625 replies to this topic

[CatsnAnts]

I STILL can’t tell whether or not my Camponotus subbarbatus queens have larvae! I’ve been too afraid to look in any decent lighting, but all three have pretty big egg piles! I think they all have at least 12 eggs (that’s if there isn’t any larvae of course!). How long does it usually take myrmentoma Camponotus species to develope at around 73 degrees?

[CatsnAnts]

UGHH, I was at work and noticed a Lasius interjectus queen, but couldn’t catch it because I was working! I don’t really mind too much, because I usually end up finding over 30 of them by the end of the summer. I also saw a Camponotus male ant for a larger species sitting on a window. Currently, it just rained and I’m taking a walk down our 4 mile “nature walk”. I’m about 2.5 miles in, and still haven’t found anything.

[NickAnter]

Find anything?           

[CatsnAnts]

Nope, but took a stop by Home Depot and Menard’s and picked up an acrylic sheet, some vinyl tubing, and some metal mesh. I’m going to attempt to make a formicarium.

[NickAnter]

Cool!  I have a formicarim idea that I could make for about four bucks.  It could be modular as well. When I start making it, I will make a post.  You should too!  This forum needs more of that.

[Acutus]

Cool!  I have a formicarim idea that I could make for about four bucks.  It could be modular as well. When I start making it, I will make a post.  You should too!  This forum needs more of that.

 

Yeah. I like the "Crystals" threads. Been looking at them for different Grout Formicarium Ideas. I have some ideas of my own as well. If I ever get time to try and do them I'll be sure and post as well.

[CatsnAnts]

I agree that this forum needs for homemade formicaria. I’m pretty excited to make a nest, and I’m lookin forward to yours! As for Crystal’s grout nest, that was what I was planning to make! I’ve watched every video and looked at every tutorial she had! we have a TON of grout since my dad used to be a carpenter, and it is all left over. I also have some putty I used in my attempt from last year, but I don’t know if it’s any good anymore.

[CatsnAnts]

No more false alarms! We got some larvae! All three of my Camponotus subbarbatus queens are at the same stage with decently large larvae! I’m so excited!

[CatsnAnts]

Welp, guess I kinda walked into the middle of a small Lasius interjectus nuptial flight and captured four queens. All of which I assume will be fertile due to the behavior they are portraying. Three have no wings (I saw one of these three literally take her wings off before I captured her), and one is in the process of removing them. I’m so excited to finally have a decent chance at raising this Lasius social parasite! Do you think Lasius alienus would be a good host species?

Edited by CatsnAnts, June 9 2019 - 4:19 PM.

[NickAnter]

I think, from reading, L. alienus is always a a suitable host species. Most of the genus are, I think.

[CatsnAnts]

Welp, I tried introducing one L. alienus worker to each of the four queens, and they all killed it. I tried it again with the same results. When I found them, they were hanging around L. neoniger nests, so I figure that would be my next option. I built a homemade aspirator with an old toy helicopter motor. It worked great and I got about 40 neoniger workers. Currently each queen has one worker with them, but I can’t tell whether or not they are getting along as they are on opposite sides of the test tube. I guess I will just wait and see.

[ANTdrew]

I’d like to see how you made that aspirator.

[CatsnAnts]

Well, here’s how I did it:

This is an overview of the aspirator/vacuum. As you can see, the machine is all based around a screw on/ pop-open lid container. The motor is decently large and it controls a fan made of aluminum (that I hit glued on to the motor). The fan then pushes air backward and out ventilation holes while pulling air through the tube in the front. Between the lid and the fan there is a piece of cloth that I screwed the lid on top of. It acts as the filter, keeping debris and ants from spiraling into the fan. At the very bottom is the battery compartment from an old essential oil diffuser. I wired it up with the motor, put some batteries in it, and it already had a built in button, so I just had to push it... and bam, you’ve got yourself a homemade aspirator:



This next photo is a close up of the fan:


Here’s the motor (it was a pretty big helicopter that I took apart, so the motor was large):


Here’s the bottom side with the old diffuser battery compartment:



And here is the filter made of loose threaded fabric, it is fitted below the screw on part of the lid so that you can still use the pop-open feature of the lid to dump out the ants:



And finally, a hole was drill in the lid to fit a rubber tube through it. The tube had a disk-like shape on one and, so the sauce went through the lid to hold it in, and on the other end (the outside of the lid) a clamp was used to brace it against the disk shape on the other side:



Overall, it works pretty well for what I need with antkeeping, but it does drain the batteries pretty fast. I personally recommend just buying an aspirator as they can be found cheaply, but if you’ve got parents like mine, you’ve got to be a little creative!

[CatsnAnts]

Small update, each queen got around 7-10 Lasius neoniger workers and were immediately put in the fridge for 30 min. I took them out now and it appears as though they are tolerating each other, although they aren’t quite one colony yet. Fingers crossed.

[CatsnAnts]

Oof, every single queen had a massacre. All of the host workers are dead. Now that I’ve tried with L. alienus and L. neoniger, what species should I try next. I’ve noticed the yellow/orange species seem to get along better with L. interjectus. I’ve been looking for L. flavus, umbratus, and interjectus nests, but can’t seem to find any.

[CatsnAnts]

Also, Camponotus caryae has four pupae now, they’re on the road to recovery.

Edited by CatsnAnts, June 11 2019 - 5:32 AM.

[CatsnAnts]

Omg, it’s a Christmas miracle! I decided to put all of the 20 L. cf flavus workers (I found some) in with the most vigorous and healthy queen of L. interjectus, and viola, they are all getting along great! If this keeps up, she’ll have a nice army of 20 workers instead of splitting it between the queens. Although, I am still going to go and collect more workers for the other queens still.

[CatsnAnts]

Well, I was flipping over mulch that was around our pinoak trees, and I happened to stumble across about 7 hyponera queens (I think). I didn’t have time to catch them, but I thought it was cool as I’ve never seen them before. Also, while flipping over mulch, I found what I think is a Lasius umbratus queen, so I will attempt to raise her as well. Still no aggression in the only interjectus queen colony with workers.

[CatsnAnts]

I released the winged Lasius interjectus, but kept the two dealate ones. I went back to the same nest that I found the Lasius cf flavus workers and collected 45 more. I then put 15 in with each of the remaining queens. So far, there has been some aggression, but they are in the fridge and I have good feelings, SO I guess we’ll see.

Edited by CatsnAnts, June 11 2019 - 11:49 AM.

[CatsnAnts]

Well, I think the first L. interjectus queen is dead, but I’m going to wait and see. As for the other two interjectus queens, one isn’t doing so well, but the other is doing good. The umbratus queen is doing REALLY good though, I have high hopes for her.