1787 replies to this topic

[CoolColJ]

Pheidole cf antipodum 15mm queen
in magnetic glass top gypsum founding nest - heat cable

 

So I ended up running the heatcable along the top of the nest's glass top, placed over the end, directly above the queen.

Holding it down with a heavy metal tape measure

Since running it under the nest seems to cause condensation over the whole glass, while doing the above only in one corner

 

I didn't check on her till this afternoon.

And she packed bags and moved herself and the brood back to the middle chamber area!

shown in pic - she used to be on the far end of the right side passage.

 

 

Maybe due to the enclosed walls feeling warmer? Or maybe cooler, if the heat bothered her.

Hopefully by the weekend the brood will have a growth spurt from the heat and become small larvae

 

She still has a single egg sitting on top of her thorax....

Edited by CoolColJ, September 19 2018 - 11:36 PM.

[CoolColJ]

Spring - 20th September 2018


Project Parasite Papayrius - 8mm queen

OK I just did it - I tapped 75% of my young Iridomyrmex colony into a petri dish plus 5 workers.
The queen fell out as well, so I had to put her back in. Put both the Papy queen's test tube and the petri dish into the fridge for 10 mins to slow and clam them down,
but in hindsight, 1-2 mins in the freezer would have put them all to sleep for better results..

Then I used a featherweight forceps to move the brood and workers across to the Papy test tube.
Since they were only slowed and not asleep this was a bit tricky as the workers started trying to carry the brood out of the test tube and one of the workers attacked the Papy queen.
But 1 min in the freezer put everyone to asleep.

The Papy queen woke up first, it took the smaller Irido workers longer to wake up.

They seem pretty calm so far, but the Papy queen wants none of it and is hanging out near the entrance cotton.... to be updated...

 

 

She is sitting calmly above the brood pile now, remains to be seen if she will help the one dark pupa to eclose.

 

Well I gave her 9 pupa, one that is yellow now, and one that was dark grey, so close to enclosing.

Plus 5 eggs.

Well I only see half of that dark pupa, so she must have eaten it... 

[CoolColJ]

Spring 21st September 2018

Meat ant queen - Iridomyrmex purpureus 14mm queen
20mm Test tube, and cotton double chamber setup - red film - heat cable
15eggs

Sweet, back to 15 eggs, and she may lay more today, but this is already a decent amount!



Project Parasite Papayrius - 8mm queen

 

She hasn't interacted much with the Iridomyrmex brood I left in her test tube.

So I'm just going to assume she is just your regular semi-claustral

 

I might take the brood out and give it back to the original owners...

[CoolColJ]

Pheidole cf antipodum 15mm queen
in magnetic glass top gypsum founding nest - heat cable
 
Ahh not good - the queen has what looks like water droplets, bubbles, from condensation all over her body!

And she actually left the brood in still in the original place, on the right side passage, while she moved herself to the middle chamber...
So heat cable is a no go in this nest!

Hopefully she will return to her brood soon!

edit - ugh she has some eggs in the new spot and 30+ in the old spot

edit2 - she is back in her original spot and brood, but some 5 eggs are lost in the new spot..

Edited by CoolColJ, September 20 2018 - 3:34 PM.

[DaveJay]

Spring 21st September 2018

Meat ant queen - Iridomyrmex purpureus 14mm queen
20mm Test tube, and cotton double chamber setup - red film - heat cable
15eggs

Sweet, back to 15 eggs, and she may lay more today, but this is already a decent amount!



Project Parasite Papayrius - 8mm queen

She hasn't interacted much with the Iridomyrmex brood I left in her test tube.
So I'm just going to assume she is just your regular semi-claustral

I might take the brood out and give it back to the original owners...

I read the abstract of a paper calling for a revision of the genus Papayrius last night, there's two recognised species but this paper is proposing that there are as many as 26, still no mention of being a parasitic species. I think you've been misled myself, surely I would have come across some mention of it by now. Still a very interesting species, apart from the symbiosis with the small ant blue butterfly they actively manage populations of nymphs of various 'bug' species so they must be fairly reliant on honeydew. This may be a case where a little protein added to sugar water may be warranted.

[CoolColJ]

I captured a interesting looking ant (turns out to be a Dolichoderus clarki ) today. It was just walking along the bush trail, while a P.ammon was also carrying her sister a few inches away
It has large gold heart shapped gaster like a Crematogaster, with metallic Rhytidoponera colours in the upper body!

