Jump to content

  • Chat
  •  
  •  

Welcome to Formiculture.com!

This is a website for anyone interested in Myrmecology and all aspects of finding, keeping, and studying ants. The site and forum are free to use. Register now to gain access to all of our features. Once registered and logged in, you will be able to create topics, post replies to existing threads, give reputation points to your fellow members, get your own private messenger, post status updates, manage your profile and so much more. If you already have an account, login here - otherwise create an account for free today!

Photo

Dspdrew's Pheidole hyatti Journal [205] (Updated 2-5-2024)

pheidole hyatti dspdrew journal harvester ants big-headed ants

  • Please log in to reply
69 replies to this topic

#41 Offline Huch - Posted August 13 2015 - 6:25 PM

Huch

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 138 posts

That is so cool. I wonder what cued them to swarm. Do you know if other colonies outside are having nuptial flights right now?


  • LC3 likes this

#42 Offline Bardusquus - Posted August 13 2015 - 7:10 PM

Bardusquus

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 63 posts

These don't live outside my house.

Put them outside during a stormy/warm/humid/windy day and pull the top off.



#43 Offline dspdrew - Posted August 13 2015 - 10:02 PM

dspdrew
  • LocationSanta Ana, CA

That is so cool. I wonder what cued them to swarm. Do you know if other colonies outside are having nuptial flights right now?

 

No idea.



#44 Offline William. T - Posted August 14 2015 - 4:35 AM

William. T

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 725 posts
  • LocationWestern Maryland

Maybe put them inside one of those giant butterfly houses, which are basically giant rectangular prisms of netting, install a fan underneath it and then dump the alates in.


Edited by William. T, August 14 2015 - 4:35 AM.

  • Myrmicinae likes this

Species I keep:

 

1 Lasius cf. Neoniger 30 workers

1 Camponotus sp. 15 workers

20 Tetramorium SpE 30 workers

1 T. Sessile 200 workers

 


#45 Offline dspdrew - Posted August 14 2015 - 8:23 AM

dspdrew
  • LocationSanta Ana, CA

I probably will just put them outside so some of these alates will hopefully fly away.



#46 Offline dspdrew - Posted September 8 2015 - 10:24 PM

dspdrew
  • LocationSanta Ana, CA

Update 9-8-2015
 
Back on 7-7-2015, I found a few more of these alates in Goffs, California. At first I thought they were P. desertorum, but have now realized they're actually P. hyatti. All but one turned out to be infertile. I'm still keeping three of the seemingly infertile alates I have housed together in one test tube. The fertile queen has three workers and a little bit of brood right now.

 

My large colony still looks good, but they are not producing much. They don't have a whole lot of brood now.



#47 Offline dspdrew - Posted October 20 2015 - 10:21 AM

dspdrew
  • LocationSanta Ana, CA

Update 10-20-2015
 
The large colony is still not producing anything, and is rapidly dying off.

 

I had one more of what I thought was P. desertorum but turned out to be P. hyatti, and I gave it to my friend.



#48 Offline Foogoo - Posted October 20 2015 - 12:15 PM

Foogoo

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 1,161 posts
  • LocationLos Angeles, CA

Do you think space is a factor? Mine is completely overrunning their nest and outworld, and I noticed they have a lot less brood compared to before.


Camponotus vicinus, Crematogaster 1, Crematogaster 2, Formica francoeuri, *, *, Myrmecocystus testaceus, Novomessor cockerelli, Pheidole hyatti, Pogonomyrmex californicus, Pogonomyrmex rugosus, Solenopsis invicta


#49 Offline dspdrew - Posted October 20 2015 - 11:18 PM

dspdrew
  • LocationSanta Ana, CA

Nope. They have more than enough space.



#50 Offline dspdrew - Posted April 7 2016 - 4:23 PM

dspdrew
  • LocationSanta Ana, CA

Update 4-7-2016
 
Something is continuing to kill off this colony. Almost every worker in the colony is dead now. All of the queens still look okay. None of them are laying any eggs though.



#51 Offline Vendayn - Posted April 7 2016 - 5:38 PM

Vendayn

    Advanced Member

  • Banned
  • PipPipPip
  • 1,981 posts
  • LocationOrange County, California

Wonder why this species does incredibly well at first, but then rapidly dies off/stops producing brood. I know you probably give them plenty of food, and I doubt humidity/temperature is an issue.

 

Maybe they are like Argentine ants and Tapinoma sessile. Which do really well very early on, but then after a month or whatever, just die off and actually do bad for whatever reason. It could be the variety of food, since Crystal (I believe that is her) keeps Tapinoma sessile and she said one of the tricks is they need a large variety. But, not sure if you already do that.



