1787 replies to this topic

[CoolColJ]

Pheidole antipodum 15mm queen 1
20mm Test tube - Heat cable
0 eggs? - raw honey dish

I need to figure out how to move the brood from the other dead queen to her test tube, if I still keep her in it.
Or move her back into the gypsum founding nest or the Atom C etc

The reason why it's kinda iffy is that she is currently hanging out on the water dam cotton all the time and does not react to anything inside the test tube.
So I'm not sure she will even gather up the brood if I place it inside, a bit away from her...

Then I might put her back inside the incubator 


Meat ant queen - Iridomyrmex purpureus 14mm queen
16mm test tube - in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
24+ eggs

Exchanged the other queen for a new one with 24+ eggs captured from this season.
Placed her in my incubator - I expect nanitics in 3 weeks!

I noticed she moved all her brood up near the cotton plug.
Even though the heat cable does not touch the test tube.
Either she likes it dry, or some heat from the heat cable is still concentrated there through the acoustic foam tile


Camponotus suffusus bendigensis 17-18mm queen1
20mm Test tube - in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
0 eggs  - raw honey dish
 
Moved her to my ghetto incubator, and left the raw honey dish inside.
Warmth, darkness and isolation. Hope it makes her lay, keep from eating her brood, and brood developes fast
Plus I'll later give her some cocoons from the queen below to settle her down.


Camponotus suffusus bendigensis 17mm queen 2
20mm Test tube - in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
16 brood - 1 large and 1 medium larvae - raw honey dish
 
Holy crap, the medium larvae I saw yesterday is now a large one, and another medium larvae joins it!
I reckon cocoons in a week from now, and maybe nanitics in 3 weeks!


Myrmecia fulvipes, bull ant, 17-18mm queen
20mm test tube - in small outworld
no eggs

She is definitely a lot more shy and "quiet" than the Myrmecia nigrocincta here.
And no where as good as climbing, slips on fluon barrier for sure!

[CoolColJ]

Polyrhachis rufifemur 9mm queen
16mm test tube - heat cable
1 nanitic, 1 pupa, 2 medium larvae, 4 small larvae, 1 larvae Camponotus larvae

The Camponotus larvae appears to be pupating without spinning cocoon, while the worker may be finally eating it or cleaninig

[CoolColJ]

My recently dead Pheidole cf antipodum queen from Western Australia (top) vs Pheidole antipodum queen from South Australia

12.5mm vs 15mm in length
Different details, note the gaster tip on the top one, and shape
I do not believe these are the same species.

Considering that Western Australia is isolated from South Australia both physically and by fauna export laws, that is a good bet.

click to enlarge

[CoolColJ]

Rhytidoponera cf aspera queen 8-9mm queen
16mm Test tube - in small outworld
7 eggs, 1 brood boost larvae, 3 brood boost cocoon

She discarded one of the cocoons. I put it back in and she later discarded it again.


Rhytidoponera aspera Gamergate colony
20mm Test tube with aquarium filter wool dam, cardboard floor substrate.
4 eggs, 2 brood boost larvae
7 workers - 2 maybe more as Gamergate queens, .

Relaid another egg.
Gave the discarded cocoon back to them, and even they rejected it, so it is dead...

Edited by CoolColJ, November 20 2018 - 1:09 AM.

[CoolColJ]

Here is my revised setup

Styrofoam is really noisey and any bump, rubbing and vibration inside is transmitted around inside freaking out the ants.
So instead of blu tacking the test tube down, which is a pain to put in and pull test tubes out, I now use an acoustic insulation foam tile, cut in half and then cut in half again to increase flexibility, but one half of the tile fits perfectly inside my box

This is the tile I use $7.90 AUD delivered for a single one, makes 22 slots!
And it's pretty stiff than when cut down to size makes a nice vibration free tray for ant test tubes.
https://www.selby.co...l-art300ch.html

The only bad thing now, is that the heat cable does not touch the test tubes directly so, no more thermal gradient

Added Ferrero Rocher container of water for humidity, 71% RH against a room RH of 50%

click to enlarge

So I set the thermostat to 27.2C degrees for inside the test tubes
Incubator interior hits 26 degrees

The gympsum nest inside the incubator reads 99% RH with 1 full syringe of water squirted into the hydration sock jammed in one of the entrance ports.
It took a whole day to get there from a fully dry state.
The nest interior reads 25.7 degrees all the time.
So it takes a lot of heat to get it to warm, but this way causes no condensation to form.

