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

Acorn Ants


  • Please log in to reply
14 replies to this topic

#1 Offline AntsMaryland - Posted August 16 2017 - 3:29 PM

AntsMaryland

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 543 posts
  • LocationMaryland

Hi,

I caught an acorn! :D

 

I got a Temnothrax colony that is in an acorn. I broke the acorn so they are on the splintered pieces of the acorn. They are in a disposable container with fluon barrier. I have a testube set up on the side in hopes they will move in. How do I get them all to move into the testube set-up? Is it possible? Their are 2 queens in the acorn that I can see.


Aphaenogaster cf. rudis 

Tetramorium immigrans 

Tapinoma sessile

Formica subsericea

Pheidole sp.

Camponotus nearcticus


#2 Offline FeedTheAnts - Posted August 16 2017 - 3:49 PM

FeedTheAnts

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 1,238 posts
  • LocationVirginia

Whenever I need to move ants from a bucket to a tube then first I'll take as many of the large pieces of dirt(or wood sometimes, and in your case acorn pieces) out of the bucket and then corral the queen into the tube. After some time then the workers will find the queen in the tube and having nowhere else to move, they will move into the tube.


I accidentally froze all my ants 


#3 Offline AntsMaryland - Posted August 16 2017 - 4:08 PM

AntsMaryland

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 543 posts
  • LocationMaryland

ok, I put a toilet paper roll over the testube to make it dark. If I keep a bright non heated light on the chunks of acorns, would that work? Thanks


Aphaenogaster cf. rudis 

Tetramorium immigrans 

Tapinoma sessile

Formica subsericea

Pheidole sp.

Camponotus nearcticus


#4 Offline Evanthomas89 - Posted August 16 2017 - 4:39 PM

Evanthomas89

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 145 posts
  • LocationHowell, NJ

In order for my acorn ants to move into a test tube I had to put a piece of foil over the entrance to the test tube. 

 

Test Tube Entrance

  • T.C. likes this

Check out my Youtube


#5 Offline AntsMaryland - Posted August 16 2017 - 5:05 PM

AntsMaryland

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 543 posts
  • LocationMaryland

ok Ill try that. If I just do that without the light will they eventually move in?


Aphaenogaster cf. rudis 

Tetramorium immigrans 

Tapinoma sessile

Formica subsericea

Pheidole sp.

Camponotus nearcticus


#6 Offline Evanthomas89 - Posted August 17 2017 - 4:11 AM

Evanthomas89

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 145 posts
  • LocationHowell, NJ

ok Ill try that. If I just do that without the light will they eventually move in?

 

What I did was continued to feed them in the outworld like normal with the acorn in it for a few weeks actually slowly picking off some acorn once a week so I didn't stress them to much, then MrILoveTheAnts told me they need to feel more secure in the test tube and to achieve that I needed to cover the end of the tube with the foil and then crack open their acorn so the hole in the foil was smaller and more easily defended than the acorn. I don't have any experience taking in wild colonies other than this one but this one seems successful and I think it's because I took it really slow with them. I didn't even get to see the queen until I had them for a month. 


Check out my Youtube


#7 Offline AntsMaryland - Posted August 17 2017 - 5:19 PM

AntsMaryland

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 543 posts
  • LocationMaryland

ok thanks


Aphaenogaster cf. rudis 

Tetramorium immigrans 

Tapinoma sessile

Formica subsericea

Pheidole sp.

Camponotus nearcticus


#8 Offline AntsMaryland - Posted August 18 2017 - 4:45 PM

AntsMaryland

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 543 posts
  • LocationMaryland

So they are all moved into a testube. There about 100 workers and a bunch of brood. How many workers can these colonies get (there are four queens)?


Aphaenogaster cf. rudis 

Tetramorium immigrans 

Tapinoma sessile

Formica subsericea

Pheidole sp.

Camponotus nearcticus


#9 Offline Bryansant - Posted August 24 2017 - 8:38 AM

Bryansant

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 52 posts
  • LocationAustin, TX
Maybe different in captivity but "Colony populations are usually quite small, often with less than 100 workers. However, several studies have found colonies of some species to be widely dispersed with several to many satellite nests" per Wikipedia. Keeping in mind that there are more than 350 species in Temnothorax and that multiple other genera have been found in acorns.

