5 replies to this topic

[nate131415]

On 5/13/18 I found 8 queens which I believe are Camponotus modoc.  I fished about half of them out of the swimming pool and the rest off the ground nearby.  Several have already shed their wings and two already have eggs.  The tube with the cricket leg is a Tetramorium queen that lost all but one of her workers.  I am hoping she is able to start a new batch of brood. 

 

 

This colony is from two summers ago and is going strong.  I found the queen running across the office floor at work.  There are about 40 workers in this colony, although you can't see most of them in the photo.  They have been out of hibernation for about a month and the queen is pumping out eggs.

 

This colony is also from two summers ago.  I caught the queen while on a hiking trip.  She survived a couple of days in a water bottle, which was inside my backpack.  She also has about 40 workers but for some reason she has not laid any eggs yet this season.  She has also been out of hibernation for about a month. 

Edited by nate131415, June 4 2018 - 1:46 PM.

[T.C.]

Looking good.

[nate131415]

Here is a picture of one of my other queens (Formica?).  I found 3 of these queens last August at the Oregon coast.  2 survived.  Neither laid any eggs last year but, after spending the winter in a refrigerator, they both started laying eggs.  Now they both have 3 workers and several Pupae and larvae.  For some reason this queen has been spending some time outside the test tube. 

 

[T.C.]

Yes, that would be Formica sp.

[nate131415]

Here are a couple more photos of the Formica queens and brood. 

 

I have four Tetramorium colonies.  This used to be the largest, but due to dehydration while I was on vacation, they are now the smallest. 

 

And finally, one of the 8 Camponotus queens I found a couple weeks ago died and exploded with fungus.  On a positive note, I found another last week, so I still have 8 new Camponotus queens. 

 

[nate131415]

I purchased a clip on macro lens for my phone so hopefully the photos will be slightly better. 

 

Here is a photo of one of the Formica queens.  This queen still has three workers and a decent pile of eggs and larvae.  She has a funny habit of leaving the test tube and foraging in their small out world.  In this photo she is feeding on a piece of apple. 

 

My second Formica queen still has three workers.  As you can see she had several pupae.  Oddly, some decided to spin cocoons and some are naked.

 

Here is one of the Camponotus modoc queens I caught on 5/13/18.  5 of the 8 have eggs and/or larvae.  This queen's brood development seems to be a little faster than the others. 

 

I also located a large Camponotus colony nesting in wood destined for the fire pit.  The wood was already cut so I put the piece in a bucket and, over a period of several days, I slowly filled the bucket, flooding the nest.  On top I placed a plastic box wrapped in foil.  The ants decided the plastic box was more attractive than the flooded wood and moved in.  There was a ton of eggs and larvae but I did not locate a queen.  Either this was a satellite colony or the queen didn't make it out of the flooded nest.  I am thinking about using them to brood boost a couple of the queens I found last month.  Any time I try to remove the lid these ants go crazy and a bunch escape.  Since I can't remove the lid I was not able to get a very good photo. 

 

 

I also removed about 10 smaller workers and some brood from the flooded wood nest.  I put them in a test tube and chilled them in the refrigerator.  I then put one of the queens I found last month in with them.  After letting them chill a little longer I pulled them out and let them warm up.  There were two workers who did not take to the queen and drug her out of the test tube.  I removed those two workers and chilled them a bit longer.  They have been out of the refrigerator for a few days now and everyone seems to be getting along.  I am hoping this queen will start laying eggs.

 

 

 

 

Edited by nate131415, June 4 2018 - 1:50 PM.