1787 replies to this topic

[CoolColJ]

Do those Iridomyrmex spray Formicarium acid? Sorry, it’s a dumb question, but I have never raised Iridomyrmex...
Sorry, formic acid...

They mostly have powerful bites, but I think some species do spray something that smells as a deterrent.

[CoolColJ]

Summer 11th January 2019

Melophorus sp.- red black 6-7mm queen
refillable gypsum plugged test tube connected to outworld - heatcable
1 Major, 1 medial, 3 minor workers - 1 naked pupa,1 small cocoon, 1 large larvae, 1 medium, 5 small, 12 eggs.
 
So now that they have 3 minor workers, they are roaming the outworld more, and getting a lot more active
The workers have started to plug up some of the ports of the Byformica gravity water feeder with dirt causing it to leak and wick water into the dirt.
Second time now...
Will have to use a small test tube instead
 
They are also bringing more dirt into the front part of their tube nest, the major especially.

Edited by CoolColJ, January 10 2019 - 11:25 PM.

[CoolColJ]

Iridomyrmex species - dark red head/throax, iridescent bronze gaster, 10-11mm queen
16mm test tube - in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
11 nanitics - 13 pupa, 30 + total brood
 
Another nanitic eclosed, and another getting cleaned as I type.
11 total.
And still another 13 pupa left, 10+ larvae, that's one hell of a first batch

Queen still standing around with a bubble of liquid in her mandibles
they have started to feed on insect bits already.

Edited by CoolColJ, January 10 2019 - 11:26 PM.

[CoolColJ]

Checked up on setups in my incubator

 

Colobopsis macrocephala 9mm queen
16mm test tube - red film - in styrofoam and heatcable incubator
4 eggs

Moved her into my incubator a few days ago and she laid 2 more eggs for 4 total
At least what I can see anyway
She still hangs out at the test tube entrance

Camponotus suffusus bendigensis 17-18mm queen 1
20mm Test tube - in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
2 nanitics, 3 cocoons, 1 large, 1 small larvae, 10 eggs - raw honey dish

 

2 more cocoons have been spun and these are from her own larvae

Pretty quick by Camponotus standards from the feel of it.

[CoolColJ]

Melophorus sp.- red black 6-7mm queen
refillable gypsum plugged test tube connected to outworld - heatcable
1 Major, 1 medial, 3 minor workers - 1 naked pupa, 1 major larvae, 1 large, 1 medium, 7 small, 20 eggs.
 
Checked up on them again and there are no more cocoons.
Just 1 naked pupa, but there is a major looking larvae, so the second one already!
More larvae than I thought, 10 total.
And 20 eggs!

Edited by CoolColJ, January 11 2019 - 3:01 AM.

[CoolColJ]

Summer 12th January 2019

Iridomyrmex species from Alice Springs - dark red head/throax, iridescent bronze gaster, 10-11mm queen
16mm test tube - in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
13 nanitics - 11 pupa, 15+ larvae, 30+ total brood
 
Up another 3 nanitics!
Starting to darken up even more, but still pretty grey when lit up, so maybe this is how they are.
The gasters on the bloated ones are clear, so they might colour up nicely like some Camponotus

They sure do love their liquid bubbles, a few workers standing on the cotton with big liquid bubbles in their mandibles!
Must be a trait of this species, and maybe they use it to grow fungus or something...?

click to enlarge


3 workers with liquid bubbles


Worker on the right has an iridescent gaster, so maybe that's how all will look when they fully darken


Some of the workers do have red on their thorax, but it's like a pattern instead of a full red like the queen. That newly eclosed worker looks quite a lot bigger


Touches of red on the thorax and that clear bloated gaster on the replete looking ones. Reminds me of the spider ant repletes
Gaster on that one looks clear from the side

Edited by CoolColJ, January 11 2019 - 7:12 PM.

[CoolColJ]

Camponotus suffusus bendigensis 17mm queen 2
20mm Test tube - in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
5 nanitics, 7 cocoons, 1 large, 9 eggs - raw honey dish

Woah she laid another 4 eggs since 3 days ago

Moved them out of the incubator and blu tacked onto the heat cable outside, on the right of my computer.
Didn't want to miss out observing their founding activities

So 4 nanitics, 8 cocoons, 1 larvae + the 2 cocoons and 1 larvae I donated to my other queen is quite a nice first batch 16.
Second batch of 9 eggs ready to follow it up in 2 months based on how long it took in the incubator.

The workers remind me of meat ants than the usual sleepy nocturnal Camponotus.
They move really fast and jerky, so hyper and active!
Day, and maybe night forager as well.

Video of the suffusus - note how zippy and peppy the workers move
Also show the red and bronze gaster Iridomyrmex colony and the Polyrhachis rufifemur on my table

https://photos.app.g...jwd58i4jof8rnq6


The size difference...





edit - make that 5 nanitics now, as another eclosed an hour after I typed this

Edited by CoolColJ, January 12 2019 - 4:41 AM.