#10 Offline Bryansant - Posted August 24 2017 - 8:41 AM

Bryansant

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 52 posts
  • LocationAustin, TX
"I’ve found Temnothorax, Myrmica, Pyramica, Pachycondyla, Aphaenogaster, and Lasius, all huddled up in acorns," from this Alex Wild post: http://www.myrmecos....-of-acorn-ants/
(2nd to last comment in the comments section).
  • FeedTheAnts likes this

#11 Offline AntsMaryland - Posted August 24 2017 - 9:45 AM

AntsMaryland

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 543 posts
  • LocationMaryland

Update: My acorn ant colony move into the testube a while ago. There are four queens and a lot of eggs and larvae. Yay. All the pupae that they moved in with has already hatched. They eat fairly well but I always think of them as the "cats" of the ant world. They tend to graze on honey and mealworm juices for short but frequent amounts of time. I change the honey and mealworm parts 3 times a week to prevent any mold.


Aphaenogaster cf. rudis 

Tetramorium immigrans 

Tapinoma sessile

Formica subsericea

Pheidole sp.

Camponotus nearcticus


#12 Offline Connectimyrmex - Posted August 24 2017 - 9:56 AM

Connectimyrmex

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 1,864 posts
  • LocationAvon, Connecticut

Nice! I just caught a Temnothorax (longispinosus) colony as well! I've noticed that they like tiny nests, even to the extent that all of the workers are packed together (I use favor vials as nesting habitats for Temnothorax)


Hawaiiant (Ben)

Keeper of
Miniature Labradoodle
Baby Wolf Spider
Mud Dauber wasp larvae
Ochetellus Glaber
Solenopsis Geminata
Brachymyrmex Obscurior
Cardiocondyla Emeryi
Tetramorium Bicarinatum
Plagiolepis Alluaudi
Anoplolepis Gracilipes
Technomyrmex Difficilis
Pheidole Megacephala
Aholehole fish
Cowrie snail
Sea Fan Worm
100+ sea squirts
Tree seedlings
Ghost Crab
Day Gecko
Small Fat Centipede
Endemic Lacewing larva
Vernal Pool shrimps

#13 Offline AntsMaryland - Posted August 24 2017 - 12:13 PM

AntsMaryland

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 543 posts
  • LocationMaryland

For me, I just take a normal test tube set-up and stuff the inside lightly with cotton and they love it.


Edited by AntsMaryland, August 24 2017 - 12:14 PM.

Aphaenogaster cf. rudis 

Tetramorium immigrans 

Tapinoma sessile

Formica subsericea

Pheidole sp.

Camponotus nearcticus


#14 Offline Connectimyrmex - Posted August 24 2017 - 3:04 PM

Connectimyrmex

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 1,864 posts
  • LocationAvon, Connecticut

That's a good method. Acorns inhabited by Temnothorax often are filled with shredded acorn flesh (from the previous inhabitants[weevils]). Cotton is quite similar to it.


Hawaiiant (Ben)

Keeper of
Miniature Labradoodle
Baby Wolf Spider
Mud Dauber wasp larvae
Ochetellus Glaber
Solenopsis Geminata
Brachymyrmex Obscurior
Cardiocondyla Emeryi
Tetramorium Bicarinatum
Plagiolepis Alluaudi
Anoplolepis Gracilipes
Technomyrmex Difficilis
Pheidole Megacephala
Aholehole fish
Cowrie snail
Sea Fan Worm
100+ sea squirts
Tree seedlings
Ghost Crab
Day Gecko
Small Fat Centipede
Endemic Lacewing larva
Vernal Pool shrimps

#15 Offline AntsMaryland - Posted August 25 2017 - 4:10 AM

AntsMaryland

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 543 posts
  • LocationMaryland

Yep, as far as I can tell they are thriving. They pull apart the cotton and create chambers. It works well.


Aphaenogaster cf. rudis 

Tetramorium immigrans 

Tapinoma sessile

Formica subsericea

Pheidole sp.

Camponotus nearcticus





1 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 1 guests, 0 anonymous users