22 replies to this topic

[ken14400]

Can anyone give any information they know abt myrmica rubra here coz there’s not much guise on them on formiculture. Thx

[AntsAreUs]

They are semi-claustral so you'll need to feed them throughout their founding stage. At first you can start feeding her sugar foods like sugar water and honey. After her larva come you will need to feed her some protein such as cricket legs or a small piece of mealworm. The queen may likely forage with the workers which can be quite fun to watch.

[ken14400]

They are semi-claustral so you'll need to feed them throughout their founding stage. At first you can start feeding her sugar foods like sugar water and honey. After her larva come you will need to feed her some protein such as cricket legs or a small piece of mealworm. The queen may likely forage with the workers which can be quite fun to watch.

are they polymorphic? cause some of the workers are larger than the others..

[Canadian anter]

Myrmica rubra are not polymorphic. They have a wide diet and temperature range and require very high humidity.

[ken14400]

how long does it take from egg to worker?

[Barristan]

It is hard to say and it depends on the temperature you keep them at. In a German forum, they say 1.5 months:

 

Entwicklungsdauer
Arbeiterinnen: ca. 1,5 Monate

Edited by Barristan, April 11 2018 - 11:09 AM.

[Canadian anter]

how long does it take from egg to worker?

It takes very little time from pupae to worker but it takes a good while for egg to pupa

[ken14400]

can i like remove 2 queens from and 8 queen colony and put them into a different set up with some of their workers? or will they die off? and like after a period of time can you re introduce them together?

[AntsAreUs]

can i like remove 2 queens from and 8 queen colony and put them into a different set up with some of their workers? or will they die off? and like after a period of time can you re introduce them together?

From what I know this method is viable, but make sure you collect workers and if possible brood.

[ken14400]

 

can i like remove 2 queens from and 8 queen colony and put them into a different set up with some of their workers? or will they die off? and like after a period of time can you re introduce them together?

From what I know this method is viable, but make sure you collect workers and if possible brood.

 

can i like introduce them back together in the future?

[AntsAreUs]

 

 

can i like remove 2 queens from and 8 queen colony and put them into a different set up with some of their workers? or will they die off? and like after a period of time can you re introduce them together?

From what I know this method is viable, but make sure you collect workers and if possible brood.

 

can i like introduce them back together in the future?

 

You mean if you collect say 2 queens and 20 workers, you mean collect more workers and queens from the wild? If so then I'm pretty sure they will, considering they form somewhat "super colonies" in the wild.

[ken14400]

like i put back the 2 separate colonies into one 

[AntsAreUs]

I'd say test it with a few workers first. If they accept each other then it should be safe.

[ken14400]

oh ok thx so much

[ken14400]

now i have 3 myrmica colonies 1 with 4 queens and 2 with 2 queens

[AntsAreUs]

Also Myrmica rubra shouldn't be in Canada.

[ken14400]

well its some time of myrmica XD

[ken14400]

how many eggs does a myrmica queen lay a day? like an average. or does no one know?

[PwnerPie]

My Myrmica is not extremely active as far as egg laying. Definitely seems to take a long time for the brood to go from egg to worker, almost as long as camponotus (they are provided heat, but still take forever). Almost 2 months for egg to worker. 

 

They definitely lay far less than formica, from my experience I would relate them more to camponotus in terms of egg layings and time to worker.

 

FYI, very hard to ID Myrmica. I live in WA, there are a few main options, but nearly impossible to ID. Thinking I have incompleta, can't be sure tho.

[ken14400]

how old does the colony have to be until they are able to produce alates?