water reservoir is way in the back so you can't see it. Hope she does good on me since this species is rather elusive.

Edited by Nathant2131, May 13 2017 - 3:16 AM.

[SirAnticus]

Lucky!!! I've been looking for this species for months!!!

[Serafine]

She's a real beauty.

Is it normal that the eggs have different colors? I think I've read that they lay egg-shaped stones into the nests so when predators bite into the stone eggs they ruin their teeth and run away to lick their wounds. Quite clever buggers.

Also she still seems to have her wings, you're sure she's fertile?

[Nathant2131]

Lucky!!! I've been looking for this species for months!!!

Their distribution is quite patchy but they tend to lean more towards temperate climates.

[Nathant2131]

She's a real beauty.

Is it normal that the eggs have different colors? I think I've read that they lay egg-shaped stones into the nests so when predators bite into the stone eggs they ruin their teeth and run away to lick their wounds. Quite clever buggers.

Also she still seems to have her wings, you're sure she's fertile?

I think she's fertile. She appears to be guarding the eggs well.

 

I may be wrong but I remember reading that the workers are usually winged and actually inbreed inside the nest, which will be great since this species seems very slow from the start.

[VoidElecent]

She is definitely fertile, don't worry about that.

 

As a Pinkomyrmex expert, I have some useful tips for you. For one, you may want to feel those humpbacks whole. For science reasons, Pinkomyrmex species (P. floyderus, especially) tend to respond better to raw protein. I would also recommend pouring a glass of whiskey with a couple ice cubes for the queen about once every two or three weeks, the alcohol actually speeds up brood production. Usually these queens respond better to more expensive whiskeys, but Pinkomyrmex floyderus have a unique fondness of Jack Daniels. Other Pinkomyrmex species, such as Martialis' Pinkomyrmex kiwicus tend to appreciate Blue & Black label a little more.

 

Nice job on your queen so far, she's a beauty for sure.

Edited by VoidElecent, April 1 2017 - 5:54 PM.

[Leo]

a beautiful species my friend

[Antking117]

When those eggs hatch you are going to need to up-size soon! These do expand into large colonies very quickly! I recommend either a basement or a bunker of some sort! The P. floyderus is a very destructive creature and normal wooden, acrylic, or glass formicariums just will not do!

[Serafine]

You might wanna look into your own humpback farm at some point. Larger colonies can be voracious eaters.

[Alabama Anter]

Oh my god. I have been wanting this species for 30 years! I will buy for $999.99 Pesos

[Nathant2131]

Oh my god. I have been wanting this species for 30 years! I will buy for $999.99 Pesos

No! 

[Alabama Anter]

Whyy!!!! Would 999.999 work?

[Nathant2131]

Whyy!!!! Would 999.999 work?

No!

[Alabama Anter]

Okay okay... I know you will take 1000

[Nathant2131]

Okay okay... I know you will take 1000

No!

[Nathant2131]

She is definitely fertile, don't worry about that.

 

As a Pinkomyrmex expert, I have some useful tips for you. For one, you may want to feel those humpbacks whole. For science reasons, Pinkomyrmex species (P. floyderus, especially) tend to respond better to raw protein. I would also recommend pouring a glass of whiskey with a couple ice cubes for the queen about once every two or three weeks, the alcohol actually speeds up brood production. Usually these queens respond better to more expensive whiskeys, but Pinkomyrmex floyderus have a unique fondness of Jack Daniels. Other Pinkomyrmex species, such as Martialis' Pinkomyrmex kiwicus tend to appreciate Blue & Black label a little more.

 

Nice job on your queen so far, she's a beauty for sure.

I did feed the humpback whole. It was just almost gone when I checked on her.

 

Thanks for the info.

[Nathant2131]

You might wanna look into your own humpback farm at some point. Larger colonies can be voracious eaters.

They look fairly easy to breed. Maybe.

[Alabama Anter]

Hmmmm
Humpback whale breeding needs 78 permits. I recommend you just buy from a breeder. Never buy from WhaleStakes.com because they harass their whales.

[VoidElecent]

 

You might wanna look into your own humpback farm at some point. Larger colonies can be voracious eaters.

They look fairly easy to breed. Maybe.

 

 

Hmmmm
Humpback whale breeding needs 78 permits. I recommend you just buy from a breeder. Never buy from WhaleStakes.com because they harass their whales.

 

Humpback farms are a very popular topic of conversation in the Pinkomyrmex community. Given my direct relationship & involvement with this community, I'd be willing to share a little about what I know. First, I would definitley recommend investing in one of these farms; they can be slightly difficult to maintain but in the end they're worth it.

 

The logistics are surprising not nearly as complicated as one may expect. The 'seventy-eight' permit myth is a common misconception, as this only applies to breeding & keeping blue whales (which Pinkomyrmex kiwicus prefer; good luck Martialis ), For P. floyderus humpback farms, you only need a couple. A big setback for most people is actually the physical size of the farms. Some keepers keep their whales in areas that measure out to around 1-2 mi², but I prefer to breed them in slightly large spaces. My farm is roughly 62.46x10⁶ mi², right in between California and Japan.

 

There are a couple other setbacks, but none as significant as the size limitations. I would agree with Alabama Anter as well, never purchase from 'Whalestakes.com". For one, they deliver steaks which P. floyderus don't appreciate as much as the whales whole, two, they do exhibit particularly harmful keeping & maintenance techniques, and three, they're not really too great with the whole spelling thing.

 

If you get past the size limitation, give me a shout so we can further discuss some keeping requirements. The guy who sold me my space actually actually recommended some prime real-estate available somewhere between the East Coast of the U.S. and England. Let me know how it works out for you. Click here for a little more information about the space, if you're interested.

Edited by VoidElecent, April 5 2017 - 9:45 AM.

[Nathant2131]

Thanks so much for the help Void. I'm looking at this body of water called the "Pacific Ocean" which appears even larger than your space. I think I'll get the whales from a breeder.