1787 replies to this topic

[CoolColJ]

Perhaps raise the cocoons yourself?

too risky, don't think I could get the temps correct for them
Plus the hassle and stress of grabbing the cocoons from them as well.

On another note, it seems these Camponotus can see/sense me leaning over and looking at them with my magnifying glass
The queen will flicker her antenna when I do that, and sometimes a worker will spazz out with an alarm jerk and run around a bit

[CoolColJ]

Winter 24th August 2019

Opisthopsis Rufithorax (strobe ant) 10mm queen
Atom C nest inside circular outworld
120-130 workers, huge larvae pile

My Strobe colony toward the end of winter - there is not a single egg or cocoon in sight. Just a huge pile of larvae!
They also moved all their rubbish outside, and judging by the body parts all the nanitics have died. They did live for a year or so.

Most of the ants are in the nest, just 2 outside drinking water and 3 exploring. Rough count puts them at about 120-130 workers.
Looks like by the end of spring, the population should double!

There are some workers used as repletes.
Also check the size difference between the workers in the lower right corner - 3 different sized workers and one major looking one, with a larger rounded head


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[ponerinecat]

That looks like a great colony. How large will they get?

[CoolColJ]

That looks like a great colony. How large will they get?

I thought it would be around 200-300 tops according to the net, but I doubt that now....
I'm thinking more like 1k-2k

They are similar to Camponotus, but starting to grow much faster

[Major]

Ah I remember when you only had the queen. Now look at them! A lot changes in a year... 

[CoolColJ]

Ah I remember when you only had the queen. Now look at them! A lot changes in a year... 

 

yeah, meanwhile some of my other girls have not changed much in a year

[CoolColJ]

Winter 27th August 2019

Camponotus suffusus bendigensis 17-18mm queen 1
20mm Test tube - heat cable
9 workers, 1 cocoon, 1 large, 1 small larvae, 4 eggs

I kept thinking they had 8 workers, but I counted 9 last night when I was moving them to a new test tube....

Old test tube had run out of water, so I hooked up a fresh one.
They moved all the brood across to the heat cable.
And then I tipped the queen across and she stayed there.
Just one worker left on the other side...

But these girls are by far the most sensitive to vibration of all my ants, so any time I tried to lift the test tubes to disconnect they would try to grab the cocoon and try to run back across...
I eventually managed to disconnect the tubes and pop the stray worker across.

Only downside is I put too much water in the new tube , so space is a bit lacking. Gonna be dicey trying to put in a feeding dish!

 

 

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

 

still no eggs - the queen keeps tapping her gaster tip into the ground, so I wonder if maybe an egg is stuck in there....

constantly tapping her gaster and twitching her legs like a coke addict on withdrawl

 

Water low so I placed a fresh test tube next to their current one, and half covered it with their current foil

The worker moved out and into it to check it out after a bit.

They do have good eyesight so they can see it.

Now to see if they move in on their own when their current tube is fully dry.

 

Both are quite timid as far as bull ants go - yesterday the queen was outside exploring and ran back into the tube when she spotted me
 

 

Colobopsis macrocephala 9mm queen
16mm test tube - heat cable
3 workers - no brood

queen has been acting strange, I suspect she may be dying.

her right side legs seem buckled and weak.

Last night she crawled up to the heat cable, and now she's at the front, past the feeding dish, between it and the exit cotton....

While her workers remain at the other end.

 

 

 

[CoolColJ]

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

Larvae growing quite a lot faster this week, very noticable.
thanks to warmer weather and the offical end of winter in a few days time.

Just a bit worried about the queen - she appears to have a strand of cotton tangled on her mandibles and to some of her larvae.
I can see her trying to remove it, and dragging the stuck brood with her.
Not sure if I should intervene and help her out, which would stress her as well

[CoolColJ]

Winter 28th August 2019

Camponotus suffusus bendigensis 17-18mm queen 1- +2cm when bloated
20mm Test tube - heat cable
9 workers, 1 cocoon, 1 large, 5 small larvae, 4 eggs

Damn, the queen settled down rather quickly after the test tube move, she laid 4 eggs overnight!

Look at how bloated her gaster is, bursting at the seams.... you rarely see the white bands on these

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Edited by CoolColJ, August 28 2019 - 1:53 AM.

[CoolColJ]

Winter 29th August 2019

Camponotus suffusus bendigensis 17-18mm queen 1- +2cm when bloated
20mm Test tube - heat cable
9 workers, 1 large, 5 small larvae, 4 eggs

Ahh crap, 2 days of winter left and they decided to eat the last cocoon...... grrrr
That makes 6 of the last 8 cocoons eaten....

So only that large larvae left from the last batch.

All the ants are so bloated with food, I just don't know why they are doing it

[CoolColJ]

last day of winter today and it happens to be cold, but things warm up tomorrow

Winter 31st August 2019

Camponotus suffusus bendigensis 17-18mm queen 1- +2cm when bloated
20mm Test tube - heat cable
9 workers, 1 large, 5 small larvae, 4 eggs

Added a piece of vinyl tubing to the end of their test tube - a large one that fits over the 20mm test tube.

