1787 replies to this topic

[CoolColJ]

How are the Pheidole workers so small compared to the queen? Are they going to get majors the same size as her or something?

 

The queen is 14-15mm, and the workers closer to 3mm now.

It's just the way this species is, similar to some Carebara species

 

The largest major in one of the colonies is about 6mm, just one, and there are some small mini majors of 4mm.

There will be a range of majors going from 4mm all the way up to the largest super major of 1cm or so eventually.

 

So this species is similar to Carebara diversa and affinis in their caste structure.

Kinda weird as they are not Carebara, but also aren't like regular Pheidole with their 1 or 2 Major castes.

 

They also look different from regular Pheidole. The queen especially looks like a Carebara queen, as do the workers.

But the majors look different from Either Pheidole or Carebara ones.

 

It's like some oddball Australian only species that doesn't fit any current genus

And they are only found in arid and semi arid areas, so way out of the city areas.

 

We also have Carebara affinis here, but i don't know of anyone keeping them apart from a friend finding some colonies and a queen with a few majors and workers, that died after a few months.

These are only found in tropical far north of Australia, so also hard to find.

I hope to aquire a queen of these in the future.

 

 

[CoolColJ]

Camponotus suffusus bendigensis 17-18mm queen 1
20mm Test tube - heat cable
9 workers, 2 large, 5 small larva, 2 eggs
 
Just watched the queen lay two eggs near the heatcable, so she's still laying even in late autumn

[Leo]

 

How are the Pheidole workers so small compared to the queen? Are they going to get majors the same size as her or something?

 

The queen is 14-15mm, and the workers closer to 3mm now.

It's just the way this species is, similar to some Carebara species

 

The largest major in one of the colonies is about 6mm, just one, and there are some small mini majors of 4mm.

There will be a range of majors going from 4mm all the way up to the largest super major of 1cm or so eventually.

 

So this species is similar to Carebara diversa and affinis in their caste structure.

Kinda weird as they are not Carebara, but also aren't like regular Pheidole with their 1 or 2 Major castes.

 

They also look different from regular Pheidole. The queen especially looks like a Carebara queen, as do the workers.

But the majors look different from Either Pheidole or Carebara ones.

 

It's like some oddball Australian only species that doesn't fit any current genus

And they are only found in arid and semi arid areas, so way out of the city areas.

 

We also have Carebara affinis here, but i don't know of anyone keeping them apart from a friend finding some colonies and a queen with a few majors and workers, that died after a few months.

These are only found in tropical far north of Australia, so also hard to find.

I hope to aquire a queen of these in the future.

 

 

 

Pretty sure mine are C affinis XD

[CoolColJ]

Pretty sure mine are C affinis XD

any majors yet?

[Leo]

One massive larvae

[BeginnerAntKeeper]

Update?

[CoolColJ]

Update?

Not much has happened as winter is about to fall here

Although the small red Pheidole queen I caught a few weeks back has some eggs
I keep her in my incubator

I'll do a general update later

[CoolColJ]

Colony update - Autumn 20th May 2019

Opisthopsis Rufithorax (strobe ant) 10mm queen
Atom C nest inside circular outworld
100+ workers, 20+ cocoons, tons of brood

They are no longer heated a little by the tip of the heating cable touching the right side of their nest, so growth should slow way down
Especially with winter coming up, but they are still pretty active.


Melophorus sp.- black orange 7-8mm queen
Acrylic founding nest - heatcable
6 workers - brood?

Queen hasn't laid in months, into second season now and never cracking 6 workers
It's like she only lays in Spring and early summer


Polyrhachis rufifemur 9mm queen
16mm test tube - heat cable
1 worker - 1 large, 6 small larvae

still waiting on that second worker to come along....
Into second season now, and the long brood times are crazy


Camponotus suffusus bendigensis 17-18mm queen 1
20mm Test tube - heat cable
10 workers, 2 large, 4-5 medium larvae, 4 small larvae/eggs



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

Ever since her first cocoon, which birthed a drone, none of the large larvae have cocooned and it's been months!
Very strange. I don't have much confidence in her coming through, fertility wise


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

No eggs as before.
They don't seem to care too much when I check on them now. getting used to me I guess


Colobopsis macrocephala 9mm queen
16mm test tube - in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
5 workers 1 large larvae, a few small larvae/eggs

Not much going on with them, and also not particularly active ants.
Still thinking about letting them go.
Water is getting on the low side...


