16 replies to this topic

[AntsAreUs]

So I've had this queen for about 3 weeks now treating her like a Myrmica queen. She has only drank sugar water and has refused any sort of insect I've given her, but has shown interest for a short moment inspecting them. I feel that the fact she laid one egg makes me believe I'm keeping her properly so wish me luck!

 

 

Also I'd like to point out that the queens are workers and very similar in appearance.

Edited by AntsAreUs, June 26 2018 - 7:27 AM.

[AntsAreUs]

Update 4/10/2018

 

Just laid her second egg! She constantly cleans and moves the eggs around.

[AntsAreUs]

I just caught 3 more queens, and put 2 of them in the same setup. I wasn't sure if they are polygynous, but they are doing fine together and huddle up.

[AnthonyP163]

I just caught 3 more queens, and put 2 of them in the same setup. I wasn't sure if they are polygynous, but they are doing fine together and huddle up.

Wow, what was the weather like? where did you find them?

[AntsAreUs]

 

I just caught 3 more queens, and put 2 of them in the same setup. I wasn't sure if they are polygynous, but they are doing fine together and huddle up.

Wow, what was the weather like? where did you find them?

 

It got up to the high 60F today. I have around 20 stones slabs in my back yard along with some oak trees to create a nice soil for small arthropods. They fly threw the end of fall and come out in spring, which is when I've been catching them.

[AntsAreUs]

So the first queen with eggs, I haven't seen the eggs lately. It's either she ate them or stashed them somewhere in the cotton.

 

They like raw honey!

 

[VoidElecent]

M. americana flying in April in Indiana?! I caught my queen around September last year!

[AntsAreUs]

M. americana flying in April in Indiana?! I caught my queen around September last year!

I don't think so, they were probably foraging while I collected them. You can also still find Ponera queens.

Edited by AntsAreUs, April 12 2018 - 12:53 PM.

[AntsAreUs]

I have switched all my queens to deli cup dirt setups that I've also been using for my Ponera. Still no consistently with eggs or feeding behavior. I will update if I get anything interesting out of them.

Edited by AntsAreUs, April 18 2018 - 6:54 PM.

[AntsAreUs]

4-28-18

 

I limited myself to 3 queens because I was already taking care of a lot of semi-claustral queens. So far one queen has 4 eggs, another with 5 eggs, and one with no eggs.

[VoidElecent]

 

M. americana flying in April in Indiana?! I caught my queen around September last year!

I don't think so, they were probably foraging while I collected them. You can also still find Ponera queens.

 

Ah, you're definitely right. They are semi-claustral, like Myrmica.

[disasterants]

what's the diference between myrmica americana and myrmecia americana?

[LC3]

what's the diference between myrmica americana and myrmecia

americana?

One is a species in the genus Myrmica, a small to medium scavenger Myrmicine ants found primarily in the Northern hemisphere and the other doesn’t exist. Although the genus Myrmecia (bulldog ants) do exist there is no species named americana. They are part of the Myrmeciinae subfamily.

This journal is about the species Myrmecina americana, part of a genus of miniscule leaf litter mite eating Myrmicine ants.

[disasterants]

 

what's the diference between myrmica americana and myrmecia

americana?

One is a species in the genus Myrmica, a small to medium scavenger Myrmicine ants found primarily in the Northern hemisphere and the other doesn’t exist. Although the genus Myrmecia (bulldog ants) do exist there is no species named americana. They are part of the Myrmeciinae subfamily.

This journal is about the species Myrmecina americana, part of a genus of miniscule leaf litter mite eating Myrmicine ants.

 

thanks for the info and i did mean myrmecina americana.

[AntsAreUs]

Nothing really too new except I have the remaining queens that haven't died in petri dishes now. I also got to observe one of my newer queens tending her egg in a way she also breaks open mites. They prop the mites up on their gaster and rotate it around with their 2 front legs and break into it with their mandibles. Instead she was cleaning an egg with this method. Another interesting thing is all the queens I have had laid a single egg right away and carried it around before finding a nesting spot.

 

[AntsAreUs]

6/27/18

 

These ants are really testing my patience. I have this new setup for one of the queens and she has a cluster of eggs still.

 

[kingz2015]

So these queens are semi claustral?