Dump the Myrmecia queen and her larvae into the new tube.
Done, but it looks like that last larvae is also dead
Oh well at least I know they need water in the test tube now
Dump the Myrmecia queen and her larvae into the new tube.
Done, but it looks like that last larvae is also dead
Oh well at least I know they need water in the test tube now
Current ant colonies -
1) Opisthopsis Rufithorax (strobe ant), Melophorus sp2. black and orange, Pheidole species, Pheidole antipodum
Journal = http://www.formicult...ra-iridomyrmex/
Heterotermes cf brevicatena termite pet/feeder journal = http://www.formicult...feeder-journal/
That is an unfortunate turn of events. I hope she can recover. It might be a bit painful, but maybe if you can give her a few pupae from a wild colony she can recover faster.
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Summer 6th January 2020
Rhytidoponera metallica 9mm queen
16mm Test tube - heat cable
5 workers, 8 cocoons, 15+ larvae, clump of brood
The girls were booming, but I have packed them up and they are on the way to their new owner!
I was going to keep them, but they are fairly common, and the person asked me if I had one for sale, so I decided to let them go
Camponotus suffusus bendigensis 17-18mm queen 1
20mm Test tube - heat cable
9 workers, 6 cocoons, 2 large, 10+ small larvae/eggs
Another cocoon spun, things are ramping up.
Current ant colonies -
1) Opisthopsis Rufithorax (strobe ant), Melophorus sp2. black and orange, Pheidole species, Pheidole antipodum
Journal = http://www.formicult...ra-iridomyrmex/
Heterotermes cf brevicatena termite pet/feeder journal = http://www.formicult...feeder-journal/
So my black and orange Melophorus queen died ages ago, but I kept the 1 major, 2 medial and 3 workers around in the same nest.
Only water and honey, but today I see a clump of eggs and some larvae! I haven't given them any protein so maybe I should... someone is laying the eggsso 11 larvae, 1 cocoon, and probably a few eggs there.....coocon is quite big....
So I gave them a roach head and they dragged it onto the larvae and pile all the larvae onto it. The larvae seem to feed themselves much like Myrmecia and Rhytidoponera
click
could the major be the one laying the eggs...? I mean she is almost the same size as the queen, and has ocelli
So the cocoons have eclsoed and I see a few winged drones in the nest
The ya re still pumping out the eggs and larvae though
Current ant colonies -
1) Opisthopsis Rufithorax (strobe ant), Melophorus sp2. black and orange, Pheidole species, Pheidole antipodum
Journal = http://www.formicult...ra-iridomyrmex/
Heterotermes cf brevicatena termite pet/feeder journal = http://www.formicult...feeder-journal/
So they're infertile. Too bad.
Summer 14th January 2020
Camponotus suffusus bendigensis 17-18mm queen 1
20mm Test tube - heat cable
9 workers, 6 cocoons, 2 large, 10+ small larvae/eggs
1 worker died from old age and on the same day one of the cocoons finally eclosed.
I think she may well be the first nanitic, so she lived for quite some time.
First new worker since last season, and after the last few cocoons were eaten...
Only a few months left till winter, so hopefully numbers get up to the 20s before then, so I can move them into one of my THA Atom C nests setups.
Still plenty of water elft in their current test tube+ vinyl tubing extension setup
Polyrhachis rufifemur 9mm queen
16mm test tube - heat cable
1 medium, 1 small larvae
Dammit she ate one of the small larvae, so down to two now.
Had 7 at one stage....
At this rate a colony is a long way off, due to such slow growth
Pheidole antipodum 14-15mm queens x 3
Heat cable
Queen 4 - 20mm test tube with styro foam double chamber
2 workers (1 mini major) from donated brood, small clump of unhatched 8-9 month old 20+ eggs
eggs still unhatched
Queen 10, former member of dual queen - 20mm test tube with styro foam double chamber
200? workers and some majors of all sizes - large stack of brood
Queen 5 - 20mm test tube sitting inside THA Inception nest
300+? workers and some mini majors - massive brood pile
Very strange - they moved 50-75% of the brood down under the foil, near the heat cable - not much humidity there, at least less than the test tube and nest.
Even after removing the heat cable they are still there. Although when I open the nest up to feed them, they start rushing the brood back to the test tube
---
A friend is giving me back his colony since he is off to University.
