1787 replies to this topic

[Da_NewAntOnTheBlock]

Also these are my fav Iridomyrmex species - unknown - 5-6mm workers with long legs, that remind me of mini spider ants.
I regret trading them away for the melophorus that still hasn't got past 6 workers
 

Do you mean the species with the common name of rainbow ants? I LOVE THOSE THINGS!

[CoolColJ]

Also these are my fav Iridomyrmex species - unknown - 5-6mm workers with long legs, that remind me of mini spider ants.
I regret trading them away for the melophorus that still hasn't got past 6 workers
 
https://www.youtube....h?v=9pPWbhy-olY

Do you mean the species with the common name of rainbow ants? I LOVE THOSE THINGS!

All Iridomyrmex can be called rainbow ants as they are all iridescent.
But it usually refers to I.bicknelli

But now this species just has a red head. Species is unknown

Edited by CoolColJ, October 15 2019 - 2:12 AM.

[CoolColJ]

Spring 22nd October 2019

Pheidole red headed, black body queens 9mm queen
16mm test tubes

1) Dual queen setup - incubator - 20+ eggs

Damn, the dual queen setup is no more. I see one dead queen at the front, a bunch of eaten eggs, and what looks like a dead brown pupa or a few...?
No idea what happened since the last time I checked up on them....I saw larvae... now no larvae...
There is a small clump of eggs with the surviving queen

Dammit I sold the better setup



Melophorus sp.- black orange 7-8mm queen
Acrylic founding nest - heatcable
6 workers - 3 cocoons, brood

It's finally happening, I see 3 cocoons on the heat cable now!
Third season now...

Edited by CoolColJ, October 21 2019 - 2:59 PM.

[CoolColJ]

Spring 24th October 2019

Rhytidoponera metallica 9mm queen
16mm Test tube - heat cable
1 cocoon, 6+ larvae , eggs?

I've lost count of how many larvae she has now, but there are at least 5 large ones.
And last night the first cocoon has spun
She has been pulling at the water cotton to form a roof of sorts, the last few days, for her brood I think.

And she has gone through 2 small roaches in this time, stacking her larvae against them.

All this time she has been exposed to light, without any issue

[CoolColJ]

Spring 28th October 2019

Rhytidoponera metallica 9mm queen
16mm Test tube - heat cable
3 cocoons, 6+ larvae, eggs?

2 more cocoons spun the last few days.
All cocoons have changed colour rather fast, dark brown already, they just might eclose faster than expected.
Quite the busy mum she is, constantly on the move shuffling things around.
She piled all the rubbish on top where the heat cable is for some reason...

[CoolColJ]

Spring 24th October 2019

Melophorus sp.- black orange 7-8mm queen
Acrylic founding nest - heatcable
6 workers - 5 cocoons, 2 larvae, more brood?

I see 3 more cocoons on top where the heat cable is.
And spotted a medium and small larvae as well nearby

Finally population is going to double after 3 seasons
I'm glad they are in a starter acrylic nest with a refillable test tube that feeds a sponge for hydration.
Changing dry test tubes would have been a pain...

I haven't given them any direct water since they got here, so they must be drinking the condensation on the mesh in front of the sponge.
They also have no outworld. I feed them by dropping in food via a sliding door at the end of the nest

Edited by CoolColJ, November 1 2019 - 11:56 PM.

[Da_NewAntOnTheBlock]

Interesting, I am trying to set up a hydration system for my one formicarium, so this is interesting

[CoolColJ]

Colony update - Spring 10th November 2019

Opisthopsis Rufithorax (strobe ant) 10mm queen
Atom C nest inside circular outworld
130+ workers, huge pile of cocoons and some larvae/eggs

Now that it's warmer, most of that huge pile of larvae over winter has cocooned.
A few have eclosed the last couple of days, and more look ready to do so, judging by the eyes and orange showing through
Population about to triple

click - major at bottom right, big girl




Melophorus sp.- black orange 7-8mm queen
Acrylic founding nest - heatcable
8 workers - 3 cocoons, a few small larvae and eggs

Melophorus species - black orange 7-8mm queen, 8 workers

So 2 workers eclosed, but there are still 3 more cocoons.
8 total workers now after 3 seasons - finally!
Plus more eggs and a few small larvae on the pile on top of the heat cable location

This species doesn't seem that polymorphic, but we shall see




Polyrhachis rufifemur 9mm queen
16mm test tube - heat cable
4 larvae

So the pile of 7 larvae, is now down to 4. The large larvae seems to have died and the queen nibbled on it...
Sigh, 6 months in the making, back to square one.
This species is as tough as Myrmecia to get going!




Camponotus suffusus bendigensis 17-18mm queen 1
20mm Test tube - heat cable
9 workers, pile of eggs

Not much going on, just a pile of eggs that are taking a jolly time to hatch!


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

still no cocoons after almost a year!