[Rstheant]

I have to give you this. Your pictures are AWESOME!?

[CoolColJ]

I have to give you this. Your pictures are AWESOME!?

 

thanks

 

yeah it does take a bit of work and time

[CoolColJ]

Colony update - Summer 13th January 2019

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

Yesterday 4 workers got out and about!
I can only assume from a gap formed on the cotton blocking the expansion port that I feed the heatcable into... when I moved the nest a little.
Got 3 of them back inside easy enough when they crawled up my hand. Lucky they don't run away like some species, despite their good eyesight, as they are extremely fast!
Like look like they teleport 3 inches fast
I didn't even know there was a 4th escapee, until she crawled up my hand later when I was typing on my computer nearby

I estimate worker count is over 40 now
This Atom C nest should hold 150 workers, and that might be it, as these do not form large colonies.
A few hundred according to the net.


Melophorus sp.- red black 6-7mm queen
refillable gypsum plugged test tube connected to outworld - heatcable
1 Major, 1 medial, 3 minor workers - 1 naked pupa, 1 major larvae, 1 large, 1 medium, 7 small, 20 eggs.

Queen laid 8 eggs this week!


Melophorus sp.- black orange 7-8mm queen
Acrylic founding nest - heatcable
4 workers, 1 cocoon, 2 egg/larvae

Up to 4 workers now, after another eclosed yesterday I think.
I gave them a semi alive baby roach and it appears they either sting or spray formic acid, as the workers were curling their gasters forward into the roach
Not sure how much brood thye have, I can see one cocoon left and 2 small larvae/egg


Polyrhachis rufifemur 9mm queen
16mm test tube - heat cable
1 nanitic - 1 large, 2 medium, 8 small larvae

....unbeliveable slow... the two C.Suffusus colonies already have workers after 2 months before these brood have even formed a cocoon


Pheidole Colony G - Phediole sp. red head/black body 8-9mm queen
16mm test tube - styrofoam double chamber entrance - heat cable
100+ workers, 2 majors, third major pupa, 3+ major larvae, lots of brood

I have the colony reserved to be sold next week
Third major about to eclose, and numbers looked to have cracked 100
brood pile is just massive, 200+ in a months time!

see pic below, the bottom colony


Pheidole Colony H - Pheidole sp, light red head, dark red body, 6-7mm
16mm test tube, styro foam chamber entrance - heatcable
10 workers, small clump of brood

2 workers eclosed this week, baby steps...zzzz


Meat ant queen - Iridomyrmex purpureus 14mm queen
16mm test tube - heat cable
12 nanitics, 10+ pupa, 10+ larvae, 20+ eggs

12 workers, and brood pile looks crazy already after 3 weeks since the first nanitic eclosed, for 7mm size workers!
Since these take a month to eclose, easily over 50 workers in 1 month!

The top colony



Camponotus suffusus bendigensis 17-18mm queen 1
20mm Test tube - in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
2 nanitics, 4 cocoons, 1 large, 1 small larvae, 8 eggs - raw honey dish

3 cocoons formed this week, all from the queens own larvae - nice!
So brood is developing fast.

fresh piece of young cricket and raw honey comb for the week and back into the incubator.


Camponotus suffusus bendigensis 17mm queen 2
20mm Test tube - heat cable
5 nanitics - 7 cocoons, 1 large, 9 eggs

Moved them out of the incubator yesterday and so far they haven't complained about the light exposure.
Looking good for getting over 20 workers before winter.
Not much brood left so they probably won't be needing to eat much, except for some raw honey comb.
Workers love it.


Iridomyrmex species from Alice Springs - dark red head/throax, iridescent bronze gaster, 10-11mm queen
16mm test tube - in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
13 nanitics - 10 pupa, 10+ larvae, small clump of eggs

5 more dark pupa to eclose soon.
These girls are super easy to feed, they appear to eat even days old dried out peices of insects.

[CoolColJ]

Queen update - Summer 13th January 2019


Myrmecia fulvipes, bull ant, 17-18mm queen
20mm test tube - in small outworld
1 cocoon


Pheidole antipodum 14-15mm queens x 10
in styrofoam and heat cable incubator

All setups have a styro foam double chamber entrance

1) Triple queen - red dirt - cleared all the red dirt and heaped up it into a low wall at the middle of the test tube
huge stack of eggs, larvae and some pupa
2) Triple queen - cardboard insert and aquarium filter wool water dam
big stack of eggs
3) queen with coco coir - moved all the coco coir against the cotton dam, wicking the water into it
big stack of brood - 1 nanitic worker, 10+ pupa, 30+ larvae, 50+ eggs
4) Queen with red dirt - moved the red dirt to block up the double chamber entrance
small clump of 15+ eggs
5) Queen - bare test tube
huge stack of brood, 75% larvae, a few pupa
6) Queen - bare test tube, former partner of queen 6
big stack of eggs , 30-40% larvae with some large ones

