14 replies to this topic

[Bearcoon]

Hey, last year i only managed to find a single pogonomyrmex queen, it got some brood and a few workers but didn't take kindly to Relocation once its test tubes water supply ran out (i was still working on the Formicarium at the time) soon after it died, what I would like is some help getting ready for my next try with the Pogonomyrmex's this year any advice would be Appreciated thanks!

[dermy]

Do you plan on keeping any other Species? Do you have any other species of ants that you currently keep? If it was me I'd be trying out various different species, not just Pogomyrmex, since from what I've heard they aren't the easiest species in the world to keep.

[Bearcoon]

I'm not currently keeping any other species but in the past I've kept common pavement ants, those are the two main species around my home

[PTAntFan]

Bear, I've found the Pogonomyrmex to be very difficult to keep. Well, impossible for me, I've had about 5-8 queens fail and die. I think the queens really prefer natural settings and are unhappy in glass or plastic containers. They also like to roam which is impossible to accommodate. All in all they just don't settle down and start producing well. They also seem really picky with food.

Take a look at Crystal's post on formicariums, at the bottom of her list of member setups is a link to one I just came up with that might work. It lets you start small with a founding chamber and then you can expand it when workers show up. If you don't care about visibility so much you can go with a soil setup. Drew has some good setups for this too.

Good luck! I know the frustrations well.

[Bearcoon]

Thanks!

[Crystals]

Take a look at Crystal's post on formicariums, at the bottom of her list of member setups is a link to one I just came up with that might work. It lets you start small with a founding chamber and then you can expand it when workers show up. If you don't care about visibility so much you can go with a soil setup. Drew has some good setups for this too.
 

That List of handy links thread is pinned in the General section (as well as in my signature).  There is a thread for formicariums for founding queens that may work better for Pogonomyrmex.  Be sure to post how it turns out.

You may even be able to find a more uncommon queen this year, once you get used to looking for queens, you can spot them far more easily.

There are lots of ways to find and catch queens.  Some simply involve replacing a light bulb with a blacklight and walking outside during tv commercials at night. 

[Bearcoon]

definitely looking in to other kinds if possible I'm taking a trip up to goblin valley and in the past I've noticed some that look interesting, thanks for all the help!

[Subverted]

Bear, I've found the Pogonomyrmex to be very difficult to keep. Well, impossible for me, I've had about 5-8 queens fail and die. I think the queens really prefer natural settings and are unhappy in glass or plastic containers. They also like to roam which is impossible to accommodate. All in all they just don't settle down and start producing well. They also seem really picky with food.
 

 

Pogonomyrmex queens do best in dirt. You can get them up to about 10 workers in a test tube but after that they just seem to really need a dirt setup. As far as food...I didn't have any trouble getting mine to take slightly crushed poppy seeds, dandelion seeds, and etc.. They also like bugs a lot.

 

One thing I have not noticed is them trying to roam around too much but Pogonomyrmex are one of the easiest ants to allow to forage. They cannot climb glass and are pretty easy to contain!

[Bearcoon]

I never thought about poppy seeds!, i was trying to forage for the same things as the local population and they beat me to the punch

[Subverted]

I grabbed a bunch of the dried flower heads of buckwheat plants (Eriogonum sp) and use those to feed Pogonomyrmex also. If you have a local species of those keep an eye out in the next few months and the higher up ones should be out of reach of the ants!

[Bearcoon]

Awesome!, i Really appreciate all the help I've been getting so far from you guys

[Shaye]

I have found that all of my Pogonomyrmex's LOVE raw sunflower seeds. I bought a good sized bag at Trader Joe's for cheap and they keep it in their nest and let the brood munch on it until it's gone (after watching them when they don't have brood they even eat it themselves despite it being a solid). It's also one of the easiest seeds for Pogonomyrmex's to grab In my experience.

Edited by Shaye, March 26 2016 - 11:15 PM.

[Bearcoon]

Thanks, I'll definitely keep that in mind

[Shaye]

Good luck with the new anting season! 

[Bearcoon]

Good luck to you as well