1787 replies to this topic

[CoolColJ]

So it turns out fluon doesn't hold my Iridomyrmex colony. I just let them wander about... turns out they found the heat cable and moved most of the brood onto it 6 inches away....
 
 
https://www.instagra.../p/CG7Hia5Ap51/

turned the heat cable off and tapped it a few times, and now they rushed the brood back

Later I gave them a baby roach that was half alive and it fell into the nest and they rushed all the brood out into the outworld.... LOL then later moved onto the water cotton cap... not often do you see Iridomyrmex workers sitting on a queen's back ala Carebara ants

 

 

 

Edited by CoolColJ, November 1 2020 - 3:23 AM.

[ponerinecat]

that's pretty cute. I suppose they like the humidity present there?

[CoolColJ]

that's pretty cute. I suppose they like the humidity present there?

yeah , they actually made a 2 cm tall brood tower on that spot a bit later with the queen right on top

 

But they are back inside the nest this morning

[CoolColJ]

Spring 16th November 2020
 

Pheidole antipodum 14-15mm queens x 2

Queen 10, former member of dual queen - simple tub and tubes
2000+? workers and some majors of all sizes - massive brood pile

Huge 1+cm square pile of white to yellow'ish pupa at the back in the main waterless test tube and another smaller pile in a secondary test tube
And 2 lots 1+cm square pile of larvae as well in the main test tube, and a smaller pile in another.
As we head towards summer things about to get spicy!

Water running low in the secondary test tube , so Ia dded a third test tube, but only a handdul of ants have moved into this one.


Queen 5 - 20mm test tube - heat cable
5+ newly eclosed workers, 3 donated workers and 1 medium major - some pupa/larvae and small clump of brood

The queen has finally got her own workers after 5+ of her own pupa eclosed the last few days.
Activity has really picked up since then
Still a few more to eclose and another 5-10 more white pupa lie in wait.

Hopefully she can get to 100 workers before winter so that they hang on till next season after the mite disaster.
So far the lone medium sized major has out lived all the minors and donated workers.
Wonder how much longer she will go on for...
 


Pheidole red species 7mm queens x 2 - 16mm test tube - in my ghetto incubator
 
Checked up on these two red Pheidole queens I found in my backyard under bricks in early October
 
Queen 1 - I see she has a few nanitics, so it took about 6-7 weeks or so at 27 C degrees in my incubator
Will keep them there till next week before I take them out, leave them in the open and start feeding them.
Although both setups already have a honey dish since the beginning
 
Queen 2 - This queen just looked at me and had that "whatever" look
Pheidole just don't seem bothered by light exposure in my experience, just non reactive queens in general.
She has some late stage larvae and a couple of pupa, so maybe by next week she will have some nanitics.

Edited by CoolColJ, November 16 2020 - 2:29 AM.

[CoolColJ]

A winged termite that flew into my room became food for my largest Pheidole antipodum colony

 

https://www.instagra.../p/CH43P2FAH7n/

 

Overview of my largest Pheidole antipodum colony

They are also munching on a piece of cooked chicken and small pieces of raw macadamia

Apart from the huge test tube entrance they have carpeted the front half of the main test tube with something, not sure what exactly... it's grey and hairy... maybe cotton strands...

 

https://www.instagra.../p/CH46IA_giDk/

Edited by CoolColJ, November 22 2020 - 2:50 AM.

[ANTdrew]

Yeah, my Pheidole bicarinata queens are the slowest moving, most chill queens I’ve seen. Definitely non-reactive.

[Egghead8888]

someone might be sending me a Myrmecia nigrascapa queen in a few weeks time, free, as a thanks for my help

He collected some 14 alates and drones from two different nests and mated them

 

or could be Myrmecia gulosa, they look very similar

 

 

There is no trophallaxis but workers lay trophic eggs (non viable yolk sacs), which constitute the main channel of food exchange in the colony

 

click to enlarge

 

I am just wondering, can/do people keep these Myrmecia gulosa in nest?  They are so beautiful but I can't seem to find many video or much information on people keeping these ants 

[CoolColJ]

I am just wondering, can/do people keep these Myrmecia

 gulosa in nest?  They are so beautiful but I can't seem to find many video or much information on people keeping these ants 

Yeah they do, but there are a lot of species here that are less common and many people here don't bother documenting



---


Hot stinky and humid night here, and a large black drone flew into my room a bit over 1cm, pretty big.
he became ant food for my Pheidole antipodum colony

Hopefully it's a drone, but it could be an alate....
 

 

[CoolColJ]

Summer 19th January 2021
 
 
Polyrhachis rufifemur 9mm queen
 
Unfortunately my Polyrachis queen passed away...
I think she dehyrated after I moved her into this new nest away from the test tube.
Or maybe she had given up in life, since she ate all her previous brood after her 2 workers died.
Didn't see her eat anything in months either

 

22 May 2018 to 19th January 2021
had 2 workers at one stage.... sigh

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

My Myrmecia fulvipes seems to be acing the same, but she has eaten stuff
Still no eggs since her only worker died a year ago

Edited by CoolColJ, January 18 2021 - 3:41 PM.