I don't think it's a queen, but it does have a domed thorax...
About 9mm in length

currently enjoying some raw honey for the last 15mins

click to enlarge

I came across their nest today - it was like 2 feet away from where I found this ant, on the side of the track.
It's like an open bird nest pretty much, with workers holding the larvae!
Looked to be about a few hundred strong, so pretty big colony for the size of the ants

So humidity requirements are low, and they like the sun to hit them

I'll be stalking this nest for possible queens

It would not be hard to rock up with a Fluon lined bucket and scoop the whole lot into it... but I don't want to do that  

Edited by CoolColJ, September 20 2018 - 8:51 PM.

[CoolColJ]

Pheidole Colony A - Phediole sp. red head/black body 9mm queen
heatcable
40? workers

 

Their first major larvae has started to pupate.

This one is by far the largest major larvae entering the pupating stage of the 3 main Pheidole colonies.

Queen is also the largest.

[CoolColJ]

Rhytidoponera cf aspera queen 8-9mm queen

16mm Test tube with aquarium filter wool dam, and cotton double chamber setup

No eggs

 

Getting worried about her... been leaving food outside her test tube opening, but I haven't seen her come outside to forage since I caught her, nor drink honey

About a 1 week now

[CoolColJ]

LOL I found a Rhytidoponera queen at work under a brick this morning. Like in the middle of urban Willoughby!

 

Never seen any here, but plenty near my home, and I find one here... this one is looks as big as my Aspera queens, but has a chunkier head and looks green even in the shade, with a iridescent gold/green gaster.

Lucky I decided to keep a capture vial on me today

Will post pics later today

 

she is 8mm

 

 

Spring 22nd September 2018

 

Camponotus consobrinus queen 16-17mm - black thorax colour scheme
in Minihearth
No eggs

I dropped a dead termite alate nyphm into her nest last night.

She noticed it straight away and grabbed it by the and started to spray formic acid on it

Then she started to nibble and suck it, I expected her to be more frenzied given she hasn't eaten in ages

 

But this morning it's all gone, not one trace of it left, and her gaster looks bigger too

Well she has enough fuel to lay eggs if she needed any...

 

The only queen left, from winter that hasn't laid yet...

Edited by CoolColJ, September 21 2018 - 3:30 PM.

[CoolColJ]

Pics of the 8mm green Rhytidoponera queen I found today.

Even in the shade she looks green, but her gaster is iridescent under light, gold green.

I see she has some blue/purple on her as well

 

I guess you could say she looks like a R.metallica, but I think she is larger than one of those.

 

click to enlarge

[CoolColJ]

Spring 23rd September 2018

 

 

Rhytidoponera, green/gold 8mm queen

temporary 16mm test tube with red film

 

Damn it, I put her in a temporary test tube overnight and she laid an egg in it

LOL, this test tube doesn't have much water in it...

Gonna have to move her later today, shouldn't be an issue, as it looks like she is an easy layer...

 

I captured her, had her in an open petri dish, moved her around, photographed her, shoved her in a test tube, with some raw honey and a termite alate nymph which she did not touch nor eat

and yet she still laid a few hours later

 

This test tube has the water cotton sloping out at the bottom, like a cotton rug, which she can stand on. Maybe that makes her feel comfy.

Something to consider in future setups, by placing flattened cotton in the same area

Edited by CoolColJ, September 22 2018 - 4:24 PM.

[CoolColJ]

Melophorus sp. colony - red black 6-7mm queen
refillable gypsum plugged test tube connected to outworld - heatcablele
1 minor worker, 13 brood

Yoinks - 2 more eggs, so 13 brood now, didn't think Melophorus were this much of an egg layer, especially with only 1 worker...
And their tube is fully exposed to light!


Melophorus sp.- black orange 7-8mm queen
Acrylic founding nest - red film - heat cable
2 eggs. 1 worker
 
Moved them over to the heat cable.
Still have some loose red film drapped over the top of the nest, but I think I can remove it now, ambient light doesn't bother the queen

[CoolColJ]

Colony update - Spring 23rd September 2018

Opisthopsis Rufithorax (strobe ant) 10mm queen
heat cable - Atom C nest inside circular outworld
7 nanitics, 10 cocoons, some larvae and at least an egg

Up 4 cocoons from last week, and I see at least the first egg since months ago!
Colony growth rate looks to be on an upward trend, although these ants do not have large colonies from what I know

Been seeing 1 worker in the outworld eating whatever I give them at least one a day, yesterday I put in an termite alate nymph
Didn't expect them to eat it, as the sentry and the forager were peeping from the nest entrance and looked anxious.
But she did later come out and munch on it


Melophorus sp.- red black 6-7mm queen
refillable gypsum plugged test tube connected to outworld - heatcable
1 minor worker, 13 brood

Queen is still cranking them out 2 eggs at a time.
I wonder if she will continue going at a constant rate until winter, as opposed to laying in batches with pauses inbetween
If she does, this colony will get bigger in a hurry, after a slow start.