Pheidole antipodum 14-15mm queens x 4
All setups 20mm test tube and a styro foam double chamber entrance

Heat cable
Queen 10 - former partner of Dual queen setup 2
50+ workers - some large larvae, medium stack of brood
Queen 11 - former partner of Dual queen setup 2
20+ workers - small pile of brood

Queen 4 with red dirt
9 nanitics from donated brood, small clump of unhatched 4-5 month old 15+ eggs
Queen 5 - bare test tube - balled up tissue acting as a chamber in front of the styrofoam chamber entrance
100+ workers - some large larvae, massive teaspoon sized brood pile

By far the most active of all my ants.
Always moving and doing stuff.
Even days old roach bits still get worked on.
And they pile rubbish on the exit cotton.
Since I started feeding them raw honey via a smeared cotton bud head, they no longer cover it up.

Queen 10 and 11, former partners are both going well after being separated.
I might giving queen 9 to a friend.

Queen 4's original eggs still haven't hatched after months, and her donated nanitics are starting to die out.... down to 9 or so now
Plus the water in her tube is getting on the lower side.
Don't think I will be able to move them whe the water runs out and all workers are dead.
I could keep donating brood to her and hope she makes it, but not looking good, fertility wise.

Queen 5's colony is thriving, and getting quite big. Probbaly closing in on 200 workers now.
I still have them in a sealed test tube most of time...
Then have to open it inside a fluon lined container to feed them as they swarm out
Then leave them there for a day or two until i can seal it back again.
And they sure dump a ton of rubbish outside the exit!
When they are in the container off the heating cbale they spread the brood out, and the compact it again when back on the cable
Which is strange since queen 9's brood is always near the heating cable.... funny how different colonies treat their heat differently.
The workers have also made that little chamber they dug into the water
cotton bigger, and a small passage 1cm towards thew ater.
It seems they noticed the water and stopped there

Edited by CoolColJ, May 20 2019 - 6:44 AM.

[CoolColJ]

Queen update - Autumn 20th May 2019

red Pheidole queen 6-7mm queen
16mm test tube - in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
clump of eggs

I've had her for a few months now, but only noticed eggs last week, so she must have laid not long ago.
As these only take a month to develop when heated.
Before this point she has pulled some cotton down to form a carpet.

I haven't mentioned her much as I wasn't sure I would keep her around.
Found her under a pot plant in my backyard

[CoolColJ]

Sold someone my nigriceps.

Sent via signature with delivery. he was not able to collect them since he had to go overseas due to family accident

The Post office kept it for a couple of weeks at least and resent it back to me

Ants were fine, just one dead worker out of 10 from old age, being a nanitic.
But still lots of brood

Lucky it was sent via signature with delivery!

Goes to show, that they can live just fine for a while, if they have food stored in their gasters

[CoolColJ]

Autumn 29th May 2019


Pheidole antipodum 14-15mm queens x 4
All setups 20mm test tube and a styro foam double chamber entrance

Heat cable
Queen 10 - former partner of Dual queen setup 2
50+ workers - some large larvae, medium stack of brood
Queen 11 - former partner of Dual queen setup 2
20+ workers - small pile of brood

Queen 4
9 nanitics from donated brood, small clump of unhatched 4-5 month old 15+ eggs
Queen 5 - bare test tube - balled up tissue acting as a chamber in front of the styrofoam chamber entrance
200? workers - some large larvae, massive teaspoon sized brood pile

So queen 5's workers have been tunneling into the water cotton.
Then made a small chamber against the glass there and started to tunnel towards the water, and also widening this tunnel...
Well today they did hit the water, and I see a bubble in there now...With a poor worker floating inside it...  

 

Hopefully they got the hint it's not to be dug into

Right now there is a 1cm long chamber in front of the tunnel.

 

Winter is officially next week.

And the temps have dropped. All the colonies have started to move their brood, mostly small pupa towards the heat cable, but not on it like my Camponotus

 

 

[CoolColJ]

^ Ahem I see two antipodum workers floating in the test tube water bubble now...



Autumn 30th May 2019

last official day of autumn, but it already feels like winter now


Camponotus suffusus bendigensis 17-18mm queen 1
20mm Test tube - heat cable
10 workers, 5 large larvae

Don't know what happened to their brood, but I only see 5 large larvae.
Guess they must have eaten the smaller ones and eggs...



Camponotus cf nigriceps 19mm queen, 20+mm when bloated
20mm test tube - heat cable
9 workers - 1-2 cocoons, 10+ larvae of various sizes

I had already sold these, but the new owner didn't collect them from the post office as I mentioned earlier, so right now I have them back to look after until he gets back to me.

When I sent them they had 4-5 cocoons and 10 workers.

But 1 died from old age, and most of those cocoons were aborted

I see two dead bodies, one older worker and one paler newly eclosed one.

Weird that they keep the dead bodies and 1 shrivelled cocoon ontop the heat cable

 

But they still have a lot of brood, mostly small to medium larvae.

