5 replies to this topic

[Foogoo]

Just for fun, how have you noticed your species act/react? In the past few months of messing with, moving, averting disasters, etc. with my colonies, I've noticed these:

 

Pogonomyrmex - Laborers. All they want to do is WORK. Always busy carrying or moving something. Poke them with a stick and they'll just move whatever they have in their jaws faster.

 

Dorymyrmex insanus - UFOs. More like, UWOs. Rarely see more than a few wandering by their nests and almost never see mine foraging. However, their nests are always a huge mound and any food I put in is mysteriously covered with sand the next day. The few you see is actually summoning help from some other power when you're not watching.

 

Pheidole - Apocolyptic. Same as Linepithema humile. Feel a gust of wind? TAKE THE BROOD AND RUN! Sense something near the nest entrace? RUN! Find something unusual? RUN ALL OVER IT! Find a crack that's 0.0001" wide? Better squeeze through it!

 

Crematogastor - Stoned hippies. All they want to do is lay in the heat. Moving them is nearly impossible since they seem like to hang out and stay put. The other day I discovered the lid wasn't on tight and began to panic seeing workers squeeze outside. Turns out they all went outside and basked as a group in the warmth.

 

Camponotus - Fragile snowflakes. Fat queen falls? Dead. Everything in the nest looking fine? Let's start dying. That's probably just my colony though.

[Gregory2455]

I really love your Crematogaster description, because it is SO TRUE!!! I have a heating cable pressed against the side of their container and there are always 4-7 workers laying there, occasionally with brood too.

[dean_k]

What I've noticed from my colonies

 

1. Myrmica Latifrons colony : [ Larvae killers ]. They love to kill larvae and bring it out to outworld to throw away. They are also brawlers and fight with each other pretty often. They are also pretty moody and I have no idea what triggers their "let's have party outside" mood in which case most of workers come out to outworld.

 

2.  Lasius neoniger colony : [ I dig thee ] girls. They love to bury mature larvae so that they can spin cocoon.  They have a hard time controlling their queen due to massive size difference and I've seen their queen bite workers that tried to lead her to somewhere.

 

3. Formica subsericea colony : [ We are having mental break down group ] They panic at the faintest vibration and start to run around in circles. Queen runs around on her own and workers are on their own. I've never seen the workers bossing the queen around even during relocation.

 

4. Myrmica sp colony I recently got from Crystal : [ We are the sticky ] They stick to what they like. They stick to liquid feeder holes and stay there for days. They stick to food they like for days until it's completely eaten.

 

5. Camponotus Herculeanus I recently got from Crystal : [ We are the Lazy Stones ] The most calm colony I've seen. Nothing makes them panic. I am able to touch the queen also. Workers panic when touched however.

Edited by dean_k, March 16 2015 - 4:55 PM.

[antmaniac]

Good descriptions, I have to agree with the Pheidole one.

[Crystals]

What I've noticed from my colonies

 

1. Myrmica Latifrons colony : [ Larvae killers ]. They love to kill larvae and bring it out to outworld to throw away. They are also brawlers and fight with each other pretty often. They are also pretty moody and I have no idea what triggers their "let's have party outside" mood in which case most of workers come out to outworld.

 

4. Myrmica sp colony I recently got from Crystal : [ We are the sticky ] They stick to what they like. They stick to liquid feeder holes and stay there for days. They stick to food they like for days until it's completely eaten.

I have also found Myrmica to turn into brawlers every few months.  Never really figured out why - I assume it has something to do with the full moon and  beer.  And they do have hangout parties around resources.  Never had issues with larvae deaths unless the humitidy dropped too low.

 

Never had an issue with Camponotus herculeanus.  Less than a 10% death rate with queens over the first year with the 80 I caught.  They are slow and steady.

 

I have found younger colonies to behave differently than colonies with over 300+ workers.

 

1. Lasius crypticus: Let's escape!  I went to huge lengths to stop escapes.  Olive oil was a joke, even fluon barely slowed them down on a vertical surface.  Only fluon on an upside down surface stopped them.  Even talc didn't work as they worked on one spot until they made a narrow little path and got through. Once the colony topped 300 they started to really stink bad too.

[Vendayn]

65q24g4g5f

Edited by Vendayn, March 9 2018 - 7:12 PM.