#52 Offline Mdrogun - Posted April 7 2016 - 6:01 PM

Mdrogun

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 943 posts
  • LocationGainesville, FL

i would imagine it is some sort of bacteria or nutrient they are lacking that they can obtain in the wild. You should let them forage outside if you can drew.


Currently Keeping:
Trachymyrmex septentrionalis

Pheidole pilifera

Forelius sp. (Monogynous, bicolored) "Midwestern Forelius"
Crematogaster cerasi

Pheidole bicarinata

Aphaenogaster rudis

Camponotus chromaiodes

Formica sp. (microgena species)

Nylanderia cf. arenivega


#53 Offline dspdrew - Posted April 7 2016 - 6:46 PM

dspdrew
  • LocationSanta Ana, CA

Wonder why this species does incredibly well at first, but then rapidly dies off/stops producing brood. I know you probably give them plenty of food, and I doubt humidity/temperature is an issue.

 

Maybe they are like Argentine ants and Tapinoma sessile. Which do really well very early on, but then after a month or whatever, just die off and actually do bad for whatever reason. It could be the variety of food, since Crystal (I believe that is her) keeps Tapinoma sessile and she said one of the tricks is they need a large variety. But, not sure if you already do that.

 

This colony was found mature living under a rock. The majority of the colony died a while back when the nest dried out. I suspect the egg-laying queen might have died as well, or the whole event just ruined the colony in some other way.


  • Mettcollsuss likes this

#54 Offline Vendayn - Posted April 7 2016 - 6:49 PM

Vendayn

    Advanced Member

  • Banned
  • PipPipPip
  • 1,981 posts
  • LocationOrange County, California

i would imagine it is some sort of bacteria or nutrient they are lacking that they can obtain in the wild. You should let them forage outside if you can drew.

@Drew Ah yeah, that is how I found my two colonies I had. They were both nesting under rocks.

 

But as for the quoted post. Yeah, that is only thing I can think of as well is there is something lacking. They must rely on something in the wild that they aren't getting in the formicarium. And letting them forage outside still may not help, since I don't think Drew lives where they are naturally found. They'd likely just be killed by Argentine ants. :P

 

I'd also probably try and see what they bring back to their nests as food. When I saw them, they mostly brought back various insects, and some seed things. That bush that gets tons of red flowers, and then dries out in the Summer. Not sure what its called, but I see it all around. Pogonomyrmex really love them as well. But, I gave my old colony the same seeds that the wild ones were getting and they ignored them.

 

I also noticed the two times I dug up a nest, that they had...what looked to be some type of pillbug-like thing living in them. Maybe Silverfish, but it looked more round/oval shaped if I recall. But it was a long time ago, don't remember exact details now. They also had some type of small black beetle living with them. Not sure if there is some co-existence reliance with that, but both nests had both the beetles and Silverfish (guess that is what they were) things in it.


Edited by Vendayn, April 7 2016 - 6:49 PM.


#55 Offline dspdrew - Posted April 23 2016 - 9:21 PM

dspdrew
  • LocationSanta Ana, CA

Update 4-23-2016
 
The entire colony is dead now.



#56 Offline Vendayn - Posted April 23 2016 - 9:55 PM

Vendayn

    Advanced Member

  • Banned
  • PipPipPip
  • 1,981 posts
  • LocationOrange County, California

Had a feeling this was gonna happen. Too bad they died. :( Seems to be a common experience people have with this species.



#57 Offline LC3 - Posted April 23 2016 - 9:58 PM

LC3

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 1,323 posts
  • LocationBC, Canada

Pheidole hyatti

RIP

2015 - 2016

:boohoo:


  • dspdrew and Foogoo like this

#58 Offline dspdrew - Posted April 24 2016 - 12:11 AM

dspdrew
  • LocationSanta Ana, CA

Had a feeling this was gonna happen. Too bad they died. :( Seems to be a common experience people have with this species.

 

Well, my problems all started after I almost killed the whole colony by desiccation.



#59 Offline Foogoo - Posted April 24 2016 - 1:00 PM

Foogoo

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 1,161 posts
  • LocationLos Angeles, CA

Weird, I wonder if it's some pathogen. Other than a small die off before winter, my colony has and still is exploding with growth.


Camponotus vicinus, Crematogaster 1, Crematogaster 2, Formica francoeuri, *, *, Myrmecocystus testaceus, Novomessor cockerelli, Pheidole hyatti, Pogonomyrmex californicus, Pogonomyrmex rugosus, Solenopsis invicta


#60 Offline Leo - Posted March 29 2017 - 8:55 PM

Leo

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 1,508 posts
  • LocationHong Kong

what happened with the others?







Also tagged with one or more of these keywords: pheidole hyatti, dspdrew, journal, harvester ants, big-headed ants

0 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users