 

 

 

[CoolColJ]

Autumn 31st May 2019


Pheidole antipodum 14-15mm queens x 4
All setups 20mm test tube and a styro foam double chamber entrance

Heat cable
Queen 10 - former partner of Dual queen setup 2
50+ workers - some large larvae, medium stack of brood
Queen 11 - former partner of Dual queen setup 2
20+ workers - small pile of brood

Queen 4
9 nanitics from donated brood, small clump of unhatched 4-5 month old 15+ eggs
Queen 5 - bare test tube - balled up tissue acting as a chamber in front of the styrofoam chamber entrance
200? workers - some large larvae, massive teaspoon sized brood pile


I now see 5 of Queen 5's workers in the water bubble they tunneled into
Eventually the water will get low enough that they can walk around in there without ill effects, but for now those 4 are likely drowned by then....

Still only 1 one the larger medium sized majors, and a few slightly smaller ones.
I see one big larvae in queen 5's brood pile that could develop into an even larger major

[CoolColJ]

Interesting the 4-5 antipodum workers trapped in the water bubble of the test tube they dug into formed a floating raft by clinging onto each other

[CoolColJ]

Colony update - Winter 4th June 2019

Only feeding my ants once a fortnite right now. and seems to be working out OK


Opisthopsis Rufithorax (strobe ant) 10mm queen
Atom C nest inside circular outworld
100+ workers, 20+ cocoons, tons of brood

Unheated and still quite active. They sucked up all the honey I gave them a few days ago, quite a lot of it.
Still with a big brood pile.


Melophorus sp.- black orange 7-8mm queen
Acrylic founding nest - heatcable


Polyrhachis rufifemur 9mm queen
16mm test tube - heat cable
1 worker - 1 large, 6 small larvae

Not much happening here, same for the Melophorus above


Camponotus suffusus bendigensis 17-18mm queen 1
20mm Test tube - heat cable
10 workers, 2 large larvae

heated but brood taking a while to develop


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

Larvae still not developing, even in my incubator


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

Nothing to report.
I check on them once in a while, I look at them, they look at me, same as always, no alarm signals or anything
I don't see them outside of the test tube much.


Colobopsis macrocephala 9mm queen
16mm test tube - in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
5 workers, 1 large larvae?

Water getting really low in their tst tube.
If I can't be bothered moving them I will just release them....


Pheidole antipodum 14-15mm queens x 4
All setups 20mm test tube and a styro foam double chamber entrance

Heat cable
Queen 10 - former partner of Dual queen setup 2
50+ workers - some large larvae, medium stack of brood
Queen 11 - former partner of Dual queen setup 2
20+ workers - small pile of brood

Queen 4 with red dirt
9 nanitics from donated brood, small clump of unhatched 4-5 month old 15+ eggs
Queen 5 - bare test tube - balled up tissue acting as a chamber in front of the styrofoam chamber entrance
200? workers - some large larvae, massive teaspoon sized brood pile

Apart from 5 of queen 5's workers trapped in the water bubble they dug into the water test tube, things are going well.
Absolutely swarmed the roach bit and raw honey I gave them a few days ago!
Still very much active even now.
Water is down to the last 1cm, so I will have to move them within a month or two.
Either I just stick them in a tub and tubes setup with a fresh test tube nearby, or use one of my small nests

Queen 10 and 11 also going well.
Queen 4's months old eggs still remain unhatched
I may donate her to a friend and hope one day her eggs hatch.

[CoolColJ]

Queen update - Autumn 20th May 2019

red Pheidole queen 6-7mm queen
16mm test tube - in styrofoam and heat cable incubator
clump of eggs/larvae

I see some small larvae now.
They are in my incubator so I expect the first nanitics in a few weeks

[Leo]

What. In the same period of time, my myrmecia raised 2 workers (which died), then raised another worker AFTER the last 2 died.

[CoolColJ]

What. In the same period of time, my myrmecia raised 2 workers (which died), then raised another worker AFTER the last 2 died.

Well it's winter now so most likely won't lay again till spring. They only lay in batches I hear
She only laid one egg since I had her and this made one worker

[Acutus]

I think it's a requirement, If not it definitely should be  , that you post pics with each update of your O. rufithorax!!! I love those gals!!

[CoolColJ]

I think it's a requirement, If not it definitely should be  , that you post pics with each update of your O. rufithorax!!! I love those gals!!

seeing them move is even better, especially around feeding time, with their strobe like movements

The last time a whole group gathered in various parts of the outworld, like a little party for 10 or so of the workers....
Not sure what they are doing. Never at any other time

Getting harder to photo them inside the nest though due to having the nest inside the outworld, and how fluon doesn't stop them
But they are fairly calm ants