33 replies to this topic

[DesertAntz]

Species: Dorymyrmex bicolor 

 

Caught: September 8, 2014

 

Location: Casa Grande, Arizona 

 

Collected: while wandering in my backyard 

 

 

I walked outside one night to find tons of these gals scurrying around my backyard. I had so many to choose from that I picked the queens that looked the most lively. Four total were captured that night. 

 

I put 2 queens in my garage where the temperature was warmer and the brood development was amazing. I had the 2 others in my house in a drawer, but they were later moved to the garage with the others. 

 

The two that were in my garage first off now have their first generation of workers. One queen has 4 workers and one queen has 5 workers. They are both currently in the test tube/container setup that I moved them into tonight along with cotton soaked in humming bird nectar. Not too big a piece though, the workers are tiny!   The 2 other queens are not too far behind and should have their nanitics soon. 

 

I'm pretty stoked about having my first colonies. 

 

I will update this with pictures as soon as I can. I had trouble doing so when I wanted a queen I.D. a while back. 

 

 

Edited by DesertAntz, January 30 2015 - 10:38 AM.

[Gregory2455]

Nice journal, and species. I really want Dorymyrmex bicolor.

[DesertAntz]

 

 

 

This is just a picture update. Here is the queen with 4 workers. Decided not to take any other pictures though because I don't have a proper macro lense. You can see the one pupa that looks ready to eclose.

 

I have tried introducing nectar and sugar water but they haven't taken to either one yet. They drink the regular water and seem content on only raising the brood right now.

[Gregory2455]

Yay!!!

[DesertAntz]

Are they still too young for protein? I'm thinking about testing the waters on that front but I'm not sure if they'll take to it. They ignored my other offerings. 

[Crystals]

Offer away. 

Just avoid grapes, onions and potatoes as they have killed some colonies.

 

If they don't eat it, just remove it after 4-5 hours.

Try various small cut up pieces of insects.  Also offer various sweets, a bit of apple juice, sugar water, or hummingbird nectar

[123LordOfAnts123]

Looks like you have a male pupae.

 

I've had young colonies produce males before. I'm not sure what causes it, maybe either low fertility or unfertilized eggs uneaten and reared. I'm thinking the latter. Whatever the case they usually destroy the male(s) once they eclose.

 

I've found Dorymyrmex to be rather finicky captives.

Edited by 123Lord Of Ants123, October 10 2014 - 6:29 PM.

[DesertAntz]

That's interesting. Now that you mention it, that pupae does look a lot bigger than the nanitics and there's no way the workers increased in size that much over a generation. Too bad they'll likely kill him. 

 

 

 

Offer away. 

Just avoid grapes, onions and potatoes as they have killed some colonies.

 

 

I wouldn't even think to feed my ants those things. 

 

I guess people have tried everything, huh? 

[Gregory2455]

DesertAntz, it is not surely a fact that the male will be killed. Drew had a colony produce a male early on, but since that colony was unstable (the queen enjoys killing her workers) that male was killed. As long as they get enough food, the male may not be killed.

 

http://forum.formicu...ated-7-21-2014/

[DesertAntz]

UPDATE 10-14-2014

 

My two other queens have had their first workers eclose this week. Which means all 4 of my queens are doing great! So far no casualties except for that male pupae that was eaten, or so I believe. 

 

I will be numbering these queens for the journal now and will refer to which one I'm speaking about. Numbers '1' and '2' are the first queens to have workers eclose. Numbers '3' and '4' are obviously the late bloomers. 

 

Here is a head count so far. 

 

Queen 1: 7 workers

 

Queen 2: 4 Workers 

 

Queen 3: 6 Workers

 

Queen 4: 3 Workers 

 

 

 

Queens (and by queen I also mean their colony) 1 & 2 have accepted protein. They aren't going for sugary food yet. I have yet to offer queens 3 & 4 anything but I'm going to start them off with some protein as it seems this species readily accepts it almost exclusively at this point. I'll still try sugar water every now and then. 

 

P.S. If someone can tell me how to edit post titles, that'd be great. 

[Gregory2455]

Use full editor on the very first post to edit titles. Nice! Not very surprised they ate the male...

[DesertAntz]

Thanks. 

 

Yeah the pupae disappeared shortly after I introduced them to the protein. They are ravenous beasts! 

[Gregory2455]

What has happened since then?

[DesertAntz]

UPDATE 12-17-2014

 

Woah I guess I haven't updated this in a while eh? 

 

Queen 1 and Queen 2 aren't doing so well. With escapees and deaths Queen 1 is still at only 4 workers and that one male haha. I thought they had eaten him but he must have been hiding under the test tube when I had checked that one day. Other than that I suppose they are fine. 

 

Queen 2's test tube was full of condensation when I checked on them about 3 weeks ago. I found 6 workers, out of her 9, all drowned in the middle of the test tube.   I swabbed the condensation out with some q tips and presented them with a new test tube which they are in now. She now has 5 workers with a little pile of brood. 

 

Queens 3 and 4 are doing really well. Each with 20+ workers. They are full sized and healthy looking. Both have a huge pile of brood. I have ordered 2 formicaria for them from Tarheelants and should be getting them around the new year if all goes well. They really don't want to be in the tubs I have them in. Always trying to escape! I can't blame them though. They are really fast too. It makes observing kind of difficult but at night they calm down and all return to the tube and chill with the queen. It's getting kind of cramped in there though which is why I'm glad I'll be able to move them out soon. 

 

One thing I have noticed about this species is that they don't take to nectar water that much. One ant will drink from the q tip I give them but they don't take interest in it as a colony. I've been giving them a steady diet of insects, mostly caught from the wild, and freeze them. Haven't had any problems in doing so. I also buy crickets from the local petsmart and freeze those as well. Tonight I gave them boiled egg whites and yolk and they are all over that like white on rice. So far their diet has pretty much been exclusively protein and water. 

 

I'll try uploading some of my high quality pictures tonight! 

Edited by DesertAntz, December 17 2014 - 6:56 PM.

[DesertAntz]

 

Here's Queen 4 and her big ol' pile of brood 

[Gregory2455]

Very nice. Your Dorymyrmex are doing a LOT better then mine, but then again, D.insanus are totally stupid in captivity anyway- high rate of dud queens/ nanitics.

[DesertAntz]

I want to get some D. insanus this upcoming year to compare the two. 

[Gregory2455]

No you do not want D.insanus. They are a pain, and very dumb in captivity, or at least in test tubes for what me and Drew have experienced. Aim for the specialty ants of Arizona: Odontomachus clarus, Myrmecocystus, Acromyrmex versicolor, Cephalotes rohweri, and Atta mexica.

[DesertAntz]

Poor D. insanus. Shunned by ant keepers for their ineptitude. 

 

You think they would do better in Drtmiller's growth chambers or tarheelants founding chambers? Not asking which is better by the way, just if giving them an actual chamber would work best. Or are they just plain stupid? 

[Gregory2455]

Neither, as they generally just do bad in captivity. I am making my own test tube replacements specifically for Myrmecocystus, and larger wood ants such as Camponotus and Liometopum, which generally do not do good in test tubes. I will start researching on ways to make Dorymyrmex insanus comfortable in captivity too then.