7 replies to this topic

[FeedTheAnts]

I caught this queen about one and a half weeks ago and at first didn't really want to keep her, but then thought that I could perhaps brood boost her because I have access to a lot of wild colonies of this species. When I gave her some cocoons then at first she didn't look like she wanted them but after a while she pt them in a nice pile. It has been about a week since I gave her the brood and two of the cocoons have eclosed. She has not laid any eggs but I read that sometime these queens will not lay eggs unless there is no larvae. She is very ballooned up though and I found her without her wings. This colony is probably going to be put in a ten gallon tank that I have sitting vacant, if not my other Formica colony.

 

 

Edited by TennesseeAnts, September 17 2017 - 3:57 PM.

[spytim]

Awesome! I'm really hoping to catch Formica this year... Haven't been able to find any for the past 2 years
Keep this updated I hope they thrive!

[FeedTheAnts]

Update:

They now have 6 workers, one eclosed just as I finished taking pictures!

[FeedTheAnts]

Update:

Moved them to a new tube, there are now 12 or 13 workers and the queen has laid a clutch of eggs.

[FeedTheAnts]

Update:

The queens biological eggs are now pupae. I've decided to attach the setup externally through a tube, just thought it would be cool.

[FeedTheAnts]

Update:

Two of the queens nanintics have eclosed

I'm very surprised by how much brood this queen has laid. I counted all of the brood(none of it is boosted brood at this point) and there was 7 pupae, 5 large larvae, and more varius eggs and small larvae. If you do the math then this means the queen even if I didn't boost her would have 15 or more workers by hibernation, which is pretty good.

[FeedTheAnts]

Update:

The've been moved into a new tube and so finally I can see them clearly again.

[FeedTheAnts]

Okay, so I moved them again. This time permanently into my hybrid nest where they will stay. Probably won't update until spring because they are becoming inactive due to hibernation.