58 replies to this topic

[Alza]

I got a pogonomyrmex californicus queen from drew, and she had 4 workers at the time. I've named her Eve and she now has 7 workers ! but now i have a bit of a problem... they're larvae turned into pupae and all of a sudden they ate them! there are two new eggs but until they become larva what should i feed them ? I've been feeding them crickets and honey water but I'm not sure if that will do the job

[Gregory2455]

Crickets are a good call, from my experience, Pogonomyrmex do not care for such a sweet sugar source as honey. Try to mix up some sugar water with the following ratios: one unit of sugar for every ten units of water. That is a LOT less sweet, and my Pogonomyrmex go crazy for it. If they do not take that, try one unit of sugar for twenty units of water.

[Alza]

for some reason, Eve is always going out of her way to tackle a worker or two. they don't fight to the death, but i know when the workers get bigger she's not going to want to do that 

[Foogoo]

I also recently got a colony from drew and I've placed their test tube in a temporary tupperware outworld for now until I receive their permanent home. I will have to try the diluted sugar water. I've tried both honey and concentrated sugar water on a piece of tinfoil and they almost immediately cover it with dirt, as if to bury it (do you think they're smart enough to know it may attract Argentine ants??).

 

They've taken bird seed mix (with some difficulty) but I haven't witnessed them consuming it. They also seemed to love deshelled crushed sunflower seeds. They didn't touch nyger seeds but they can't seem to get enough crushed freeze-dried bloodworms. Is there such thing as overfeeding them? I put in a bit of bloodworms and it's gone almost immediately.

 

I got a flightless fruit fly culture I'm going to try. It's hard to see how the brood is doing since the queen has screened nearly her entire chamber with bits of dirt. I also found some colonies along my street (one mid-battle with Argentines) so hopefully I can get some queens next spring.

Edited by Foogoo, September 26 2014 - 7:41 AM.

[dspdrew]

They cover sticky liquids with dirt I think to keep from getting stuck in it. Some believe they cover it to hide it from other ants. Sometimes they mix dirt with liquids so they're able to easily carry them back to their nest.

 

Watch out with bird seed, while a lot of it is probably too large for them, I hear it can also be bad for them. I have given mine some in the past, but they rarely seem interested. In my experience, they are most interested in grass seed, sunflower seeds, and poppy seeds.

 

They usually love most any insects you give them. While the nanitics seem to be pretty picky, from what I've seen, the more there are, and the older they get, the more normal their eating habits start to become. Pretty soon you will drop any insect in there with it's juicy insides exposed, and they will be all over it.

 

As far as overfeeding, I don't think that is an issue. Ants know exactly how much they need to eat. They can however, eat too much protein relative to the amount of sugar, but I think you would have to be exclusively feeding them something made with very high levels of protein in order to create that situation.

[Alza]

They don't seem to be laying eggs, and are rejecting all liquids but seem to like the crickets I'm giving them

[Anhzor]

don't feed them more then what they need when it comes to insect prey.

[Alza]

I'm really starting to fear for this colony, the two eggs they had before disappeared 

[Crystals]

It can take ants a while to settle down in a new environment.  They go through spells of laying eggs.  As long as the queen has workers and they are accepting something, I wouldn't worry.  Give them time, ants never rush.

 

I know an airplane attendant, she is gone 2 weeks at a time - the only pet she can keep is ants because they could go without food or sugar for that long on a regular basis.

[Alza]

I'm still not sure if i need to buy another californicus colony from drew to start them back up with atleast one or two larvae. i was planning to have a second anyway 

[Crystals]

If you take and post pictures about once every month or so, it forms a really neat history of your colony.

Honest, when you look back 4 months, you will think, "wow, they have sure grown - I forgot how small that colony was back then".

[Alza]

I'm getting a camera soon

[Alza]

trying to balance out the water and sugar so they will drink it. Also they seem to be loving the crickets. Also to update this colony nothing has changed except the workers are getting the eggs stuck in their beard constantly 

[Gregory2455]

Pogonomyrmex and their beard... They are so funny looking with that beard, especially P.subnitidus looks like they have really large ones. As for sugar water, have you tried what I told you?

Edited by Gregory2455, October 21 2014 - 5:44 PM.

[Alza]

I have just made the mixture and am testing it out right now 

[Gregory2455]

Usually harvester ants like Pogonomyrmex find all the sugar they need inside a cricket...

[Alza]

the crickets I've been giving them are frozen so they don't have the liquid juices 

[Gregory2455]

They melt.

[Alza]

they are currently eating a cricket, and i tried the mix but they declined it! they put seeds over it

[Gregory2455]

Then do not give them a sugar source for a little bit.