Melophorus sp.- black orange 7-8mm queen
Acrylic founding nest
2 eggs. 1 worker
 
I think she still has only 2 eggs, Hard to see them

 
Pheidole Colony A - Phediole sp. red head/black body 9mm queen
heatcable

30-40 workers, first major larvae/pupa

First major larvae pupating. I think this will be the largest major of the lot with a red head, and be around 6mm
So will likley take the longest to eclose.
Pile of pupa turning brown, their first significant boost in worker population since a few weeks back where they stalled


Pheidole Colony B - Pheidole sp, all black 8mm queen
 heatcable
35-40 workers. 1 Major. 1 major pupa

They have retracted all the brood to the cotton, away from the heat cable, and the queen is on the cotton as well after the incident when i tried to clean their test tube and feed them a day ago..
They will eventually recover and return to normal hopefully.
So the test tube started to leak water for some reason, maybe due to heat from my hand holding it over the water area, when I was cleaning their test tube and feeding them
Then had lots of workers charge out into the container where I had opened their test tube up.
Took ages to get them all back in.... they are no longer timid... and definitely ready to move into a formicarium.
That was messy and stressful for all!!


Pheidole Colony C - 2x Phediole sp. red head/black body 7mm queens
heatcable
20'ish workers - lots of brood, major larvae/pupating

Nothing major to report, they have a steady stream of workers eclosing.


Polyrhachis rufifemur 9mm queen
 
1 egg, 1 nanitics, 1 small Camponotus larvae

Still at one egg i think


Camponotus suffusus 18+mm - queenless
 Atom C nest inside circular outworld - heat cable
14 workers, 1 large 3 medium larvae
 
I might release them this week, with no queen and not much brood, I could use the nest and outworld for someone else.

 
Iridomyrmex - black 8.5mm queen
aquarium filter dam and cotton wool chamber wall/entrance - heat cable
12 workers, lots of brood

Due to events this week, their population took a hit.


Pheidole Colony D - Pheidole sp. red, dark gaster 7mm queen
cotton double chamber setup - heat cable
5 nanitics - lots of brood

Another nanitic eclosed, didn't even notice, they are so small
6th one should in a few days time.
They have a decent amount of brood which they bury into the cotton - A trait these red Pheidole species seem to have that the black ones don't.



Pheidole Colony E - Pheidole sp, light red head, dark red body, 6-7mm

Queen 1 - heat cable - 5 nanitics, clump of brood
16mm test tube, double chamber setup, exposed to light

Damn 3 nanitics eclosed and things are going well.
While the other queen of this species still has no nanitics yet, in the red test tube rack, no heat cable


Pheidole Colony F - Banished Phediole sp. red head/black body 9mm queen - originally a partner of Pheidole Colony A
heatcable
3 Nanitics, 1 pupa, a few larvae, clump of eggs

Just one pupa and some larvae, but a new clump of eggs

 
Rhytidoponera species - black, red legged 9mm queen
Tub and tubes setup - exposed to shadowed light
heatcable
4 workers - 6 larvae

Not much has changed, I add new food for them every few days, after they feed and discard the remains outside.
Hope the larvae start to cocoon soon.

Looking to sell this setup soon.

Edited by CoolColJ, September 23 2018 - 6:08 AM.

[CoolColJ]

Spring 23rd September 2018 - Queen update


3x Phediole sp. red head/black body 8-9mm
heat cable
2 pupa, 4 large larvae some small larvae and eggs

One pupa slightly yellow, looks like they will finally be a colony this week.
It's been a long time coming!
Hope all 3 queens stay together.

 
Camponotus consobrinus 16-17mm - black thorax colour scheme
in Minihearth
No eggs
 
Still no eggs...


Pheidole sp, light red head, dark red body, 6-7mm

Queen 2 - 2 pupa, a few large larvae, clump of eggs
I have her in my double test tube modded setup, with a polystyrene foam chamber entrance
in red test tube rack
2 pupa now, so nanitics in 1-2 weeks time.
She laid more eggs as well.
Cotton is still mold free, and I never have to worry about water as I can refill it in this modded double test tube setup
 
 
Pheidole cf antipodum 15mm queen
in magnetic glass top gypsum founding nest

30+ brood
 
Tried drapping the heat cable across only the corner near the queen
Seems to be working ok, will keep an eye on things
 
 
Meat ant queen - Iridomyrmex purpureus 14mm queen
20mm test tube, cotton double chamber setup - heatcable
18 eggs
 
Wow she keeps laying, 18 eggs now, and she laid one while I was counting them!
What a come back, pretty fertile she is, and this species is fast growing, so things could get out of control later..

