17 replies to this topic

[FeedTheAnts]

Hi, I caught this queen two weeks ago in m pool and was very excited because this is one of my favorite species around here! She never hung out around the cotton in her test tube and she only tore off one of her wings, but after about a week she laid a few eggs. I wanted to get the colony going faster so I brood boosted her with about twenty pupae that were all about to eclose(they were orange). Within two days she had twenty workers!  I since then have been trying to feed them a lot of food and have given them some more larvae. They will be moved into a Hybrid Nest Small so I will probably update then.

Edited by TennesseeAnts, September 17 2017 - 3:58 PM.

[FeedTheAnts]

Good news is they have now moved into the formicarium, bad news is they have moved the entire colony into the covered console where the test tubes attach so I can't see them in there(see pics).

I have brood boosted this colony a little too much probably and so they have I suppose 40 larvae, 25 pupae, and 30 eggs, I'm not exaggerating. I'll probably get some people telling me I went over board but hey, I'm a beginner. I'm sure it is weird for this queen to have a nuptial flight and then within just a few weeks have a colony with at least 75 workers! Yes, I have been trying to feed this colony a lot so they can feed their brood.

 hopefully you can see what I mean by them nesting where I can't see them.

[FeedTheAnts]

Didn't work, they killed the queen. They dead. This done. Dun goofed

but in all seriousness, I'm really bummed  

probably not brood boosting again, or at least to that extent, learned my lesson.

Edited by TennesseeAnts, August 16 2017 - 6:41 AM.

[FeedTheAnts]

Well, I happened to catch a colony of C.subbarbatus that I traded for a new colony of Crematogasters, they have 7 workers and a pile of brood. Maybe these will do better than my last.

[lucas3431]

Well, I happened to catch a colony of C.subbarbatus that I traded for a new colony of Crematogasters, they have 7 workers and a pile of brood. Maybe these will do better than my last.

 

Wish you luck  

[FeedTheAnts]

 

Well, I happened to catch a colony of C.subbarbatus that I traded for a new colony of Crematogasters, they have 7 workers and a pile of brood. Maybe these will do better than my last.

 

Wish you luck  

 

Thanks!

[FeedTheAnts]

update:

 

Just caught another queen of these and even though I said I wouldn't, I'm going to brood boost her. I guess there is less of a risk considering I just got a colony of these so if it doesn't work then I still have a colony of them. Edit: I just decided not to, mainly because she may be a C. cerasi and not ashmeadi, and ashmeadi brood is the only brood I have access to. If it is cerasi then I also don't want to mess things up because I really love this species. Here are some pics of the colony that now has 10 workers and a pic of the new queen.

 

Edited by TennesseeAnts, August 13 2017 - 5:12 PM.

[FeedTheAnts]

Update:

Just checked on the new queen and found her dead with maggots in her tube 

[lucas3431]

Update:

Just checked on the new queen and found her dead with maggots in her tube 

How did they get in there?

[FeedTheAnts]

 

Update:

Just checked on the new queen and found her dead with maggots in her tube 

How did they get in there?

 

They were probably already in the queen, the eggs were laid from a parasitic wasp or fly directly on the queen prior to me catching it.

[xTNxANTMANx]

I had three of these but I'm now down to two because I traded one with a friend for some 3D printed nests. One of the two I have is doing fantastic with around 150+ workers roughly and the other is getting her first nanitics any day now. I really like this species as well and as far as the brood boosting goes if I were you I would let things go the natural way. I have brood boosted one time and really in my opinion isn't a good option. I could understand if say your queen lost her new workers and you boosted her with like 5 pupa but I mean if things are going well and how they are supposed to then I would just let her do her thing.

[FeedTheAnts]

I had three of these but I'm now down to two because I traded one with a friend for some 3D printed nests. One of the two I have is doing fantastic with around 150+ workers roughly and the other is getting her first nanitics any day now. I really like this species as well and as far as the brood boosting goes if I were you I would let things go the natural way. I have brood boosted one time and really in my opinion isn't a good option. I could understand if say your queen lost her new workers and you boosted her with like 5 pupa but I mean if things are going well and how they are supposed to then I would just let her do her thing.

Ya, I guess you're right about that. From now on I won't be boosting unless I already have a different colony of the same species, because I don't really wan't to keep two colonies of the same species anyway, so I might as well try boosting one of them. When I first boosted then I didn't really think that there was anything wrong with boosting with a lot of brood(a lot as in 100 pupae) and I thought the only reason people didn't do it was because they couldn't acquire large amounts of brood(I can). If I ever boost in the future it will be because of one of three things: they're Camponotus(I actually recently did this), the new workers die, or I can spare the queen because I already have another one and I don't got anything to lose.

[FeedTheAnts]

I had three of these but I'm now down to two because I traded one with a friend for some 3D printed nests. One of the two I have is doing fantastic with around 150+ workers roughly and the other is getting her first nanitics any day now. 

You should really start a journal on those colonies, I know I'd follow.

[xTNxANTMANx]

Camponotus pennsylvanicus is the species I boosted myself, just 1 though. Although they are slow-growing in numbers I have found that once workers start coming then they come at a regular pace. I have 2 that I have done nothing with, I let everything go natural and I know for sure one is already up to her 10th worker. But as you can see from my signature I have a lot of different species LOL and I'm trying for more Formica and Lasius right now. I can't believe I lost both of my fire ant Queens from you. I would love to get another one before they stopp flying but if not there's always next year. My tetramorium are growing fast in numbers which is one reason why I wanted fire ants. Also I just love fire ants. I always have LOL

[xTNxANTMANx]

Also, I've been thinking of starting some journals, or just 1 big journal for them all. I've been having great success. Definitely a lot better than it started out LOL. I think everyone I have met in Tennessee has got at least one Queen from me except for two in East Tennessee and you of course. Some of my friends call me the ant Whisperer LOL

[MegaMyrmex]

You keep crematogaster too?! NICE! I just caught 18 queens anqd m hoping to start a colony. Got any tips? And keep us updated!

[FeedTheAnts]

You keep crematogaster too?! NICE! I just caught 18 queens anqd m hoping to start a colony. Got any tips? And keep us updated!

18! Wow! 

[FeedTheAnts]

Update:

(just a pic, there are about five ants outside the tube)