4 replies to this topic

[Shaye]

I recently caught a Neoponera villosa queen and have tried introducing it to many different set'ups. I first put it into a small test tube, barely large enough for it to squeeze and turn around in as I have learned that many species like, but it would not settle down. I then put it into a dirt set-up ,which I had a strong felling would fail, and it ended up failing. I now have it in a container with sand lining the bottom and two medium branches that I cut into 2 4inch long pieces that are approximately 1.25 inches in diameter. They are were dried for about 2 years in open whether which should be perfect due to its thickness. It goes into them occasionally if it is startled, but does not stay in them long and is out looking again shortly after. It seems to want to escape despite the termites I am giving it to eat, and the sugar water/regular water. It eats the termites if I kill them first, and carries around drops of water and sugar water constantly. It is such an amazing ant, and I fear that it will die due to it refusing to choose a nest space. Any help is appreciated. I will be stopping it up in one of the branches for a ccoule days to see if it accepts it as a nest if forced, if no-one is able to offer any more advice. Thank you to anyone who can reply.

[Shaye]

So many typos.. Please look past those. Hahahahaha, it all seems pretty straightforward even with them though. Hopefully it is readable.

Also, to expand on the current set-up I am attempting, I drilled into both creating a tunnel leading to a nest space. One is stopped up with a wood peg on the nest side, and the other I used aquarium silicone to put a slab of acrylic on.

Edited by Shaye, July 22 2017 - 12:13 PM.

[cpman]

It's probably going to be tricky to keep. It's an arboreal species and likes it a bit drier than most ants (but it still needs moisture). She may not be comfortable if you are bothering her all the time.

Did you find her out foraging or after a flight? If the former, she may be trying to find her original nest site. I had a similar issue with a Pseudomyrmex gracilis queen who wouldn't settle down. I ended up releasing her where I found her.

With the branches, my guess is they probably live in ones that have been hollowed out by beetles or other ants (like Crematogaster).

Edited by cpman, July 23 2017 - 9:04 AM.

[Shaye]

Thank you to everyone who helped me out in here and through private messages! She laid an egg two days ago and now has two more. I find the eggs rather large for being brand new! I followed some advice I was given and just stopped catering to her and put her in a normal test tube set-up, where she finally settled after another day of running around (Though in my defense this was the first thing I did, and after 3-4 days of her being restless I tried something new). I learned that it is good to put very thin 'fluffs' of cotton in since she has a preference to shape it at the end of the tube near the water-soaked cotton ball (presumably to personalize her space and make it seem more secure to her).

[Shaye]

She also eats a whole large termite every 2 days. No leftovers. I am thinking about maybe feeding her a bit more since there are never any scraps. I just want to avoid mold and such.