36 replies to this topic

[KBant]

Really excited about this colony. Got it from my usual ant dealer, Nurbs. 

 

He had 9 Pogonomyrmex Subnitidus queen ants huddled together in one tube so I decided to take it off his hands. He has a colony of these ants with about 300 workers and eight queens so I'm hoping I can have similar results. I hope these queens don't get killed off once workers arrive. 

 

The plan, set up the nine queens in a Tar Heel Ants Fortress, with crushed sunflower seeds, kentucky blue grass seed, water source and sugar water source. Peek once the next day and then not touch for a whole month!!! 

 

follow this journal so you can see the big reveal or the big letdown.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The THA Fortress

 

 

outworld

 

 

In They Go!

 

 

 

 

immediate foraging and eating, nurbs didn't feed them

 

 

 

 

I covered the nest in foil and added a heating cable.

 

I set up everything on 7/11 at night, and I peeked on 7/12 the next morning, which is the only time i'm going to peak until 8/11 and THEY ALREADY HAVE EGGS.

 

anyways, follow and stay tuned!

 

Edited by KBant, September 5 2018 - 3:19 PM.

[Major]

Nice! I wonder how many queens will be left? Hopefully all nine. I have no idea how you don’t check up on them for a whole month! I can’t even do a day without checking up on my ants.

[CatsnAnts]

Nice! I wonder how many queens will be left? Hopefully all nine. I have no idea how you don’t check up on them for a whole month! I can’t even do a day without checking up on my ants.

Lol, same

[KBant]

Yes! Lol this is a lot of restraint I’m showing. I hope by the end of the 30 days it’s worth it!

[Major]

Yeah, I'm gonna try to show some restraint on my Formica Fusca and my Tementothorax Curvispinosus. Formica Fusca I'll check on next week. Tementothorax Curvispinosus 1 month or half a month

[CoolColJ]

I keep most of my ants exposed to light, and the ones that aren't use red film or cellophane, or a red transparent test tube holder so you can still peek on them. Can't say light exposure makes any difference either way, the ants get used to it, and they don't sense light the same way we do

Edited by CoolColJ, July 14 2018 - 4:02 PM.

[KBant]

Pretty sure they’d much rather prefer a dark area which is why they have nests in the dark. Some of my ants are not brothered by light but I think pitch black with only the outworld having light is the way to go. Especially in the beginning stages and with a species so troublesome to start such as pogomomyrmex, I’d like to give them every chance to thrive. Right now they are just a mere 6 ft from my bed, but I will not peek! I wonder how many eggs they have... 10? 100? But one peek might cause them to start eating them!

[KBant]

found a dead queen in the outworld. RIP. we are down to 8 queens. 

 

otherwise, I've seen a queen here and there foraging and eating the small piece of cricket I've dropped in or drinking the sugar water.

[gcsnelling]

Odds are you will end up with only one queen.

[KBant]

Odds are you will end up with only one queen.

 yeah they might have only one 1 queen before reproductives emerge.

[KBant]

no, i didn't wait 30 days. i was in fact too weak.

 

update, another queen died. we have 7 queens left but also 4 nanitics!!

 

but I also have some unwanted guests. not sure where these little bugs came from, but I also don't have an idea as to what they are.

 

mites? springtails? idk but there are a lot! should i get rid of them? if yes, how?

 

 

 

 

Edited by KBant, August 5 2018 - 10:14 AM.

[YsTheAnt]

Those do look like springtails, and I wouldn't get rid of them. They will keep mold away from the seed storages in the future .

[Gabraime]

no, i didn't wait 30 days. i was in fact too weak.
 
update, another queen died. we have 7 queens left but also 4 nanitics!!
 
but I also have some unwanted guests. not sure where these little bugs came from, but I also don't have an idea as to what they are.
 
mites? springtails? idk but there are a lot! should i get rid of them? if yes, how?
 

 

 

 

Those unwanted gests are springtails , I have them in my solenopsis xyloni outworld, they are always in the trash place.

[CoolColJ]

Free springtails,

they will eat the ant poo and mold and decaying matter

Edited by CoolColJ, August 5 2018 - 4:48 PM.

[KBant]

Haha sweet! I guess I got lucky with these guys. No idea how I got them. I think I saw a couple back when I had my rugosus in this nest too.

[ponerinecat]

Those are not springtails, but booklice. They won't harm the ants, but may be free protien. However, they are too small to provide much.

[KBant]

They do appear to be booklice. Thanks!

[KBant]

so the booklice are reproducing at an insane rate. I'm hoping they are indeed a protein source for these ants because that would be marvelous. 

 

luckily the brood and worker count continue to grow, 7 queens and over 11 super tiny workers

 

 

sadly these guys made the glass dirty making it harder to get decent images. 

 

 

 

 

[ponerinecat]

The booklice will eat mold, just at a slower rate than springtails. They also eat anything with celluose in it.

Edited by ponerinecat, August 18 2018 - 9:24 AM.

[CoolColJ]

can always put them to sleep in the fridge and quickly pop the glass off for a clean