She still has a thread of cotton around her mandibles, but at least it is not tangling her
Maybe her workers to come will get it off?
 

Rhytidoponera cf aspera queen 8-9mm queen
16mm Test tube with aquarium filter wool dam, and cotton double chamber setup
No eggs
I haven't seen her eat anything yet... getting worried, and she hasn't left her test tube either
 
triple black Iridomyrmex queens 8mm
20mm test tube
tons of eggs
 
I may release them soon, but for now they remain
 
 
Papyrius sp. 8mm queen
16mm test tube - aquarium filter wool - red film
 
No changes I can discern, but she looks calm and contented
There are some eggs, but I think they are the Iridomyrmex eggs I left in there.
Which she can use as food if needed, but one does look larger than the rest


Rhytidoponera, green/gold 8mm queen
temporary 16mm test tube with red film

1 egg

 

Even though she has already laid an egg in this temporary test tube, I will move her to a proper one today

As I type this, she has found the termite alate nymph body and is munching on it, so the move shall wait

 

Seems she is comfortable without an outworld, so won't use a tub and tubes setup until needed.

 

Hopefully by then Crystal's containers that I bought from her will arrive for use with my semi-claustral queens - nice and compact!

 

Edited by CoolColJ, September 22 2018 - 11:55 PM.

[CoolColJ]

Banished Phediole sp. red head/black body 9mm queen - originally a partner of Pheidole Colony A
heatcable
4 Nanitics, 2 pupa, a few larvae, clump of eggs

 

4th nanitic is eclosing now

Queen doing the cleaning, while she thumps her gaster up and down

This must be the queen's happy tap, as she also does it when she eats

 

She may have been banished but she has loads more personality than her original partner, which stands motionless on the cotton most of the time...

 

 

[CoolColJ]

Rhytidoponera, green/gold 8mm queen
16mm test tube, aquarium filter wool, corrugated cardboard floor with red film

1 egg

 

Manually moved her to a new setup. Moving that single egg was a pain, but it's in now

I added too much water as there is not much space to leave food at the front...

 

This one uses aquarium filter wool.

Then the bottom half of the remaining space has a piece of corrguated cardboard bent, curved and shaped to fit snugly against the bottom of the test tube to act a comfy floor

Rhytidoponera have poor grip on smooth surfaces so this helps a lot.

Plus it can absorb all the poop and rubbish better.

 

Unlike a regular test tube and cotton setup, I noticed the queen uses the whole cardboard area as her nesting space.

She stands on it rather than on the water dam.

She also left the egg near the entrance, which I hope she moves so I can put in the foam raw honey dish...

[CoolColJ]

New setup for green Rhytidoponera
 
click to enlarge

[CoolColJ]

Spring 24th September 2018

Rhytidoponera, green 8mm queen
16mm test tube, aquarium filter wool, corrugated cardboard floor with red film
2 eggs
 
I don't think she noticed her first egg earlier, so I pushed it in further with a small paint brush.
She eventually found it. This allowed me to place the raw honey flat polystyrene dish further inside.

She's been nibbling on the dead termite alate nymph, and then laid her second egg about an hour ago.
So she's already settled in after the move, yeap she's an easy layer.
Both eggs sitting neatly next to the termite body, ready to feed them when they hatch

Cardboard makes it easy to see the eggs as well

Edited by CoolColJ, September 23 2018 - 10:36 PM.

[CoolColJ]

Meat ant queen - Iridomyrmex purpureus 14mm queen
20mm test tube, cotton double chamber setup - heatcable
22 eggs

 

By gee by jingo!, She has the magic touch, another 4 eggs laid - 22 now

[CoolColJ]

Pheidole Colony E - Pheidole sp, light red head, dark red body, 6-7mm

16mm test tube, double chamber setup, exposed to light - heatcable

Queen 1 - 7 nanitics, clump of brood

 

Another 2 nanitics eclosed since yesterday! Queen is cleaning the 7th one as I type.

This colony is on an exponential growth curve, every time I look there is a new worker!

Already overtaken the other red Pheidole colony that started away before this one.

 

I didn't even see any brown pupa yesterday either..

Edited by CoolColJ, September 23 2018 - 10:57 PM.