Still not sure why the inside of the test tubes are warmer than the air inside the incubator when the heat cable does not touch them
Perhaps the acoustic foam holds a lot of heat from the heat cable under it
I used to have the interior hit 30 degrees on some days before I had a thermostat, that would mean the test tubes were scorching over 31+ !




Spring 21st November 2018

Camponotus suffusus bendigensis 17-18mm queen1
20mm Test tube - in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
1 egg  - raw honey dish

Relaid an egg after a night in the incubator!
Hope she now follows in the steps of queen 2



Polyrhachis rufifemur 9mm queen
16mm test tube - heat cable
1 nanitic, 1 pupa, 2 medium larvae, 4 small larvae, half a Camponotus larvae

It is done, I only see half a Camponotus larvae ... kinda crazy that they raised and fattened it up all this time, and then only to feast on it!  

Edited by CoolColJ, November 20 2018 - 3:45 PM.

[CoolColJ]

Came back from an anting trip, caught nothing, but some large termite workers
treat for some of my ant colonies


Pheidole Colony E - Pheidole sp, light red head, dark red body, 6-7mm
16mm test tube, double chamber setup - heatcable
40+ workers, 4 brood boost major pupa, small clump of brood

All major pupa have gone brown already, that was quick! should eclose in a few days time. And soon I will have to move them to a new test tube as well... getting good at making them move though
Even with over 40 workers they are still gutless when it came to the live termite worker I dropped in, but once I forced it into their chamber, they swarmed it.
The majors will help

 

Water getting low, so this will be the nest setup to be moved into a new test tube.
After that I may sell them

 

Pheidole Colony G - 2x Phediole sp. red head/black body 8-9mm queens
16mm test tube - styrofoam double chamber setup - heat cable
20 workers - first major larvae, lots of brood

They just finished moving to a new test tube only took 1 day and they moved on their own, no light needed...
just red film, heat cable, and styrofoam double chamber entrance in new test tube made em move

I hooked up the new test tube with a short piece of vinyl tubing that fit over both test tubes.
After an hour I looked again, and one of the queens plus 75% of the brood had been moved.
Looked again later and the other queen moved, plus all the brood except the major pupa.
They struggled to move it, so I had to tap to to the other side

Then I gave them a disabled but alive termite worker, they are scared of it.
They even got a queen to come look at it, she just peered from the chamber entrance and the returned
They need that major...

Edited by CoolColJ, November 20 2018 - 8:20 PM.

[CoolColJ]

Pheidole antipodum 15mm queen 1
20mm Test tube - in styrofoam heat cable incubator
0 eggs? - raw honey dish

Gave her some of the brood from the dead queen, and then placed her in the incubator.
Overnight she hasn't even bothered to look at the brood

Just by her body language and the fact she just stands on the cotton dam, no reaction to any intrusion etc
She is just not happy in a test tube, and this one is filthy with her poop fluid.

So I might feed her a termite, and then move her back into the gypsum founding nest.
 

 

edit - I managed to discretely put in a head crushed termite worker, it was still moving, and she immediately pounced on it and took it out.

Hope she eats it.

This species is a termite predator after all

Edited by CoolColJ, November 20 2018 - 9:29 PM.

[CoolColJ]

Spring 22nd November 2018

Opisthopsis Rufithorax (strobe ant) 10mm queen
Atom C nest inside circular outworld - tip ofheat cable pressed against side of nest
22 workers, 10+ cocoons, over 10 larvae and a stack of eggs/small larvae

Strobe ants spray formic acid?
Hmm I did not know - I dropped a live termite worker into their nest and all hell broke loose!
I saw two workers spray something from their gaster and that took out the termite

Another worker eclosed today, still quite pale
No dead nanitics yet!


Myrmecia fulvipes, bull ant, 17-18mm queen
20mm test tube - in small outworld
no eggs

 

Hmm she doesn't like the test tube much by the looks of it, even though I sealed her inside it for over a week.

She hangs outside at the back end of the test and tries to wedge herself under the foil covering the test tube there.

Might try putting her in the spare Atom C nest.. or maybe the Minihearth?

I have seen these in an Atom C do well.

