7 replies to this topic

[Phoenix]

04/03/2018

From what I know of, Solenopsis geminata is supposedly a monogynous species, going as far as pleometrosis only. These queens, however, have survived for quite longer than I expected. Unlike all the other attempts I've done which saw most of my colonies dying, these girls have lived in peace for almost a year now. And I do hope they stay that way for years to come since it'll be interesting to see how that develops. 

 

Despite their small size right now, they were once well over a thousand ants strong. I had to cull them however as they kept on escaping from their outworld. Now baby powder mixed with rubbing alcohol does work wonders in keeping the ants at bay, but it can be a real challenge though once they have majors. 

 

Now I suspect the colony to have around 100 - 200 workers, probably less actually. But all I need to do is simply supply them with an abundant source of protein and they'll easily skyrocket to where they left off. I'm not gonna do that though, not until I get a more secure setup for them at least.

 

 

[Phoenix]

05/19/2018

So much for a polygynous colony, one of the queens has unfortunately died, unsure of when but possibly when I fed the colony fewer portions than usual which may have prompted the workers into culling down their own flesh and blood. Needless to say, I'll be keeping this colony still just for the amusement of it.

 

If I have the chance to get me some more geminata queens, I'll probably attempt to recreate another 'polygynous' colony with several queens - only this time I'll be feeding them more appropriately and see how it goes.

[Phoenix]

05/26/2018

I can't remember exactly when, but a few days ago (probably on 05/22) I caught myself some more Solenopsis geminata queens - around 17 actually. I went out just an hour ago but found nothing. I guess their main flight must have ended a while ago. Regardless, I'll be attempting to recreate another 'polygynous' colony with 12 of these queens still. The rest shall be kept and raised separately, for selling purposes if they are fertile and proven successful in raising a colony.

[Phoenix]

05/30/2018

Not even a week yet, and bodies are beginning to pile up. Luckily though, I just stumbled onto another geminata flight and I caught around 20 additional queens or so. I'll be doing a 5 queen per setup with them instead since I'm running somewhat low on test tubes.

[Phoenix]

06/12/2018

I'm quite impressed, despite being fed with small scraps of food and down a queen, this colony has been doing much better than before surprisingly and is about to explode in population real soon.

 

[Phoenix]

06/18/2018

Do you remember those queens that I mentioned? Unfortunately, a lot of them didn't make it or had trouble making a cluster of eggs and dying off sometime later, leaving me with only 7 queens now. For now, I'm planning to separate them all and will be feeding each with a slice of apple, I do really hope at least 1 or 2 makes it. 

[CoolColJ]

Man, as a kid growing in Rabual, Papue New Guinea - I remember playing with, and being bitten/stung by these bright red ants in out backyard, with smaller workers, and big head, larger soldiers.

Burning them with a magnifying glass, and dropping weaver ant nests onto their nest entrance and watching the epic fights

 

Years later I've been google searching for the species, all this time I kept thinking Pheidole... but Pheidole are never this aggressive or so painful.

And the last few days, it clicked in my head when I saw a pic comparing a Solenopsis geminata major to a minor worker!

 

 

I would like to keep these, but they are invasive in Australia, and banned...

 

Apparently to get these majors in the the third month, without have 2k+ minor workers by then, is to keep their food intake low, so the workers are kept at 50 or so, and then in the third month increase protein and you should get these larger majors

Edited by CoolColJ, June 21 2018 - 4:33 AM.

[Phoenix]

@CoolColJ - I already have those majors though, plus I knew that as well.