16 replies to this topic

[Diesel]

So since I finally have an ID on my ants I can post this. I bought this colony originally thinking they were going to be tetramorium but after seeing them I knew something was off.  since buying them the 3 queen colony has exploded with brood.probably because they eat well and are on a seedling heating mat. I got my 1st nanitic last week and even though the pupae are still a ways off once they get going there will be no stopping them. I suspect there are 250-300 eggs/larvae awaiting their turn. I have only had 1 death in the 6 weeks I've owned them. I can't wait to get them in a professional setup.

 

 

[Diesel]

[Mettcollsuss]

Sweet. I had a T. sessile queen, and she did fine for a while, but then she started eating her brood, then she died a few weeks later. I also found a wild colony but the queen escaped the container. I'm really jealous. Good luck!

[Diesel]

thanks

[Connectimyrmex]

Beautiful colony, with lots...of...eggs...

I bet that they make tunnels in those eggs.

[TennesseeAnts]

I see entire colonies of these in asphalt all the time!

[Diesel]

these

are

everywhere

uphere

damnsite

[Diesel]

[censored] spaces aren't working except when I edit fml

Edited by Diesel, December 11 2017 - 5:37 PM.

[Diesel]

some of the stuff you see in the picture is sand but everything on the side walls except the yellow piece is eggs or larvae

Edited by Diesel, December 11 2017 - 5:39 PM.

[MegaMyrmex]

Sweet! Another T. Sessile keeper!
Basic care sheet-
Growth- fast with heat, vonstant supply of food, and minimal disturbance
Temperament- skittish, I call them smelly crazy ants
Experience level- intermediate to advance
Diet- strictly fruit flies or phorid flies, honey, and sometimes sugar water. I have never got them to eat anything else. They eat whatever they can in the wild but in captivity they are unbelievably picky. Generally almost any small soft bodies insect that isn't chemically protected and can be transported by an individual ant is ok.
Additional notes- escape artists. Do not, I repeat do NOT, under estimate them. I lost a 13 queen colony because of a barely visible gap between the tubinf and the formicaria. I didn't even see it until I saw ants crawling out of it and they wrecked HAVOC to my room- in my clothes, in my bed, eating and harassing my other pet bugs, and I couldn't even put a cookie down on a plate on my desk without an ant coming by to steal a chocolate chip. Make sure that you check the nest severely and add a good repellent. Talcum aka baby powder or fluon is the best in my experience. They prefer moderate hydration. Make sure that you keep conditions ample in your setup so that they don't choose to escape. Humidity is same as lasius or tetramorium- moderate. If you're still worried about escapees, put the whole setup in a bin and coat the rim with baby powder. Better safe than sorry. These ants are polygynous and act as if other colonies are best friends. Also very stubborn ants. I had to place my desk lamp directly on top of their old nest to even get a couple workers to start running around. Best bet is ehat lamp bit it can easily cook the entie colony. I lost a queen that way.
Hope this helps!

[BMM]

My colony has always preferred sugar water over honey. They haven't been too picky with protein sources, although they seem to prefer multiple small sources over one large source, so I use a few tiny crickets each time I feed them.

[Diesel]

thanks for the tips guys. i havent had any escapees thus far. they seem to be open to eating any soft bodied insects I've provided so far crickets,cutworms, and wood roaches. honey is hit or miss but sugar water is readily taken. i have them on a heat mat partly on and partly to give them a gradient to choose. I'm looking to get these girls into a professional style formicarium and just let em go to work.

[Hunter]

so it is

Tapinoma Sessile my bad

[Diesel]

[Diesel]

These ladies are doing excellent. They have finally started digging in the sand. Probably around 150 workers. The 3 queens are still laying at a decent clip. You can see in the pictures they moved into the tubing but I suspect with the chambers being dug that they won't stay in there long.

[Zmagz]

cool setup!

[CNewton]

How are these doing? I just found a small colony with 1 queen. Do they live in the dirt? Colonies I've seen have all lived above ground (in a weathered tarp, between walls, my colony was between bark of a log). I'm scared where to put them because of their size and notoriety of escaping! that sealed dirt box looks ideal, but again, do they use it?