Colobopsis impressa -
In the wild they prefer to nest in dead, hollow vines of small diameters, of which founding queens find in mid-flight. As such it's best to replicate this in captivity, or else the queens often do nothing and rarely thrive. (Though they do tend to lay eggs after 1-3 months in a regular test tube, but again never thrive) I've had great success using 5mm glass tubes; three inch lengths to start the queens and then 12" lengths for colonies. You can find these exact sizes online easily or cut your own. Wood (I used pine without problems) nests drilled with a dremel and fitted with a glass window also seem to work well so long as tunnels are kept long and narrow: 3.5-4mm inner diameter seems to work fine.
At 40%-50% RH I don't provide hydration in any of these nests so until workers arrive, queens may need small feedings depending on how long it took them to settle and lay eggs. Use their gasters as gauges on how healthy they are. First broods consist of 3-4 very long eggs, and 1-2 are usually favored and reared up to workers quickly. Once they start foraging they stay hydrated with regular carbohydrate feedings and a test tube with plain water always available in their outworld. They take small insects from then on, grow fast and remain easy to care for.
Also, to observe phragmosis behavior, I silicone a thin sheet of wood using a wood chip over the entrance to their tube nests and drilled a 1mm hole in the middle using a micro drill-bit, which they may widen themselves. A single major will sit in front of it at a time and only move out of the way for a worker. They also do a really cute butt-wag after squeezing through tight holes.
Dorymyrmex bureni -
Despite how common they are and how numerous delate queens often are, they tend to be, surprisingly, a bit of a sensitive species. They do best in warmer temperatures ranging from 78-82 degrees. Queens and even colonies seem to have a high failure rate with most never quite taking off while others may thrive. Once workers have arrived they eagerly take to carbohydrates but protein can be harder to get them to accept. Small and sometimes desiccated insects are the key at first. They seem to be incredibly efficient at processing and utilizing small amounts of protein relative to larval number that other ants might not normally touch, likewise with them for the most part avoiding conventional protein items. Cheese, chicken, fish flakes, scrambled/boiled egg yolk, and crushed nuts are some of the items my colonies have thrived on in the past, with of course insects being preferred when they're accepted. A heat lamp in the outworld can help stimulate worker activity and foraging but is not absolutely necessary. They can acclimate to light but always remain sensitive to slight vibrations. Common to what seems to be the entire Dolichoderinae family, they are rather sensitive to chemicals, and worker die-offs may occasionally occur seemingly without cause.
Edited by 123LordOfAnts123, June 6 2017 - 6:47 AM.
