64 replies to this topic

[AntsDakota]

Why has your queen laid so many eggs? My queen has only about 5 larvae and nothing else.

I believe it may depend on queen and species. Most Formica queens I've ever had only lay between two and five at most, yet an Formica cf. montana queen I recently caught laid around ten or fifteen.

[Lasiusumbratus]

Never mind she has a lot of brood and has 2 pupae.

[Acutus]

Nothing really too special about care, but their growth rate is insane in the second and third years.

Well I'll worry about that when I get them through hibernation. I'm dreading that with ALL of my colonies!

[ANTdrew]

Nothing really too special about care, but their growth rate is insane in the second and third years.

Well I'll worry about that when I get them through hibernation. I'm dreading that with ALL of my colonies!

Don’t stress, man. It’s like a little vacation from your ant keeping duties. I’m actually looking forward to it at this point. Too bad I can’t put my toddlers in diapause for three months, too!

[TennesseeAnts]

Nothing really too special about care, but their growth rate is insane in the second and third years.

Well I'll worry about that when I get them through hibernation. I'm dreading that with ALL of my colonies!

Too bad I can’t put my toddlers in diapause for three months, too!

Edited by Ant_Dude2908, August 3 2019 - 10:44 AM.

[Acutus]

HOLY [censored]!!! She has Larvae already!!!!     

To me that's amazing compared to my Camponotus!

 

[TennesseeAnts]

I told you Formica mean business!

[Acutus]

I told you Formica mean business!

Sweet! This is exciting!

[TennesseeAnts]

Her workers should arrive about this time next month, or later this month.

[ANTdrew]

You’re lucky, dude!
I love the golden sheen on her.

[Amazant]

Do founding Formica subsericea queens usually have a shorter amount of time between egg and worker because my queen had eggs 3 days after capture then in about a week had huge larvae which was when I checked on them 2 days ago and then last night the larvae became a pupae and this morning I saw another pupae, and right now she has around 5 large larvae and 5 small larvae. I’ve only had her for around 12 days and I read about how that’s how long it usually takes them to even get to the larval stage. Of you need a picture I can get one.

[Acutus]

Do founding Formica subsericea queens usually have a shorter amount of time between egg and worker because my queen had eggs 3 days after capture then in about a week had huge larvae which was when I checked on them 2 days ago and then last night the larvae became a pupae and this morning I saw another pupae, and right now she has around 5 large larvae and 5 small larvae. I’ve only had her for around 12 days and I read about how that’s how long it usually takes them to even get to the larval stage. Of you need a picture I can get one.

 

I caught her like 3 weeks ago and my larvae are quite large now too! So they're pretty quick as Ant_Dude keeps telling me! Temperature could probably accelerate things as well. My queen isn't really heated,

[Kaelwizard]

Good luck! Mine always die before getting eggs.

Edited by Kaelwizard, August 13 2019 - 7:23 AM.

[TennesseeAnts]

Definitely heat them. They will have more than 50 workers by hibernation if you heat them.

[Amazant]

Definitely heat them. They will have more than 50 workers by hibernation if you heat them.

Even if they are founding this late in the year? Or are you talking about Formica Subsericea queens that wait to lay eggs after hibernation?

[Acutus]

Pupae!!!!   

Excuse the terrible picture but the plastic TT aren't great for photography!

These are Naked Pupae correct?

 

[WanderAnts]

Pupae!!!!   

Excuse the terrible picture but the plastic TT aren't great for photography!

These are Naked Pupae correct?

 

Looks like it 

[AntJohnny]

I caught a queen of this species at the beganing of the year. After her first workers came out she started laying dozens of eggs. So far she has about 50 workers and about 60 brood. I just purchased a acrylic nest online and put them in there to have room to grow. So far this species is my favorite for growth.

[Amazant]

So far for me the pupae stage has been the longest and most boring as the only thing she has done is make a chamber for them out of cotton. She also has a few more larvae after having her eight pupae, except the oldest pupae seems extremely small so that’s weird I don’t think that one will make it but the others look really good and yours do as well. I hope both our queens and future do well! I’ll definitely start seeing some moving workers in the next few days. I just can’t believe how long there pupae stage has been compared to the other stages!
Good luck excited to see the next update!

[Amazant]

I got workers today and got to see one of the 5 eclose!
How are yours doing?