So I'll likely have 3 colonies soon, but probably will sell one.
This one was the queen with the dented gaster and was fastest layers I had.
Current ant colonies -
1) Opisthopsis Rufithorax (strobe ant), Melophorus sp2. black and orange, Pheidole species, Pheidole antipodum
Journal = http://www.formicult...ra-iridomyrmex/
Heterotermes cf brevicatena termite pet/feeder journal = http://www.formicult...feeder-journal/
Came across a big Dolichoderus clarki ant trail. Quite big ants at around 1cm in length.
Big colony for the size of ant, so they must grow pretty damn fast!
Wingless queens though.... so will be hard to find one...
https://www.instagra.../p/B7XvYFhHKuT/
Current ant colonies -
1) Opisthopsis Rufithorax (strobe ant), Melophorus sp2. black and orange, Pheidole species, Pheidole antipodum
Journal = http://www.formicult...ra-iridomyrmex/
Heterotermes cf brevicatena termite pet/feeder journal = http://www.formicult...feeder-journal/
Summer 16th January 2020
Camponotus suffusus bendigensis 17-18mm queen 1
20mm Test tube - heat cable
10 workers, 7 cocoons, 2 large, 15+ small larvae/eggs
Second second gen worker eclosed today, and another cocoon spun.
Things are looking up as the queen has dumped a lot of eggs out and a big pile of small larvae has emerged
Camponotus aeneopilosus aka golden tail sugar ant - 12mm queen
16mm test tube - styrofoam double chamber setup - heat cable
So after birthing a drone last year, and then eating her pile of never growing large larvae last week
The end of her tragic life has come... I found her dead just then
Oh well I was going to release her when her test tube dried out, there is only 1cm of water left.
Guess she ran out of food, although I do have a honey dish out front.
RIP
Edited by CoolColJ, January 16 2020 - 4:42 AM.
Current ant colonies -
1) Opisthopsis Rufithorax (strobe ant), Melophorus sp2. black and orange, Pheidole species, Pheidole antipodum
Journal = http://www.formicult...ra-iridomyrmex/
Heterotermes cf brevicatena termite pet/feeder journal = http://www.formicult...feeder-journal/
Current ant colonies -
1) Opisthopsis Rufithorax (strobe ant), Melophorus sp2. black and orange, Pheidole species, Pheidole antipodum
Journal = http://www.formicult...ra-iridomyrmex/
Heterotermes cf brevicatena termite pet/feeder journal = http://www.formicult...feeder-journal/
Summer 13th February 2020
Polyrhachis rufifemur 9mm queen
16mm test tube - heat cable
1 small larvae
damn it, her other larger larvae died and dried out, not sure why...
into season 2 now and it's just taking forever - just as slow and hard to get going as Myrmecia
Camponotus suffusus bendigensis 17-18mm queen 1
20mm Test tube - heat cable
15 workers, 12 cocoons, 5+ large, 20+ small larvae/eggs
Things are booming now - despite some more nanitic dying.
A few more second gen have eclosed, up to 15 workers now.
12 cocoons, a few larger and a few smaller.
Tons of eggs and small larvae
Every member has bloated gasters, so I have only been feeding them once a fortnight.
Pheidole antipodum 14-15mm queens x 3
Heat cable
Queen 4 - 20mm test tube with styro foam double chamber
1 worker from donated brood, small clump of unhatched 8-9 month old 10+ eggs
So she is down to one minor worker after the mini major died, and she keeps eating and relaying her eggs...
I might euthanize her when the water of the test tube runs out, as she is clearing infertile.
Queen 10, former member of dual queen - 20mm test tube with styro foam double chamber
400+? workers and some majors of all sizes - large stack of brood
They have tunneled into the water of the tets tube... 30 odd workers and mini majors floating inside...
A sign they are looking for more space as they have filled the front of the test tube as well.
I moved them out into a bare tub and tubes setup for now, as they a re a pain to feed
They piled all the rubbish around the blu tack holding their test tube
I might be selling them, we'll see
Queen 5 - 20mm test tube sitting inside THA Inception nest
500+? workers and some mini majors - massive brood pile
So after a few weeks they finally moved 80% of the brood into the nest! Only the queen and 30 off larger larvae remain in the near dry test tube.
