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#21 Offline Mettcollsuss - Posted December 3 2017 - 4:57 AM

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Okay, I changed my mind. I am going to keep this colony, but also going to do the experiment. I'll keep two T. immigrans colonies and compare them.



#22 Offline Mettcollsuss - Posted January 4 2018 - 5:49 AM

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    Okay, so I forgot to update this journal for a while. I tried to put them in hibernation, but they remained active. Their test tube was super dirty, so I moved them into an AntsAustralia Acrylic Nest. I attached a small outworld with a thin layer of grout at the bottom to the nest. I placed in a small liquid feeder with sugar-water into the outworld. They decided to use it as a hydration source and moved into the outworld. I then removed the feeder and added extra water to the nest and they moved back. So apparently they like it super humid.

 Here's some photos of them in their acrylic nest. The larger workers in the photo are the ones from the brood boost.

med_gallery_1963_974_78716.jpgmed_gallery_1963_974_194710.jpg


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#23 Offline Mettcollsuss - Posted January 13 2018 - 4:10 AM

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Okay, so the colony went through a bit of a crisis. Long story short, they are now half their original size and in a test tube.



#24 Offline Mettcollsuss - Posted January 17 2018 - 4:53 AM

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I just checked on them. They are doing alright. There are a few new eggs. I offered them half a mealworm and the accepted it. They are recovering well.



#25 Offline Mettcollsuss - Posted January 22 2018 - 6:12 PM

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The colony is now fully recovered. They are eating well and acting as if nothing ever happened.


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#26 Offline Mettcollsuss - Posted January 25 2018 - 5:37 AM

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They now have a pile of about 50 brood, divided equally between eggs, larvae, and pupae.


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#27 Offline Diesel - Posted January 25 2018 - 7:41 AM

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My Tapinoma Sessile colony is the same way. i took them out of their old setup and into a new one. the old setup had alot of humidity and the egg #s exploded in their new setup I'm under the impression they've eaten some :(. i may move them back.


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Ant Species kept

 

Temnothorax Longispinosus.-Journal(discontinued)-(formerly)

Camponotus Noveboracensis (formerly)

Camponotus Nearticus-formerly

Tetramorium sp.-formerly

​Camponotus Pennsylvanicus Queen & brood.-formerly

Tapinoma Sessile-Journal (3 queen colony)-formerly

​Tapinoma  Sessile #2 (2 queen colony)-formerly

Aphaenogaster Picea-Journal-active

Crematogaster sp.(Cerasi or Lineolata) Queen with 3 workers and brood-formerly

​Crematogaster sp. #2 (Cerasi or Lineolata) Queen with brood-formerly

Formica sp. polygenus-active 300+ workers-active

Formica Subsericea-active 25+ workers-active

Myrmica Rubra 400+ workers 3 queens-active


#28 Offline Mettcollsuss - Posted January 25 2018 - 3:05 PM

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Ant eggs can explode?!   :o


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#29 Offline TennesseeAnts - Posted January 25 2018 - 4:48 PM

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I think he means exploded in growth.:D
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#30 Offline Mettcollsuss - Posted January 25 2018 - 5:02 PM

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I think he means exploded in growth. :D

oh.

 

I feel silly now.



#31 Offline TennesseeAnts - Posted January 25 2018 - 5:03 PM

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It's alright. It's human to make mistakes.:)
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#32 Offline TennesseeAnts - Posted January 25 2018 - 5:05 PM

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.

Edited by Ant_Dude2908, January 25 2018 - 5:05 PM.


#33 Offline Mettcollsuss - Posted February 1 2018 - 4:31 AM

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The test tube is getting pretty dirty. I'm attempting to move them. I got the best photos I could with all the dirt in the tube.

 

med_gallery_1963_974_68754.jpg med_gallery_1963_974_10292.jpg

 

med_gallery_1963_974_114512.jpg med_gallery_1963_974_153358.jpg



#34 Offline Mettcollsuss - Posted February 7 2018 - 5:40 AM

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I finally got them to move the other day. Because they had been taped to another tube for a week, I hadn't been able to feed them. I gave them a drop of sugar water, which they loved.

 

I gave them a fruit fly for the first time today. They ignored it when presented alive, even when it walked right over their brood pile. Once I crushed it, though, they devoured it.



#35 Offline Mettcollsuss - Posted February 13 2018 - 4:49 PM

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Most of the brood is pupae now, and about 90% of these pupae are really close to eclosing. I'm expecting a population boom any day now.



#36 Offline Mettcollsuss - Posted February 16 2018 - 6:28 PM

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Photo update! 

The queen isn't visible in the photos because she's hiding under the brood pile and a bit of protruding cotton.

 

med_gallery_1963_974_127965.jpg med_gallery_1963_974_5062.jpg

 

med_gallery_1963_974_4188.jpg med_gallery_1963_974_62160.jpg 

 

med_gallery_1963_974_121370.jpg

 

med_gallery_1963_974_37152.jpg

 

med_gallery_1963_974_13821.jpg

 

med_gallery_1963_974_168734.jpg


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#37 Offline TennesseeAnts - Posted February 16 2018 - 7:33 PM

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Why are some of your workers so large?

#38 Offline Mettcollsuss - Posted February 17 2018 - 4:18 AM

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I boosted my colony with some pupae from an established wild colony.



#39 Offline TennesseeAnts - Posted February 23 2018 - 8:28 AM

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I did that with my colony too!


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#40 Offline Mettcollsuss - Posted March 5 2018 - 6:36 AM

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They had a small population boom a couple days ago. I attached their tube to one of drew's dirt shacks. They've been using it as an outworld for a few days, but recently started digging. I placed in a honey water feeder. With the constant supply of sugar, the queen's gaster is a lot bigger than usual and she seems healthier. I also gave them their first darkling beetle (adult stage of a mealworm), which they loved. I also gave them some chocolate, which was a hit.







Also tagged with one or more of these keywords: tetramorium, journal, tetramorium immigrans, pavement ant, mettcollsuss, ants, ant keeping, ant-keeping, tetramorium spp., tetramorium caespitum group, tetramorium caespitum complex, caespitum group, caespitum complex, caespitum/impurum complex, caespitum/impurum group, anting, pleometrosis, pleometroic founding, founding, queens

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