 

She also has not touched the wood roach or termite I gave her

 

 

edit - I put in a spare Atom C nest, pulled the top off and put her in with featherweight forceps, and so far so good, she has been inside cleaning herself

Edited by CoolColJ, November 21 2018 - 8:43 PM.

[CoolColJ]

Good news re Pheidole antipodum!
 
I found someone who caught a lot of queens!
I'm going to try get 12 of them - 2x3, 2x2 and 2 single setups - hopefully to finally get a colony or two out of this
 
Did not expect them to fly in November 22nd!
 
Girl works at Alice Springs Desert Park, in the Northern territory, so nice and arid there
They had 38mm rain two days ago, so a lot is out, she also found two trap jaw queens
Probably more rain dependant than season, in the desert

From the experience of another person, they do at least snuggle up to one another when in the same test tube
At least from the same area and flight.
So they could be polygynous

She caught some drones as well.
But they are not mating.
They were captured mid flight off the ground, so hopefully all are fertile, before sunset

Edited by CoolColJ, November 23 2018 - 3:11 PM.

[CoolColJ]

Spring 23rd November 2018


Pheidole antipodum 15mm queen 1
20mm Test tube - Heat cable
0 eggs? - raw honey dish

Looks like she may be laying some eggs again, curled over on the cotton, so won't move her

Was planning to try a sand filled test tube setup next

But with access to more queens, that may be larger, there is less need to get her going

 

 

Meat ant queen - Iridomyrmex purpureus 14mm queen
16mm test tube - in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
24+ eggs

Sweet, her eggs have hatched already in my ghetto incubator, I see small larvae!

Quite a difference to the other queen, whose eggs never hatched after 6 weeks...

 

Myrmecia fulvipes, bull ant, 17-18mm queen
Atom C - in small outworld
no eggs?

She likes the Atom C way more than the test tube, how inconvenient

Haven't seen her outside the Atom C since I put her in yesterday.

Was planing to use the Atom C for later with one of my C.suffusus...

Edited by CoolColJ, November 22 2018 - 3:21 PM.

[CoolColJ]

2x Myrmecia nigrocincta, Bull ant, 19-20mm queens

Queen 2 - semi tub and tubes (test tube inside wedding invite container, lid shut, inside cardboard box) - 5 larvae?
Queen 3 - semi tub and tubes - 8 larvae

I've sold at least one of these to DaveJay already, but yesterday I fed both one semi alive adult cricket each for the brood.

I noticed queen 2's larvae is already pretty big, meanwhile queen 3's are still quite small.
Interesting, because both laid eggs at pretty much the same time...and yet queen 2's larvae are 3x bigger.
I do see some discarded eggs, when both had 9 each from the start, so some were probably trophic eggs.

Queen 2 pretty much has dragged the cricket on top of the larvae and they are feasting on it
Queen 3 hasn't, she has it halfway down the test tube, with just one larvae nibbling on it

Suprised queen 3's cricket is still twitching...

Queen 2 seems much calmer. While both queens have been good at dumping rubbish outside the test tube.
I have no substrate in either setup, but things are going well

Edited by CoolColJ, November 22 2018 - 9:53 PM.

[CoolColJ]

Rhytidoponera cf aspera queen 8-9mm queen
16mm Test tube - in small outworld - in styrofoam and heat cbale incubator
7 eggs?, 1 brood boost larvae, 4 brood boost cocoon

Gave her another cocoon from the Gamergate colony.
Also put her into my ghetto incubator.
get those cocoons eclosing quicker


Rhytidoponera aspera Gamergate colony
20mm Test tube with aquarium filter wool dam, cardboard floor substrate.
4 eggs?, 1 brood boost larvae
7 workers - 2 maybe more as Gamergate queens, .

Took their only cocoon that spun from a brood boost larvae and gave it to the queen above.
There is one more larvae, when this spins a cocoon, I'll give it to the queen, and then release this colony into my yard

Edited by CoolColJ, November 23 2018 - 12:24 AM.

[CoolColJ]

Colony update - Spring 25th November 2018

Opisthopsis Rufithorax (strobe ant) 10mm queen
Atom C nest inside circular outworld - tip ofheat cable pressed against side of nest
22 workers, 14 cocoons, 20+ larvae, eggs?

