9 replies to this topic

[Ants Latvia]

So i found 3 of these Myrmica sp. queens (probably Myrmica rubra, because they are wide spread in most European areas and i tried to id my queen through antweb.com and it was leading me to Myrmica rubra).
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One of them didn't lay any eggs and died!
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The second one i brood boosted and a worker hatched just today! She has 7 more unhatched pupae and 3 eggs, but i like ant colonies, that are raised right from only one queen and the brood boosted one is just in case the 3rd one fails.
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And the 3rd one is giving me all the problems! She has 5 eggs a bit scattered, but she is rearranging them once in few days, i have seen her caring for them, but she is trying to get out of the test tube!
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I have offered her honey and even little juicy pieces of flies grown from maggots - all other ant colonies just eat them in moments! She sometimes drinks the honey, but she's still trying to get out!
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I have heard about Myrmica ants being semi-claustral and needing out worlds to forage in, but the brood boosted one completely didn't care about a thing! She eats her honey and has never tried pulling on the cotton! The 3rd queen tho - not eating anything and always trying to pull on every string of the cotton to get out!!
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So what should i do?
Should i attach the out world?
Should i cheat just a little bit and add a single pupae to this ant queen? That would make me feel bad and feel like cheating, but it would be only 1 worker and i might get over it in a big while...
Help me please!

[Bracchymyrmex]

Myrmica are semi-claustral and therefore will require an outworld no matter how content they seem without one. I'd suggest giving both of your colonies an outworld.

[DrygonKing]

I was just told I have one of these to and is bashing my head on a wall

[AntsAreUs]

I am keeping them right now. They need to eat things every so often in order to raise their first brood. If you fail to feed them before they go hungry again they may eat their brood.

 

I have fed them sugar water and they have laid eggs, likewise fed with other arthropods.

Edited by AntsAreUs, May 24 2018 - 1:55 PM.

[noebl1]

I just started keeping a Myrmica americana I found out foraging (she flew last Fall).  She laid eggs within about 24hours of me adding her to her test tube, and I have the test tube in an outworld currently.  Within an hour of me putting her in the outworld, she had gone out foraging and collected the insect I had put in there.  The next day I also observed her feeding on Sunburst nectar as well.  As other's mentioned, keeping them in an outworld, and a ready supply of protein is what I've read is the keys to success.  I'll let you know how it goes

 

For what it's worth, last year I tried to raise Myrmica within test tubes without an out world or with one of the AC Test Tube portals, and they all failed.  

Edited by noebl1, May 24 2018 - 2:44 PM.

[Rattus]

One of the perfect foods for young Myrmica sp. are young earwigs, offer sugar-water in the outworld.

[DrygonKing]

Can I use cut pill bugs?

[MegaMyrmex]

Try fruit flies, it's the only stuff along with honey that my queen myrmica ate.

[Canadian anter]

My Myrmica practically ate anything.I know they will readily accept termites, mealworms  and drosophila flies though

[LC3]

I’ve noticed my M. incompleta will eat isopods if given the chance but don’t seem to actively hunt them. I’m not sure if founding queens will accept them as I’ve only given them to a colony.