7 replies to this topic

[Straywolf94]

6/15/18

I caught about 10 of these queens in my backyard blacklight trap a week ago (6/9/18) in San Diego.  I placed about 3 into each test tube, and one of the queens in the first tube seems to have dropped her wings and laid a batch of eggs.

I'm going to keep track of these queens in this journal.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Straywolf94, June 16 2018 - 7:45 AM.

[StopSpazzing]

Not all S. molesta are polygynous. Becareful.

[CatsnAnts]

Wow! What gorgeous ants! Can’t wait to hear the next update!

[Straywolf94]

6/23/18 Update:

 

Still tending to their egg piles.  I have 2 test tubes with egg piles and 2 test tubes with just queens so far.

 

 

 

 

[Straywolf94]

11/3/2018 Update:

 

Most of the queens died off since they were not fertile.  But one queen was fertile and the colony took off pretty fast.  At one point, I think there were probably 200-400 workers in the container.  I don't know what happened, but in the last two weeks it has dropped down drastically.  I think the nest is wet and flooded, but they don't want to move out to the new tube.

 

I find they look very nice close up with a proper zoom lense.  But day to day they are pretty boring because they are hard to observe and move fairly slowly.

 

Been feeding them a diet of fruit flies and sugar water.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Straywolf94, November 3 2018 - 7:32 PM.

[Straywolf94]

Colony is for sale if anyone wants it in the San Diego area.  I'll also include the wingless fruit fly farm used to feed them. 

[Rstheant]

Wow. Nice colony. How do you take care of them so well?

[Straywolf94]

Colony has recovered and is doing very well this year.  They've filled up two small test tubes with brood and are constantly escaping from the BoxBox formicarium.  I'm not sure how to keep them contained for much longer.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Straywolf94, July 27 2019 - 10:48 PM.