A few cocoons have visible eyes so I expect more eclosures this week.
Lots of brood, so on track to hit over 50 workers before winter kicks in

click to enlarge



Melophorus sp.- red black 6-7mm queen
refillable gypsum plugged test tube connected to outworld - heatcable
1 minor worker, 2 large, 3 small larvae, 14 eggs

The two large larvae look ready to cocoon, no more dark spot inside
About time, it's been over 2 months now!
I don't think the heat cable is doing anything...


Melophorus sp.- black orange 7-8mm queen
Acrylic founding nest - heatcable
1 worker. 1 cocoon, 1 naked pupa, 7 small larvae, 2 eggs

Can't see much of a change


Polyrhachis rufifemur 9mm queen
16mm test tube - heat cable
1 nanitic, 1 cocoon, 2 medium larvae, 4 small larvae
 
After eating that Camponotus larvae they raised up, both are bloated




Pheidole Colony E - Pheidole sp, light red head, dark red body, 6-7mm
16mm test tube, double chamber setup - heatcable
40+ workers, 3 brood boost major pupa, small clump of brood

Two brood boost majors look ready to eclose tonight.
Meanwhile their own original major larvae has starting pupating




Pheidole Colony G - 2x Phediole sp. red head/black body 8-9mm queens
16mm test tube - heat cable
22+ workers - first major larvae, lots of brood

Hmm both queens look like different species, but are getting along fine!
So I expect to see two different looking majors in this colony




Rhytidoponera aspera Gamergate colony
20mm Test tube with aquarium filter wool dam, cardboard floor substrate - in small outworld
7 workers - 2 maybe more as Gamergate queens,
5 eggs

Their last brood boost larvae cocooned. I then gave it to my R.aspera queen.
Then released them...

 

Pheidole Colony H - Pheidole sp, light red head, dark red body, 6-7mm
I have her in my double test tube modded setup, with a polystyrene foam chamber entrance - heatcable
5 nanitics, small clump of brood

Slow going, not much change in a while but they do have a good amount of eggs
I think this test tube mod may be hindering their progress and does not appear to be heating as well

Edited by CoolColJ, November 25 2018 - 2:20 AM.

[CoolColJ]

Spring 25th November 2018 - Queen update


Pheidole antipodum 15mm queen 1
20mm Test tube - in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
eggs? - raw honey dish

Not much to report, but I think I will move her into a new test tube with substrate this week.


Meat ant queen - Iridomyrmex purpureus 14mm queen
16mm test tube - in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
24+ brood

Lots of small larvae already and not even a week yet!
Even though these are big they seem to grow as fast as the small Iridomyrmex species.


Rhytidoponera cf aspera queen 8-9mm queen
16mm Test tube - in small outworld - in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
7 eggs, 1 brood boost larvae, 5 brood boost cocoons

 

Gave her another cocoon from the R.aspera gamergate colony I released


Camponotus suffusus bendigensis 17-18mm queen1
20mm Test tube - in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
1 egg  - raw honey dish
 

Still with just the one egg

Camponotus suffusus bendigensis 17mm queen 2
20mm Test tube - in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
16 brood - 1 large larvae, 2 medium - raw honey dish
 
Damn, one larvae looks ready to cocoon already after 1 month!


2x Aphaenogaster longiceps 12-13mm queen
16mm test tube - heat cbale
18 eggs, about 5 brood boost large larvae

 

Larvae still have not pupated yet after a month!

Same for the eggs not hatching, I wonder if both queens are infertile or these are a lot slower than I thought...




3x Myrmecia nigrocincta, Bull ant, 19-20mm queens

Queen 2 - semi tub and tubes (test tube inside wedding invite container, lid shut, inside cardboard box) - 9 brood
Queen 3 - semi tub and tubes - 9 brood

Queen 2's larvae ripped through a whole cricket in 2 days and are quite large already.

Queen 3's larvae are still small, and she discarded the cricket barely touched...


Myrmecia fulvipes, bull ant, 17-18mm queen
20mm test tube - in small outworld
no eggs
 

Moved her back to a test tube setup.

She did drag in the cricket bit I left in front of her test tube, so that's a good sign that she may lay soon.

Edited by CoolColJ, November 25 2018 - 2:26 AM.