Gives them more space, a place for them to dump rubbish, and allows me to feed the easier.
Just had to heat the tubing up to squeeze it on, and will have to do the same to get it off without cracking the test tube.
Could make things dicey when it comes to the next test tube change, as it won't be easy to heat up the tubing to remove it or attach a new test tube
I normally use a 3D printed test tube adapter to connect a new test tube

Edited by CoolColJ, August 30 2019 - 7:59 PM.

[CoolColJ]

Spring 3rd September 2019

 

officially spring now, but still fairly chilly at night

Polyrhachis rufifemur 9mm queen
16mm test tube - heat cable
1 worker - 1 large, 2 medium, 4 small larvae, 1 egg
 

Just noticed a new egg had been laid - the first in months.

Then again the current brood pile has been months in the making - about 5 months from egg to worker for the current worker.... yeah as slow as large Myrmecia species!

 

Two more small larvae have suddenly sprouted up in size after staying small for the last few months, and the former medium size one is now large.

Looking forward to the next worker, it's been a long time coming after they have opened the last few cocoons early

 

Their current test tube has a lot of cotton strands around the place, could be iffy for the brood....

[CoolColJ]

A bunch of stuff from today
 
backyard Iridomyrmex species getting ready for flights - unfortunately they flew to my neighbour's side... gotta love the way the spazz around
https://www.instagra.../p/B1-QdaTA_-z/
 
Annoyed camponotus cf nigicep majors after I dug into the side of the nest under a rock
https://www.instagra.../p/B1-ctHnAeeI/
 
Polyrachis ammon nest popped up next to a well established Myrmecia nigrocinta nest in my area. The Polyrachis must have moved here during winter as they were not there at the end of autumn
Myrmecia have good eyesight so they must know the nest is there, but yet no hostilities
Nupital flight times for each nest will be interesting...
 
https://www.instagra.../p/B1-cSDWgTMk/

Edited by CoolColJ, September 4 2019 - 4:34 AM.

[CoolColJ]

Spring 6th September 2019
 
Rhytidoponera metallica 9mm queen
 
Found this 9mm Rhytidoponera metallica queen today...
 
I decided I wasn't going to look for metallica queens this season, but she found me
 
I was stretching at the outdoor Basketball courts after my practise/workout, when I saw her slowly wandering around nearby on the edge of the court.

I wasn't sure if it was a queen, but she seemed longer than a typical worker, so I went back to my car to grab a capture tube. Once I got her back home, my jeweller's loupe confirmed thorax hump and wing scars
 
This one is docile. She just stood there motionless when I tipped her out of the tube. Probably knows she is captured.
Now hanging out on the exit cotton of a sealed test tube grooming herself.
Hasn't touched the honey I gave her.
 
click

 

Edited by CoolColJ, September 6 2019 - 2:53 AM.

[ponerinecat]

beautiful, always liked rhytidos

[CoolColJ]

Spring 8th Septmber 2019

Camponotus suffusus bendigensis 17-18mm queen 1- +2cm when bloated
20mm Test tube - heat cable
9 workers, 1 large, 1 small larvae, 1 egg

Yikes a lot of brood disappeared!
4 small larvae and 3 eggs are unaccounted for....I suspect it's due to the sudden return of cold weather and winds

[CoolColJ]

Spring 9th September 2019
 
Rhytidoponera metallica 9mm queen
26mm Test tube - heat cable
1 egg

She laid her first egg - clutching it in her mandibles
I kept her out in the open as well, so light doesn't bother her, although I do have a bit of red film partially over her test tube.
And it's been butt freezing cold the last few days! The heat cable helps

Edited by CoolColJ, September 9 2019 - 12:05 AM.

[CoolColJ]

Spring 10th September 2019
 
Rhytidoponera metallica 9mm queen
16mm Test tube - heat cable
2 eggs

second egg has arrived

once the egg turns into a small larvae I'll have to start dropping in protein, as they feed themselves like Myrmecia larvae

Edited by CoolColJ, September 10 2019 - 2:50 AM.

[CoolColJ]

Spring 12th September 2019
 
Rhytidoponera metallica 9mm queen
16mm Test tube - heat cable
5 eggs?

She has been laying eggs every day. I think there are 5 now

Edited by CoolColJ, September 12 2019 - 2:19 AM.

[CoolColJ]

Spring 12th September 2019

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

I thought I saw a clump of eggs on the heatcable a few days ago, was gonna take a photo of them today, but they moved them elsewhere...

In any case the first batch of eggs in a year, and going into their third season now...still at 6 workers...Maybe this is the year they take off.

They might be needing more heat, as this genus is heat loving.

 

Also note the remodeling they have done to the nest, clumped the red dirt around the edges, not sure why they do that, but it has caused some fogging on the top, so it's milky and bad for photos

And one of the dried out roach heads dragged in to act as extra wall

 

click

Edited by CoolColJ, September 12 2019 - 5:16 PM.