15 replies to this topic

[Foogoo]

My P. rogosus colony from Drew was small to begin with and had a few die offs which got me worried. I now have them in a Talus and they appear comfortable, just a queen with three workers. I haven't been able to find any brood to boost it with. I've been giving them water, Blue and Aqua, and keeping the temp around high 80's.

 

Is there anything else I can do to make sure they're comfortable and hopefully start producing more brood? 

[dean_k]

If we knew that, antnig would be so much easier.

 

Keeping them in dark or shade might help but from my own experience, once they get used to light, light or shadow don't seem to matter to them.

 

I disturb my colony a lot but they seem to do fine regardless, so I really have no idea how one could encourage them to lay eggs. Some queens might lay eggs better than the others. It all depends on luck and what kind of queen she is....

[dspdrew]

Remember also that egg laying sometimes slows down in the winter.

[drtrmiller]

Also, if you can find literally any other ant larvae/pupae, it doesn't matter what species as long as they're a decent size, they will eat these like caviar, the nutrients will go right back into the colony, and larvae will experience rapid growth, provided there is sufficient heat.

 

Smaller colonies are simply more difficult, and there are few if any silver-bullet foods or care instructions.

Edited by drtrmiller, December 15 2014 - 12:04 PM.

[Foogoo]

Remember also that egg laying sometimes slows down in the winter.

 

Is winter determined by their internal clock or temperature? Should I remove the heat lamp?

 

I tried feeding them fruitfly maggots tonight. Dummies walked over them over and over, never noticing them. Same with the Camponotus...

[dean_k]

If they are ignoring obvious food, it might be a sign that they need to go sleep for a while.

 

Some pictures or a video would be nice. My colony literally refused to go into hibernation, so I took them out of my beer fridge.

[Foogoo]

If they are ignoring obvious food, it might be a sign that they need to go sleep for a while.

 

Some pictures or a video would be nice. My colony literally refused to go into hibernation, so I took them out of my beer fridge.

 

I thought Pogonomyrmex don't hibernate, do they? Well they ignored the maggots but happily attacked the fly and drug it back to their nest. Same with the Camponotus, walked over the maggots and went for the fly.

[dean_k]

That means they are seeking nutrition that is not available from worms. Ants don't like the same diet over and over. You need to rotate diets and they need different diets for nutrition balance.

[Gregory2455]

Pogonomyrmex don't hibernate.

[Alza]

what he said.

[dspdrew]

Pogonomyrmex don't hibernate, as in they should not be put into a fridge, but they do go dormant during the winter, and stay inside the nest. They cover over the entrance around November and don't open it up until around April or May a lot of the time.

[Foogoo]

Pogonomyrmex don't hibernate, as in they should not be put into a fridge, but they do go dormant during the winter, and stay inside the nest. They cover over the entrance around November and don't open it up until around April or May a lot of the time.

 

Hopefully that explains why my neighborhood colonies seem to have disappeared. There is one however, everytime I visit, appears to be active and busy.

[dspdrew]

Yup! The first year I got into this, I was depressed thinking all the Pogonomyrmex colonies around the area I live got wiped out by Argentine ants or something. I couldn't find a nest anywhere. Then around late April/May they were everywhere.

[Foogoo]

It looks like my micro-colony has a new clutch of eggs! This is a big deal for me because this is the only Pogonomyrmex colony out of 3 that hasn't mysteriously died on me.

 

I moved them into a THA Talus after trying a few different nests. They seem to be comfortable in a chamber with a low roof. Otherwise, I've kept them around the high 80's, covered with a towel and few chopped sunflower seeds, BF blue and aqua and 1:4 sugar water.

[Gregory2455]

Keeping a small colony like this in a Talus is a good idea.

[Foogoo]

Keeping a small colony like this in a Talus is a good idea.

 

I think Pogonomyrmex especially appreciate the substrate and confinement. I had them in a Growth Chamber and they never seemed comfortable.