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

still no eggs....
And they still haven't moved from the dried out old test tube into the new one


Colobopsis macrocephala 9mm queen
16mm test tube - incubator
3 workers, clump of eggs?

zzzzzz


Pheidole antipodum 14-15mm queens x 3

Heat cable
Queen 10, former member of dual queen - 20mm test tube with styro foam double chamber
100+? workers and a few mini majors - some large larvae, large stack of brood

Queen 4 - 20mm test tube with styro foam double chamber
5 workers (2 mini majors) from donated brood, small clump of unhatched 8-9 month old 20+ eggs

Queen 5 - 20mm test tube sitting inside THA Inception nest
300+? workers and mini majors - some large larvae, massive teaspoon sized brood pile

Queen 5 still haven't moved out of the test tube and into THA Inception chamber
They ahve actually piled more sand atthe tets tube entrance and bunkered down
Not much going on as far as I can see, growth without the heat cbale has slowed things down a lot.

Sigh, queen 4 still has unhatched eggs.

Queen 10 may have the first super major Larvae in the making!
It's a big round ball at the moment, but still bigger than all the other larvae and the current largest mini majors.
You can see a minor worker and a small mini major feeding it a bit of 1 week old dried out roach flesh
Out of all my ants these are the only ones that are quite frugal and quite content to feed on days old dried out roach bits. Since they come from the desert it makes sense.


click

Edited by CoolColJ, November 10 2019 - 4:48 AM.

[CoolColJ]

Queen update - Spring 10th November 2019

Rhytidoponera metallica 9mm queen
16mm Test tube - heat cable
4 cocoons, lots of brood

The only Rhytidoponera metallica queen I captured this season is about to have her first workers.
I did not give her access to an outworld, just sealed her in a test tube, so she has dumped all the rubbish ontop the heat cable location.

She also pulled all the water cotton into a roof/floor for her brood…

She seems to be the only ant here that reacts to my camera flash

click



Pheidole red headed, black body queens 9mm queen
16mm test tube - incubator
A clump of eggs/larvae

didn't check on her, but she should have larvae now

[TennesseeAnts]

Can't wait for those Rytidoponera workers!

[Da_NewAntOnTheBlock]

yeah, CoolColJ just keeps on flexing on ant keepers in anywhere but Cali or the warmer climates like Indonesia, showing all his interesting ants.  

[Kaelwizard]

I want your Opisthopsis now!!! Lol

Edited by Kaelwizard, November 10 2019 - 11:01 AM.

[CoolColJ]

Spring 11th November 2019

Rhytidoponera metallica 9mm queen
16mm Test tube - heat cable
6 cocoons, lots of brood

2 more cocoons have appeared

[CoolColJ]

Can't wait for those Rytidoponera workers!

The good thing about this species is that they can't climb smooth surfaces, so no fluon needed

[Da_NewAntOnTheBlock]

My Camponotus rarely climb, so I don't really have to apply my barrier often. 

[CoolColJ]

Spring 17th November 2019

Rhytidoponera metallica 9mm queen
16mm Test tube - heat cable
1 worker, 5 cocoons, lots of brood

So I glanced across at the test tube this morning, and noticed a cocoon on the rubbish pile.
On closer inspection, yes the first worker has eclosed!
And 2 more cocoons look ready to eclose soon, they look dark.

I'll take a pic later - but all I can see is the worker's gaster as she is busy tending the younger brood under the cotton wool they fashion into a brood roof

So I caught this queen on the 6th, and she laid that week, even while exposed to light all the time.
And so 9 weeks later the first worker has emerged. Pretty quick.

[CoolColJ]

So my black and orange Melophorus queen died ages ago, but I kept the 1 major, 2 medial and 3 workers around in the same nest.
Only water and honey, but today I see a clump of eggs and some larvae! I haven't given them any protein so maybe I should... someone is laying the eggs

Edited by CoolColJ, November 19 2019 - 4:48 PM.

[ponerinecat]

So my black and orange Melophorus queen died ages ago, but I kept the 1 major, 2 medial and 3 workers around in the same nest.
Only water and honey, but today I see a clump of eggs and some larvae! I haven't given them any protein so maybe I should... someone is laying the eggs

how?

maybe males will hatch as a last ditch attempt to reproduce

[CoolColJ]

Not sure TBH, maybe the major is laying the eggs

Most likely drones will come out, but there sure are a lot of larvae right now!
Will try and get a pic of em

[CoolColJ]

Spring 21st November 2019

Rhytidoponera metallica 9mm queen
16mm Test tube - heat cable
3 workers, 5 cocoons, lots of brood

2 more workers eclosed, and 2 more cocoons spun - cranking em out now!

The workers are quite a bit smaller than the queen - like 5-6mm.
In the wild I have seen larger species variants with bigger heads....
Will try and get a pic soon'ish

workers from a wild colony

Edited by CoolColJ, November 21 2019 - 2:56 AM.