[CoolColJ]

Looking after these big, about 2cm orange Camponotus queens for a friend, have about 14 here!

 

edit - Notostigma foreli apparently
 
https://www.instagra.../p/CKNJP07A0Kb/
 

Edited by CoolColJ, January 18 2021 - 4:27 PM.

[CoolColJ]

Might have a chance at getting a local Carebara affinis queen... but the guy wants to trade Myrmecia queens for her...

Damn my dream species!

 

she measures about 24mm according to him... but maybe his measurements are off, anyway I told him to give her some substrate

and she has created a small pocket in the sand and laid some eggs

 

If this is a 20mm test tube then she just may be 24mm in length

Edited by CoolColJ, February 2 2021 - 2:04 AM.

[antsandmore]

Might have a chance at getting a local Carebara affinis queen... but the guy wants to trade Myrmecia queens for her...

Damn my dream species!

 

she measures about 24mm according to him... but maybe his measurements are off, anyway I told him to give her some substrate

and she has created a small pocket in the sand and laid some eggs

 

If this is a 20mm test tube then she just may be 24mm in length

that's a cool queen, but isn't a myrmecia for her kind of unfair? I mean, i'm not an expert on ants in australia(obviously) but i think it wouldn't be worth the trade. But it is your dream species.

[CoolColJ]

 

Might have a chance at getting a local Carebara affinis queen... but the guy wants to trade Myrmecia queens for her...

Damn my dream species!

 

she measures about 24mm according to him... but maybe his measurements are off, anyway I told him to give her some substrate

and she has created a small pocket in the sand and laid some eggs

 

If this is a 20mm test tube then she just may be 24mm in length

that's a cool queen, but isn't a myrmecia for her kind of unfair? I mean, i'm not an expert on ants in australia(obviously) but i think it wouldn't be worth the trade. But it is your dream species.

 

More due to rarity

Myrmecia are fairly common here, but Carebara affinis is not usually found all that often, it's only recently people have started to find some.

And they can only be found in tropical areas of Australia which is only in the upper tip areas

Although they are common there, just not that many people live in those areas, and happen to be ant keepers

[ponerinecat]

Myrmecia are among the most commonly kept ants in aus, alongside rhytids, irido, and Camponotus. It's just unfair how common they are sometimes. 

[antsandmore]

 

 

Might have a chance at getting a local Carebara affinis queen... but the guy wants to trade Myrmecia queens for her...

Damn my dream species!

 

she measures about 24mm according to him... but maybe his measurements are off, anyway I told him to give her some substrate

and she has created a small pocket in the sand and laid some eggs

 

If this is a 20mm test tube then she just may be 24mm in length

that's a cool queen, but isn't a myrmecia for her kind of unfair? I mean, i'm not an expert on ants in australia(obviously) but i think it wouldn't be worth the trade. But it is your dream species.

 

More due to rarity

Myrmecia are fairly common here, but Carebara affinis is not usually found all that often, it's only recently people have started to find some.

And they can only be found in tropical areas of Australia which is only in the upper tip areas

Although they are common there, just not that many people live in those areas, and happen to be ant keepers

 

ooooooooooh ok thanks for the information!

 

Myrmecia are among the most commonly kept ants in aus, alongside rhytids, irido, and Camponotus. It's just unfair how common they are sometimes. 

ikr!

[CoolColJ]

That Carebara affinis queen made a little chamber from the dirt

judging by her curled gaster, she might carry her eggs on the underside of gaster ala Carebara diversa

 

Edited by CoolColJ, February 2 2021 - 2:32 PM.

[antsandmore]

That Carebara affinis queen made a little chamber from the dirt

judging by her curled gaster, she might carry her eggs on the underside of gaster ala Carebara diversa

 

woah! you got her already!!! man that's very cool!

[CoolColJ]

woah! you got her already!!! man that's very cool!

no not yet! photo from the other party.
He wants a lot for her like 3-4 Myrmecia queens.... hmm no ant is worth that much

I said I would consider trading my fulvipes queen for her

I won't have nigrocincta queens for trade till October

Edited by CoolColJ, February 2 2021 - 11:56 PM.

[antsandmore]

 

woah! you got her already!!! man that's very cool!

no not yet! photo from the other party.
He wants a lot for her like 3-4 Myrmecia queens.... hmm no ant is worth that much

I said I would consider trading my fulvipes queen for her

I won't have nigrocincta queens for trade till October

 

man 3-4 is very unfair. 

[Manitobant]

I wouldn’t do that, especially considering how sensitive carebara queens are.