Surpised how active this colony is, always workers running around outside the nest entrance willy nilly and majors doing work stripping down 2 week old dried roach.
They also like to cover any foreign item with what looks like grey substrate. Not sure from where, as all the sand/dirt in the nest is light brown...
Another good thing is their not interested in escaping, makes sense as they are subterranean type ants
Will try and get some pics soon
Edited by CoolColJ, February 12 2020 - 7:36 PM.
Current ant colonies -
1) Opisthopsis Rufithorax (strobe ant), Melophorus sp2. black and orange, Pheidole species, Pheidole antipodum
Journal = http://www.formicult...ra-iridomyrmex/
Heterotermes cf brevicatena termite pet/feeder journal = http://www.formicult...feeder-journal/
Current ant colonies -
1) Opisthopsis Rufithorax (strobe ant), Melophorus sp2. black and orange, Pheidole species, Pheidole antipodum
Journal = http://www.formicult...ra-iridomyrmex/
Heterotermes cf brevicatena termite pet/feeder journal = http://www.formicult...feeder-journal/
Pictures bro. I love your colonies.
Just been so busy lately
Current ant colonies -
1) Opisthopsis Rufithorax (strobe ant), Melophorus sp2. black and orange, Pheidole species, Pheidole antipodum
Journal = http://www.formicult...ra-iridomyrmex/
Heterotermes cf brevicatena termite pet/feeder journal = http://www.formicult...feeder-journal/
Current ant colonies -
1) Opisthopsis Rufithorax (strobe ant), Melophorus sp2. black and orange, Pheidole species, Pheidole antipodum
Journal = http://www.formicult...ra-iridomyrmex/
Heterotermes cf brevicatena termite pet/feeder journal = http://www.formicult...feeder-journal/
So my black and orange Melophorus queen died ages ago, but I kept the 1 major, 2 medial and 3 workers around in the same nest.
Only water and honey, but today I see a clump of eggs and some larvae! I haven't given them any protein so maybe I should... someone is laying the eggsso 11 larvae, 1 cocoon, and probably a few eggs there.....coocon is quite big....
So I gave them a roach head and they dragged it onto the larvae and pile all the larvae onto it. The larvae seem to feed themselves much like Myrmecia and Rhytidoponera
click
could the major be the one laying the eggs...? I mean she is almost the same size as the queen, and has ocelli
So the cocoons have eclsoed and I see a few winged drones in the nest
The ya re still pumping out the eggs and larvae though
Current ant colonies -
1) Opisthopsis Rufithorax (strobe ant), Melophorus sp2. black and orange, Pheidole species, Pheidole antipodum
Journal = http://www.formicult...ra-iridomyrmex/
Heterotermes cf brevicatena termite pet/feeder journal = http://www.formicult...feeder-journal/
The Camponotus are gorgeous! What a simply amazing journal!
There is a important time for everything, important place for everyone, an important person for everybody, and an important ant for each and every ant keeper and myrmecologist alike
that's amazing, hopefully the melos can actually have gamergates.
Pheidole antipodum
Had some cooked mince on my plate. Decided to test out if they like cooked meat, as Pheidole and most ants do not usually take to cooked meat.
Well turns out they do! Video was taken within a minute of dropping it in!
So they are more like Carebara ants, than regular Pheidole in behaviour, plus the similar type of polymoprhism
Current ant colonies -
1) Opisthopsis Rufithorax (strobe ant), Melophorus sp2. black and orange, Pheidole species, Pheidole antipodum
Journal = http://www.formicult...ra-iridomyrmex/
Heterotermes cf brevicatena termite pet/feeder journal = http://www.formicult...feeder-journal/
Funnily enough, I believe 1 or more of the majors in my queenless Camponotus pennsylvanicus colonies is also laying eggs in a similar manner to the major in your Melophorus sp. colony. I don't expect to get anything besides drones, which is frightening, because judging by the sheer size of the brood pile, the nest is gonna be absolutely swarming with drones.
Current ant colonies -
1) Opisthopsis Rufithorax (strobe ant), Melophorus sp2. black and orange, Pheidole species, Pheidole antipodum
Journal = http://www.formicult...ra-iridomyrmex/
Heterotermes cf brevicatena termite pet/feeder journal = http://www.formicult...feeder-journal/
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