16 replies to this topic

[soulsynapse]

Seeing as these ants are rather difficult to keep but very common, let's share hints and help eachother keeping this species

 

I'll keep the top thread updated as info comes in

 

To start:

 

https://www.asu.edu/...mrex queens.htm

 

^ how a researcher keeps them

[Gabraime]

Thx for that information, works for me because i wanna be ready when i get a Pogonomyrmex colony.

[Jelly]

Thanks for posting this!!

I caught 24 of them yesterday. 9 i put inside small tupperware filled with dirt (was going to put all but ran out of dirt). 8 of the 9 dug their founding chambers, some within a few hours. The 9th one had wings so she might not be fertile.

[Hayashi]

This is a great resource! Thanks for posting. I found one P. Californicus queen today 5-22-17. It had just started to dig it's founding chamber.

[Jelly]

I figured this is a good place to put this. I was having troubling finding what they eat until i checked this. Now i am just having trouble trying to purchase these stuff... lol... found raw sunflower seeds at my local market which seems like it'll work. I've noticed them being moved around and observed queens chewing on them too.

 

Pogonomyrmex californicus

 

Likes:

 

Seeds: 

• Thistle
• Millet
• Flax (Blue)
• Rapeseed (Rapa)
• Burmuda grass
• Buffalo Grass
• Kentucky Blue Grass
• Prairie Aster
• Desert Marigold
• Farewell to spring
• Plains coreopsis
• California poppy
• Mexican gold poppy
• Indian Blanket
• Bird's Eyes
• Tidy Tips
• Arizona Lupine
• Arroyo Lupine
• Blazing Star
• Five Spot
• White Evening Primrose
• Snowy Pink Ev. Primrose
• California Bluebell
• Mexican Hat

Other:

• Flies
• Darkling Beetles
• Mealworms (darkling beetle larvae)
• Moths
• Crickets
• Dubia roaches

​Original thread: http://www.formicult...ood-by-species/

[CallMeCraven]

Interesting that the researcher in that paper has success with dirt in the chamber with the queens. I guess I will have to put some dirt back in with my Pogonomyrmex occidentalis queen.

[nurbs]

I figured this is a good place to put this. I was having troubling finding what they eat until i checked this. Now i am just having trouble trying to purchase these stuff... lol... found raw sunflower seeds at my local market which seems like it'll work. I've noticed them being moved around and observed queens chewing on them too.

 

Pogonomyrmex californicus

 

Likes:

 

Seeds: 

• Thistle
• Millet
• Flax (Blue)
• Rapeseed (Rapa)
• Burmuda grass
• Buffalo Grass
• Kentucky Blue Grass
• Prairie Aster
• Desert Marigold
• Farewell to spring
• Plains coreopsis
• California poppy
• Mexican gold poppy
• Indian Blanket
• Bird's Eyes
• Tidy Tips
• Arizona Lupine
• Arroyo Lupine
• Blazing Star
• Five Spot
• White Evening Primrose
• Snowy Pink Ev. Primrose
• California Bluebell
• Mexican Hat

Other:

• Flies
• Darkling Beetles
• Mealworms (darkling beetle larvae)
• Moths
• Crickets
• Dubia roaches

​Original thread: http://www.formicult...ood-by-species/

 

Once you have a mature colony of P. californicus, they will eat literally anything, from bugs to candy to fruits to sweet tarts to bacon to your own spit. They are not picky eaters.

 

If you are just rearing them, feed them small and easy to peel seeds. I use poppy and bluegrass seeds.

[Jelly]

 

Once you have a mature colony of P. californicus, they will eat literally anything, from bugs to candy to fruits to sweet tarts to bacon to your own spit. They are not picky eaters.

 

If you are just rearing them, feed them small and easy to peel seeds. I use poppy and bluegrass seeds.

 

 

Thanks! Where do you get bluegrass seeds?

[Antking117]

Maybe: https://www.amazon.c...tucky bluegrass

Edited by antking117, May 23 2017 - 1:00 AM.

[nurbs]

Believe there is a link to Amazon for the bluegrass seeds here:

 

http://www.formicult...rchasing-guide/

[Antking117]

Believe there is a link to Amazon for the bluegrass seeds here:

 

http://www.formicult...rchasing-guide/

If you click on the link it isn't available.

[soulsynapse]

 

Believe there is a link to Amazon for the bluegrass seeds here:

 

http://www.formicult...rchasing-guide/

If you click on the link it isn't available.

 

 

Haha that sucks, I just bought some a few days ago

Edited by soulsynapse, May 23 2017 - 1:29 PM.

[Hayashi]

I gave my P. Californicus queen a bath today. I have her in a test tube placed in an out world so she can forage. She's already layed three eggs. I added various seeds and a very small drop of honey. Clearly the drop of honey was too big because when I checked on her today, she was on her back stuck in it. I used my feather weight forceps to pull her out, but she was completely covered. I got a small cup of warm water and let her go for a swim. After, I placed her on a cotton ball to dry off. Haha, that all sounds ridiculous reading it back. She seems to be doing fine now, but we'll see what happens in a couple of days.

[CallMeCraven]

Interesting that the researcher in that paper has success with dirt in the chamber with the queens. I guess I will have to put some dirt back in with my Pogonomyrmex occidentalis queen.

Just wanted to update on this. My Pogonomyrmex occidentalis queen took full advantage of her test tube with dirt... by promptly digging it all out, creating a mound by the entrance with a gap for her to climb through, and a pile of sound outside the tube. She still likes to rest on the cotton plug in her empty tube.... typical.

 

She has, however, taken to the chia seeds I bought from the grocery store, at least it appears so. A small crater has appeared in the container, but I have yet to see where she is stashing the missing seeds. The honey water level in her liquid feeder is also steadily dropping.

 

I know she isn't a Pogonomyrmex californicus queen, but I want to feel included .

[Mdrogun]

I'm a little late to this, but you guys will have so much more success if you give them substrate for their test tube, or even better, allow them to found in substrate. You might be able to move them to a nest once they get more workers, but so far, the survival rate for this species is terrible if you don't have them in substrate when they're founding/are a small colony.

Edited by Mdrogun, June 2 2017 - 12:02 PM.

[kudofo]

I hope I can get another set of Pogonomyrmex going this year.

[StopSpazzing]

Added all this helpful data to the wiki for easy consumption.

 

https://www.antkeepi...ex_californicus

Edited by StopSpazzing, September 7 2017 - 3:14 PM.