[CoolColJ]

Will be getting my Pheidole cf antipodum queens, Northern Territory version, this week
The majors look different from the species in Antwiki, from Western Australia, queens are also larger 15+mm vs 12-13mm
Makes me wonder if they are all different sub species or possibly an off shoot apart from regular Pheidole, and should be changed back to the separate genus of Anisiopheidole...
 
compare
 

 

 

vs the Western Australia version with the elongated heads





 
She will also send me one of these unknown gold bum, looks like 10mm Iridomyrmex queens, if she finds another!
 

Edited by CoolColJ, November 25 2018 - 2:15 AM.

[CoolColJ]

Spring 26th November 2018
 

Pheidole Colony E - Pheidole sp, light red head, dark red body, 6-7mm
16mm test tube, double chamber setup - heatcable
40+ workers, 1 Major, 2 brood boost major pupa, small clump of brood

 

One brood boost majors has eclosed. She is still pale, and probably dosn't realise she is of a different species to the colony

The other one I thought would eclose was only just a head of a major... which you can see in the pic below to the right...

Some of the workers are munching on this head

 

It's probably from the damaged major pupa... or it could be the workers let the major eclose and then killed it because she is of a different species...

 

[CoolColJ]

checked up on my ants in my styrofoam and heatcable incubator.
They have red film over their test tubes so opening it up doesn't bother them too much
 
 
Meat ant queen - Iridomyrmex purpureus 14mm queen
16mm test tube - in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
24+ brood
 
She already has some medum sized larvae after 1 week, she only had eggs last week!
 
Rhytidoponera cf aspera queen 8-9mm queen
16mm Test tube - in small outworld - in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
12+ eggs, 5 brood boost cocoons
 
She let that last brood boost larvae die
But she laid a ton of eggs the last 2 days, a clump of well over 10 eggs now.
 
Camponotus suffusus bendigensis 17-18mm queen1
20mm Test tube - in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
4 eggs  - raw honey dish
 
She relaid 3 more eggs
 
Camponotus suffusus bendigensis 17mm queen 2
20mm Test tube - in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
16 brood - 1 cocoon,1 large larvae, 2 medium - raw honey dish

Zing first cocoon has been formed a month after she laid her first egg, in the incubator!
There is another large larvae, and now 2 more medium ones.
 
 
Pheidole antipodum 15mm queen 1
20mm Test tube - in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
eggs? - raw honey dish
 
She doesn't move off the cotton anymore and still has no brood.
I'll move her into a new test tube with substrate tomorrow.
She is likely infertile and to die soon....

Edited by CoolColJ, November 26 2018 - 3:08 AM.

[CoolColJ]

Pheidole Colony G - 2x Phediole sp. 8-9mm queens of different species, all black and red head/black body
16mm test tube - heat cable
22+ workers - first major larvae, lots of brood

 

First major larvae is starting to pupate.

Edited by CoolColJ, November 26 2018 - 3:12 AM.

[CoolColJ]

pic of above colony

 

click to enlarge

Edited by CoolColJ, November 27 2018 - 12:41 AM.

[CoolColJ]

Spring 27th October 2018
 
Myrmecia nigrocincta, Bull ant, 19-20mm queen
semi tub and tubes (20mm test tube inside wedding invite container, lid shut, inside cardboard box)
6 larvae

Down to one queen now. May or may not sell this one.
Hungry larvae up to medium size already after a month, and finishes a whole adult lobster cricket in 2-3 days!
 
If you look closely you can see a small piece of cricket in each larvae's mouth. So the queen actually breaks the cricket up for them. I thought she would just dump the cricket on top and let them go them selves
 
click to enlarge



Polyrhachis rufifemur 9mm queen
16mm test tube - heat cable
1 nanitic, 1 cocoonless pupa?, 2 medium larvae, 4 small larvae, 2 eggs
 
Oh no, they opened their only cocoon too early! Not sure what this is all about, but I hope it will still eclose normally...
At least the queen has laid 2 new eggs
 

 
 
Pheidole Colony E - Pheidole sp, light red head, dark red body, 6-7mm
16mm test tube, double chamber setup - heatcable
40+ workers, 1 brood boost Major (different species?), first major pupa, small clump of brood
 
Looks like they ate all but one of the brood boost majors... but they also have a major pupa of their own
 

Edited by CoolColJ, November 27 2018 - 1:16 AM.