44 replies to this topic

[DesertAntz]

Your journal has only reinforced my wanting to get O. clarus this year. The spiky larvae look awesome! 

[Etherwulf]

Test tube setup:

 

She just got her first pupa!

 

 

 

Heart box:

 

She had 3 larvae and a sizeable pile of eggs hidden from view.

 

[Etherwulf]

The first worker just eclosed! 

 

 

 

2 more pupae.

 

[Gregory2455]

I am very jealous! Its okay, I will eventually find a way to have an Odontomachus clarus colony....

[Jonathan21700]

Congratulations!

[Servercheck]

The nanitic looks so small and cute.

[Tpro4]

are these trap jaw queens?

[Miles]

I am very jealous! Its okay, I will eventually find a way to have an Odontomachus clarus colony....

I'm finding them to be remarkably difficult to raise.

[Gregory2455]

 

I am very jealous! Its okay, I will eventually find a way to have an Odontomachus clarus colony....

I'm finding them to be remarkably difficult to raise.

 

I wish I could take a shot at trying.

[Gregory2455]

But actually apparently drtrmiller had a hard time raising them too.

[Etherwulf]

I just got around to updating my journals after clearing out my backlog.

 

So far, these two colonies have been growing at a steady rate. Both of them have been fed synthetic diets completely with one insect a week. 

 

Colony 1, the older one, has 2 workers, 4 pupae and a large pile of brood and larvae. I couldn't get clear pictures because of the setup they are in. 

 

Colony 2, the one in the test tube has 4 workers, 1 pupae, 6 larvae and a sizable pile of brood as well. The first two full-sized worker has also eclosed.

 

 

 

 

Edited by Etherwulf, April 7 2015 - 4:03 AM.

[Jonathan21700]

Amazing looking!

[AntLover101]

Very interesting. This might grow into a large colony and might have to be moved into a bigger formicarium. I will be watching this journal closely.

[Etherwulf]

I moved the test tube colony into the new Byformica Grotube XL which I received the other day. This colony has 4 workers, 5 larvae, 1 pupae and 15-20 eggs. Thanks to the excellent visibility of the formicarium, I managed to get pretty good photos. 

 

The other colony is still doing well in the dirt setup.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[drtrmiller]

I moved the test tube colony into the new Byformica Grotube XL which I received the other day. This colony has 4 workers, 5 larvae, 1 pupae and 15-20 eggs. Thanks to the excellent visibility of the formicarium, I managed to get pretty good photos. 

 

Oh boy. You decided to do it.

• How difficult was the move?  What techniques were required?
• Did they naturally set up their nest in the middle section?
• Also, do you have the foraging area connected yet?

Fingers crossed!

Edited by drtrmiller, April 17 2015 - 7:33 AM.

[Etherwulf]

The move was relatively easy compared to other species I had to move in the past. I used a 60 watt lightbulb mounted on an adjustable tripod stand directly above the test-tube and covered the Grotube with a cloth. They moved in under 5 minutes.

 

Yes, they did go for the middle section naturally. I watered both reservoirs beforehand.

 

I haven't connected the foraging area yet. I've been leaving their test-tube in the light for a few days to acclimatise them. So far, they don't seem to be too bothered by the light. I'm going to keep the foraging area detached for a while so that they can establish their scent in the nest portion.

 

Don't want them moving out into the foraging area, do I?

Edited by Etherwulf, April 17 2015 - 7:44 AM.

[drtrmiller]

Seems like a sound strategy.  It's good the light isn't bothering them.

 

I wonder if they prefer the middle chamber due to the fact that it is the most humid, or because there is the least headroom.

 

My Odontomachus colony was long gone by the time I started work on the original GroTube.  If this colony continues to thrive, it will be an excellent case study in the versatility of the form factor, given what an environmental specialist this genus is.  If they do not thrive, then I'll be disappointed, but not surprised.

[Jonathan21700]

Great pictures!

[Lamarr]

Any updates on the colony?

[Etherwulf]

Colony has since been moved to anther (pink) grotube after pupae failed to develop and larvae was cannibalised in the previous (white) one. The colony moved out a month ago out of the white grotube with a total worker count of 4. After 2 weeks of recovery in a test tube which was their previous set-up, 4 pupae has eclosed, bringing up the worker count to 8. 

 

So far, the colony has been doing relatively well in the new grotube which has reduced headroom and extra substrate to facilitate pupae formation. New pupae has since been observed and foraging activity has increased as well, with the establishment of a trash site.

 

Blue 100, my own synthetic food, and small insects have all been accepted. Fastest period of growth has been when insects made up the bulk of their diet (90%).