Into week 5 -

Queen 3 has a nanitic!!!
Time to promote her to colony status - I actually didn't notice the worker until I tried to take a pic
There are a few more dark yellow ones that should eclose soon.
I see at least 3 small nanitic major pupa

queen 4 still has that small clump of eggs that won't hatch, and she has a few eggs stuck on her gaster like my other queen that did the same and died...
Showing the signs of low infertility

Queen 5 has about the same amount of the brood as queen 3, the two largest. 75% are larvae and a few pupa already despite starting second last and a couple of weeks later!
Queen 6 started last, matches setup 2 for brood size, with some large larvae already!

Still haven't split up the triple queens yet... still thinking about it... guess I might wait till they get banished...
Setup 1 has some pupa, so not bad going. Cotton looking a little leaky... bad cotton setup..
Setup 2 still has no larvae
 
pics - ugh I set up all my cotton way too wet
click to enlarge
 
Setup 1 and 2

 
Queen 5 and 6

 
And finally queen 3 with her little helper
There is also some hairy mold growing on the glass, the white puffs in the front and back of the first two pics...probably from the coco coir that I forgot to microwave...
 
 

 
 
Camponotus cf nigriceps 19mm queen 1
20mm test tube, in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
1 medium sized larvae

Damn from 10 eggs down to 1 medium sized larvae
First time I'll have a Camponotus that will have a single nanitic in the first batch...


Camponotus cf nigriceps 18mm queen 2
20mm test tube, in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
no eggs

gonna give her till the end of the month to lay, if not I'll release her


Camponotus aeneopilosus aka golden tail sugar ant - 12mm queen
16mm test tube - styrofoam double chamber setup - in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
12 larvae

1 Big larvae looking ready to cocoon


Camponotus consobrinus 16-17mm queen 1
20mm test tube, in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
15 small larvae

All her eggs are now small second to third instar larvae


Colobopsis macrocephala 9mm queen
16mm test tube - in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
4 eggs?

Couldn't see how many eggs she has

Edited by CoolColJ, January 13 2019 - 10:07 PM.

[CoolColJ]

Summer 14th January 2019

Iridomyrmex species from Alice Springs - dark red head/throax, iridescent bronze gaster, 10-11mm queen
16mm test tube - in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
15 nanitics - 9 pupa, 10+ larvae, small clump of eggs
 
We keep rolling, nanitic 14 has eclosed, another is getting cleaned, and one more should by tonight.
Still see some workers with liquid bubbles in their mandibles on the rapidly molding cotton
 
Queen has distinct bands on her gaster now instead of the pure bronze iridescence, from the food and eggs in her.
 
 
Pheidole antipodum 14-15mm queens x 10
in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
All setups have a styro foam double chamber entrance

1) Triple queen - red dirt - cleared all the red dirt and heaped up it into a low wall at the middle of the test tube
huge stack of eggs, larvae and some pupa
2) Dual queen - cardboard insert and aquarium filter wool water dam
big stack of eggs
3) queen with coco coir - moved all the coco coir against the cotton dam, wicking the water into it
big stack of brood - 1 nanitic worker, 10+ pupa, 30+ larvae, 50+ eggs
4) Queen with red dirt - moved the red dirt to block up the double chamber entrance
small clump of 15+ eggs
5) Queen - bare test tube
huge stack of brood, 75% larvae, a few pupa
6) Queen - bare test tube, former partner of queen 6
big stack of eggs , 30-40% larvae with some large ones
7) Queen - bare test tube, former partner of setup 2


Ophhh queen 3's water has turned light brown from the coir
Yeap I should have microwaved it!

I split the smallest queen from setup two and put her in her own fresh bare test tube.
See how she goes, but she seemed apart from the rest and the smallest of the lot.
If she lays and gets to larvae while setup 2 has not then that will tell me something
So far the triple queen setups are way under performing...

On that note, yeah some of the queens are a lot larger than others.
Some are as big if not bigger than a Meat ant queen, and others smaller.
Probably due to amount of food the alates had in their colonies when developing, and being from an arid area, food is probably not always plentiful.

Edited by CoolColJ, January 13 2019 - 7:45 PM.

[CoolColJ]

Sold the Iridomyrmex species from Alice Springs to a keen buyer...
Posting her off tommorrow

Edited by CoolColJ, January 14 2019 - 1:32 AM.

[Rstheant]

Sold the Iridomyrmex species from Alice Springs to a keen buyer... :)Posting her off tommorrow

WHY??? They were like one of my favorite....

