33 replies to this topic

[Myrmicinae]

Neither, as they generally just do bad in captivity. I am making my own test tube replacements specifically for Myrmecocystus, and larger wood ants such as Camponotus and Liometopum, which generally do not do good in test tubes. I will start researching on ways to make Dorymyrmex insanus comfortable in captivity too then.

 

It might have something to do with insufficient heat.  D. insanus tend to nest in exposed ground that reaches very high temperatures.

Edited by Myrmicinae, January 3 2015 - 7:17 PM.

[William. T]

Great! People in SoCal are soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo lucky they can catch  queens now!

[DesertAntz]

Great! People in SoCal are soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo lucky they can catch  queens now!

[William. T]

What? I wasn't trying to be rude.

[dspdrew]

I think DesertAntz is just confused by your post. It's a bit early for catching any queens in Southern California. There is a small chance of Prenolepis imparis having a mating flight any time after January though, but other than that, there's not a whole lot going on until around March.

[William. T]

O.K.

[DesertAntz]

No worries Pheidole! It was a pretty random comment for my journal though   And yeah it's a little too early in the year for real anting action. 

[William. T]

O.K!

[InsideAntz]

Good call on the humming bird nectar.

[DesertAntz]

Good call on the humming bird nectar.

Yeah, not only do mine not accept it, they'll run away when they feel it with their antennae. I gave up trying to give them nectar and sugar water. They get regular water and protein only. 

[DesertAntz]

UPDATE 1-30-2015

 

 

Queen 1: This colony has slightly rebounded since my last update. They are at 11 workers and some brood and are still in their test tube set up. I plan on improving upon this set up in the near future so they can have more 'freedom' and I don't have to worry about their escape. 

 

Queen 2: Undoubtedly, this colony is doing the worst. This queen is down to just 1 worker with a small, unhealthy looking pile of eggs. I'm not sure as to what to do to try and save them. Last night I fed them 2 freshly killed fruit flies so hopefully the worker is able to take on the task of single handedly restoring the queen before it dies. If it does not, I'm afraid this colony is a goner. 

 

Queen 3: This colony has moved into a Tarheel Ants' Haven which I had purchased last month (http://tarheelants.c...aria/haven.html). They are probably still sitting around 20-25+ workers and are doing well in their new environment. There is some mold growing in one of the chambers thanks to me overfeeding them egg yolk and then forgetting to remove it within an hour. At the moment, it's growth doesn't seem too bad and it hasn't caused any problems for the ants, yet. I'm at a loss as to how I'd remove it though. It's not easily accessible plus I'd have to relocate the entire colony if I even wanted to begin trying to remove it. I'm keeping an eye on it though. 

 

Queen 4: These have also been moved into a THA Haven. Their population has to be at 30+ workers now. I fed them 6 fruit flies last night and they caught them all within an hour and a half. No mold issues with these girls, thankfully. 

 

Queen 4's brood chamber

 

 

I'm not sure if this species' dietary needs change as the population grows but to this point they don't need much variety. As I've noted before, it's just protein and water. They've had nothing but fruit flies (one night of egg yolk) for the past 3-4 weeks and don't seem to be tiring of them. 

[dspdrew]

I really need to get some of these. I thought I had a colony, but I don't know what species it is now.

[DesertAntz]

I really need to get some of these. I thought I had a colony, but I don't know what species it is now.

That's weird. I could of swore you had these too. 

[Gregory2455]

The species Dorymyrmex insanus needs to be revised, period. Also Camponotus (Tanaemyrmex).