16 replies to this topic

[ForestDragon]

Good afternoon fellows it is I Forest with my first colony journal so far (one more on the way later once the queen gets started up). SO to start off this colony is wild caught my grandmother and my stepfather kill any ant they find that is not in my tubes. This is two colonies merged together as Tapinoma can do that apparently. I caught one large colony yesterday August 17th 2019 with about a thousand pieces of brood and over 200 workers but no queens so I went over to my grandmothers house earlier today August 18th 2019 where I have a secret wild Tapinoma colony I keep from her if I need it so I took a tuft of dead grass from under the traffic cone they were under and plopped them in a container to merge them with my others so they would have queens (i captured one I spotter to guarantee I got queens) and i captured 3+ queens in total, about 300+ pieces of brood and about 150 more workers. The colonies are being merged, are showing what I call "merger syndrome" where they fight out of confusion and will eventually get along as they have already stopped fighting at the time of this writing. I have been gradually removing the dead grass while limiting escapees from the formicarium to clean up the setup, the queens have not yet entered the nest as the workers have blocked the entrance to get in with brood(dummies) but the move will be done in the next couple days. expect updates weekly or so or when something happens

 

No pictures due to a crappy lil flip phone that cannot send pictures here so rip 

[ponerinecat]

This the one your proceratium is eating.

[ForestDragon]

This the one your proceratium is eating.

Correct 

[Canadant]

I'm not sure how posters on here catch wild colonies. Do you use a shovel? My God, if I find a large established nest there is no way I'd be able to find a queen in these.

I found a beautiful colony of crematogastor Cersei in a walk the other day. I turned over a small rock and beneath was a HUGE brood pile. Wish I could collect it.

Any tips on collecting wild colonies?

[MegaMyrmex]

Depends on which species but for Tapinoma sessile, at least where I live, they are literally everywhere. I put down an tube like container in my yard for a few days and when I brought it back in it was crawling with a couple hundred atns and dozens of queens. 

[BeginnerAntKeeper]

Wow! I wonder why they decided that tube was a good nest...

[PurdueEntomology]

Tapinoma sessile will take advantage of almost any space if it offers the right humidity, moisture availability being a key factor in their determining a nest site.  I suspect the tube offered such a space.  

[ForestDragon]

Tapinoma sessile will take advantage of almost any space if it offers the right humidity, moisture availability being a key factor in their determining a nest site.  I suspect the tube offered such a space.  

yeah they are the most opportunistic lil guys I know of the first colony was found in and under a sheet of folded paper/cardboard and were in the wooden border for our fruit trees(I chopped them down a month ago) using it for the heat as the paper kept them concealed but they were able to use the heat by being in the open

[ForestDragon]

SO I have an update fellas

 

Both colonies have moved in and each is using a different side of the casita(by tarheelants) workers go back and forth but sometimes there is still a small bit of fighting, mostly since they are evenly matched (its almost always a 1v1) they just stand there for an hour till one gets the upperhand and draggs her opponent out of the nest only for her to return. I fed them some sugur water to see who is going out of the nest and the second colony is passive to the other colony while the first colony is fairly hesitant/cautious but there is extended gasters on both sides... these guys are weird. ALSO I got a sensus on how many queens were present and there are 9 with already 150+ eggs on the glass of one of the chambers and over 200 eggs in the same chamber as well with a lot of pupae and larvae. neither colonies nest near the hydration well even though it gives some needed humidity THESE GUYS ARE WEIRD but they are also pretty neat as well and I believe they should become stars in this forum.

 

One more thing, It took TWO MONTHS but my Camponotus Pennsylvanicus has her first worker, there are 4 more who have yet to get workers, 2 with eggs and 2 with pupae(I caught them all on the same day yet only have eggs after eating all the larvae)

 

TOODLES

[ForestDragon]

another quick update fellas. There is now one queen on the other side of the nest laying eggs with colony no 1 and since she is from colony no 2 I assume they have each mellowed out from one another and should be fine now and should prosper given enough food. What is a good diet for Tapinoma? I know they like aphids but how much protein should a colony of 1k+ members be offered given they have way more brood than workers I am offering them some sugur water every 2 days and protein every day sugur water is not offered. Would they like peanut butter or leftover chicken?

[ForestDragon]

The colony has eaten a mealworm cut up into 3 pieces along with some sugur water and the queens seem to be laying eggs, there are less eggs on the glass of the nest but I have seen them in the other side of the nest with colony no1 so this colony is on a role not to mention the rediculous amounts of brood which should keep them going till well into next spring

[MegaMyrmex]

How did you get yours to eat mealworms? All of my colonies refused everything but honey, sugar water, and fruit flies.

[RushmoreAnts]

Depends on which species but for Tapinoma sessile, at least where I live, they are literally everywhere. I put down an tube like container in my yard for a few days and when I brought it back in it was crawling with a couple hundred atns and dozens of queens. 

I've actually only seen one colony in my entire life. I thought I had caught a couple dealates a year or so ago (they died, probably infertile), yet now I'm pretty positive they're Dorymyrmex cf. insanus.

[RushmoreAnts]

How did you get yours to eat mealworms? All of my colonies refused everything but honey, sugar water, and fruit flies.

Well, at least you don't have to worry about variety....

[BeginnerAntKeeper]

Depends on which species but for Tapinoma sessile, at least where I live, they are literally everywhere. I put down an tube like container in my yard for a few days and when I brought it back in it was crawling with a couple hundred atns and dozens of queens.

Do you think it could work in a tropical country?

Edited by BeginnerAntKeeper, August 23 2019 - 9:34 PM.

[ForestDragon]

 

Depends on which species but for Tapinoma sessile, at least where I live, they are literally everywhere. I put down an tube like container in my yard for a few days and when I brought it back in it was crawling with a couple hundred atns and dozens of queens.

Do you think it could work in a tropical country?

 

They will use anything they can to nest, I've seen them nested in a toy boat, in a traffic cone(colony no 2 in this journal) in between a piece of cardboard/paper(Colony no 1 in this journal) and they are everywhere

[ForestDragon]

Lots of eggs, they put dirt all around the bottle cap of sugar water and they are eating another meal worm as we speak, i'm trying to keep protein and sugars high to prevent any future die-offs and if it happens there will be a lot of eggs. population seems to be increasing as I know there is one chamber with the ceiling covered in callows.

How did you get yours to eat mealworms? All of my colonies refused everything but honey, sugar water, and fruit flies.

Idk i chopped them up into 2 and 3 pieces each with a (rly sharp knife) and they just eat it