[CoolColJ]

Sold the Iridomyrmex species from Alice Springs to a keen buyer... :)Posting her off tommorrow

WHY??? They were like one of my favorite....

trying to cut down the amount of non dream species colonies.

Yeah, last night as I watched them, I did feel a tinge of regret
very lively and active ants, and so easy to feed.
Not too fussy they accept days old cricket bits and ate up half a dead medium cricket from my cricket farm.
I keep finding dead crickets in there every few days so I haven't had to kill any...

The girl that sent them to me still has more, slightly larger queens as well.
So I can always get another one later on.
Shows you how much my incubator helps, her queens still do not have workers

Edited by CoolColJ, January 14 2019 - 7:57 PM.

[CoolColJ]

Final video of them from last night...
That I sent to the buyer.
Queen munching on a cricket

[CoolColJ]

Summer 15th January 2019


Melophorus sp.- red black 6-7mm queen
refillable gypsum plugged test tube connected to outworld - heatcable
1 Major, 1 small medial, 3 minor workers - 1 cocoon, 1 naked pupa, 1 major larvae, 1 medium, 7 small, 20 eggs.

A new cocoon has been spun.

With the arrival of new workers, apart from blocking up the Byformica gravity water feeder ports...they also piled a even more dirt at the front of their tube nest...




Melophorus sp.- black orange 7-8mm queen
Acrylic founding nest - heatcable
5 workers, 1 cocoon, 2 egg/larvae?

Woah I see 5 workers, up another, but that cocoon is still there.
So maybe that naked pupa that I thought died finally eclosed
There is a small clump of brood but cna't tell how many and if all eggs or some small larvae.

Not seeing much of a polymorphism in this species so far
All workers look about the same size


Pheidole Colony G - Phediole sp. red head/black body 8-9mm queen
16mm test tube - styrofoam double chamber entrance - heat cable
100+ workers, 3 majors, third major pupa, 3+ major larvae, lots of brood

Zing, third major has eclosed, and the 4th should in a few days time!
The 5th one has already pupated as well!

see pic below


Meat ant queen - Iridomyrmex purpureus 14mm queen
16mm test tube - heat cable
14 workers, 10+ pupa, 10+ larvae, 20+ eggs

Wow another 2 workers eclosed, so 14 now.
The newer workers look so much thicker and a brighter red head.
Some have more red on the thorax now.

For 3 weeks after first nanitic, the brood pile is already crazy!





Camponotus suffusus bendigensis 17mm queen 2
20mm Test tube - heat cable
5 nanitics - 8 cocoons, 9 eggs

The large larvae has cocooned.
1 cocoon getting dark, can see the black worker underneath so getting close to eclosing.

Edited by CoolColJ, January 15 2019 - 6:17 AM.

[CoolColJ]

Pheidole antipodum 14-15mm queens x 10
in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
All setups have a styro foam double chamber entrance

1) Triple queen - red dirt - cleared all the red dirt and heaped up it into a low wall at the middle of the test tube
huge stack of eggs, larvae and some pupa
2) Dual queen - cardboard insert and aquarium filter wool water dam
big stack of eggs
3) queen with coco coir - moved all the coco coir against the cotton dam, wicking the water into it
big stack of brood - 3 nanitics, 10+ pupa, 30+ larvae, 50+ eggs
4) Queen with red dirt - moved the red dirt to block up the double chamber entrance
small clump of 15+ eggs
5) Queen - bare test tube
huge stack of brood, 75% larvae, a few pupa
6) Queen - bare test tube, former partner of queen 6
big stack of eggs , 30-40% larvae with some large ones
7) Queen - bare test tube, former partner of setup 2
small clump of eggs

So queen 7, I split off the triple queen setup 2 a few days ago, has already laid a small clump of eggs.....
hmmm that has to mean something... and if she hits larvae before the now dual queen setup 2..........
 
Queen 3 has her second nanitic eclose.
First one is darkening into a dark orange yellow
Moving them outside onto a heat cable
4 yellow pupa to eclose in a few days time, one appears to be a small major.
The 3 nanitic major pupa I can see, are of different sizes


edit - third nanitic is up

click

Edited by CoolColJ, January 15 2019 - 6:20 AM.

[Rstheant]

Good, you MUST get more gold bums ( Iridomyrmex), because those were like, “cooperative” and would make you feel good, and lay lots of eggs..

[CoolColJ]

Good, you MUST get more gold bums ( Iridomyrmex), because those were like, “cooperative” and would make you feel good, and lay lots of eggs..

 

Well generally speaking I'm not as drawn to non polymorphic species that grow fast

Having a massive amount of identical looking ants doesn't tickle my fancy quite the same way

 

Slower growing ants with lots of character like Polyrhachis and Myrmecia are ok

Edited by CoolColJ, January 15 2019 - 11:31 PM.