70 replies to this topic

[Mettcollsuss]

1-22-18

So a callow worker just eclosed to replace the dead one. The colony is back to twelve workers, like the whole disaster never happened.

[Mettcollsuss]

1-25-18

Worker count up to 14.

[Mettcollsuss]

1-28-18

Continuing to grow steadily. The queen is always pumping out more eggs, the brood is developing nicely, new workers are eclosing each day. I can't count them anymore, but I'm estimating their numbers are now somewhere in the mid to upper teens. They are big enough that colony-like behaviors are starting o surface.

 

I've noticed that these ants aren't really ones for sweets. They ignore any honey or sugar water I give them. They are, however, the most protein-hungry colony I've ever kept. They devour every insect I give them within an hour. Despite seemingly not eating their sweets, they seem to have a lot of energy. These ants are also quite the cotton-pullers.

 

Photo update coming soon!

[Connectimyrmex]

Nice!
My A. rudis colony just died
They were the first Aphaeno colony that I ever kept that accepted honey.

[noebl1]

Nice!
My A. rudis colony just died
They were the first Aphaeno colony that I ever kept that accepted honey.

 

Really sorry to hear that

[YsTheAnt]

Nice!
My A. rudis colony just died
They were the first Aphaeno colony that I ever kept that accepted honey.

Really sorry to hear that

Me too. It's often understated how sad the death of a queen or colony can be, especially if you really devote lots of time and care to them, or if you don't have many colonies, just a handful.

[Mettcollsuss]

They were the first Aphaeno colony that I ever kept that accepted honey.

This colony accepted honey one time a few months back, but hasn't since then.

[Mettcollsuss]

2-1-18

Almost all the larvae and pupae have turned into adults now, but the queen just laid a new batch of about 20-ish eggs.

 

Photo time!

  

 

 

  

 

 

[Mettcollsuss]

2-7-18

Gave them a fruit fly today. Just like my Tetramorium immigrans colony, they ignored it live, but gladly accepted it pre-killed.

[Mettcollsuss]

2-11-18

I finally got them to accept a sugar source. They will now accept sugar water, in small amounts.

 

There is a really noticeable size difference between the nanitics and some of the more recently eclosed workers.

[noebl1]

Nice!!!  How did you end up giving them the sugar water?  I've been using the cotton ball soaked technique.

 

Took my A. picea queen/worker out of hibernation, waiting a couple more weeks before taking my A. rudis queens out.

[Mettcollsuss]

I just placed in a drop with a toothpick.

[Mettcollsuss]

2-13-18

These ants really love their fruit flies. They tried to grab it off the toothpick before I had even set the fly down.

[Mettcollsuss]

2-16-18

[Mettcollsuss]

2-25-18

So, these girls like live fruit fly larvae, apparently.

[noebl1]

2-25-18

So, these girls like live fruit fly larvae, apparently.

 

I fed fruit flies to my fledgling A. picea colony yesterday for the first time (just a queen, one worker and a pile of brood), and there wasn't a trace of the fruit fly after 24 hours.  Fed them a second one today, and already working it...  I noticed that the queen is pretty active here breaking down and feeding the fruit fly to the larvae, not sure if you see anything similar with A. rudis?

Edited by noebl1, February 25 2018 - 5:02 PM.

[Diesel]

My pice colony loves chasing down the live ones. I feed them 10 or so every 3 to 4 days. My colony is about 60 or so workers and a huge pike of brood.

[Mettcollsuss]

3-7-18

The queen just laid a new batch of eggs, I'm estimating around 20-30.

[Mettcollsuss]

4-2-18

They are now at about 30 workers. I moved them into a THA Mini Hearth Type III. I Only one worker was lost because it managed to crawl inside the water tower through a small hole in the mesh. Once I saw this, however, I covered the hole with a little drop of plaster.

[AntsAreUs]

Just caught a colony of ~200 workers and tons of brood, was wondering what they readily eat.