15 replies to this topic

[Leo]

1/8/18

I recieved this colony from ants853 (he is a nice guy) this colony has about 20 workers and some larvae. For the people who don't know, oocerea biroi reproduce via thelytokous parthenogenesis. Meaning that every worker in the colony lays eggs.they are relatively small but stocky ants and have 2 phases, foraging and reproductive phase. In the wild, they raid other ant colonies for brood but in captivity they accept cricket bits and fruit flies. They are currently in the foraging phase.

Edited by Leo, January 19 2019 - 4:37 PM.

[PurdueEntomology]

Fascinating species and I am very interested in your success at maintaining them whilst they are myrmecophagus yet you are substituting with crickets and fruit flies.  

[Leo]

Just got some pics for you guys 

solitary ant

these guys are about 2mm in length

bunch of foraging ants

they have some larvae but I have no pictures...

Edited by Leo, August 3 2018 - 5:53 AM.

[ponerinecat]

I never thought someone would keep these... they look more like amix between a twig and a hornet than an ant.

Edited by ponerinecat, August 3 2018 - 10:01 AM.

[Leo]

I never thought someone would keep these... they look more like amix between a twig and a hornet than an ant.

Lol nice description

Edited by Leo, August 3 2018 - 4:27 PM.

[AntsAreUs]

To me they look a lot like some ergatoid wasps I find occasionally.

[Leo]

8/22/18 

They are coming to the end of the stationary phase and the eggs are beginning to hatch, the workers are in the new plaster nest and are huddled around a clump of brood. No foraging has been observed.

[Leo]

2/9/18

 

After a period of dormancy after the eggs turned into larvae, they are finally foraging in little lines again. They sipped on some home-made protein jelly for about 20 minutes, then moved on to stomping around their little out world in single-file 5 lines. Small pile of larvae and about 25 adults.

[Leo]

1/10/2018

 

Those little buggers are the most synchronized ant ever. Not too long ago, the larvae all turned into pupae and the workers began laying eggs. Today, I watched as the first worker enclosed, and withing 3 minutes, all the new ants were up and ready, the new workers are pale orange.

[neoponera]

update or dead?

[Leo]

They are still here. They ate their eggs, so i'm just waiting for them to switch back to their laying phase.

[nurbs]

Keep us updated on this Leo. I will be keeping these as well via Caltech (we just got the permit). Any additional tips or help is greatly appreciated.

[Leo]

Oh hey, nurbs some stuff on their care then:

 

• likes humidity.
• Enjoys any type of ant brood, some adult ants are taken as well.
• most (if not all) small chunks of insect are accepted. I've tried: crickets, mealworms, flies, other ants and fruit flies. Not sure if roaches work.
• They don't sting.
• They dislike vibrations but don't care for light.

[FSTP]

Hey Leo, any pictures of them in thier new home?

[Leo]

 

I have a few, there are so many tests before Christmas, so I don't have much free time, I haven't tended to my ants in 3 days now. I should probably have a quick check when I get back home. I have 2 chinese, 1 german and just finished an english essay. Might update this sometime during Christmas. 

Edited by Leo, November 29 2018 - 7:43 PM.

[Leo]

20/1/19

 

Due to my lack of time, a few workers have died bringing the count down to 15. Yesterday, I moved the camponotus back into a test tube. But they left some brood behind. So I moved the oocerea in instead. Now they are sitting on a small ball of camponotus brood and occasionally chewing an egg or two.