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Pheidole navigans


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#1 Offline BitT - Posted June 2 2020 - 2:37 PM

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blackants01.jpg

 

Genus: Pheidole
Species: navigans

Common Name:

 

Colony Stage: Fresh Queen with Nanitics.
Caught Date: 05-27-2020
Eggs: 05-30-2020
Larva:
Pupa:

Nanitics: 06-24-2020

Diet:

Special Needs:

 

Do they Sting or bite?:

Escape Artists?:

 

Queen or colony count: 3 Queens. 1 single tube queen died sadly. 2 queens in one test tube alive and well.

 

05-30-2020:

I noticed my single queen test tube had died. My two queen test tube in the beginning one queen seemed happy to stay with the other and would continuously caress/smell the other. Oddly though when I noticed they had eggs they seem to be keeping their eggs in separate piles. Is this a bad sign? Will they kill each other when the workers arrive? Should I try separating them before then or would that be too risky?

 

06-03-2020:

So they combined their egg piles. I'm told they aren't a poly species and with the piles together now I can't imagine how to separate them. I may just throw my arms up in the air and just see what happens. I just hope at least one survives if they decide to turn on each other when the workers arrive.

 

06-24-2020:

We have our first worker! I was thinking of trying to separate them before the workers arrived but it's a little late now. Still they are just so tiny I'm afraid of hurting them if I tried separating them. So, I guess I'll just have to wait and see if the workers start hurting the queens. I really hope not but I guess this is what I get for not researching the species better before trying to combine them. Any advice on what foods they may like best are welcome!

Pheidole Navigans first worker 6-24-2020.jpg

 

06-26-2020:

Question for the more experienced keepers of this species. When was it that your workers turned on the queens when you had multiple queens? I figure probably when their exoskeletons have hardened? So far I think I counted 8 workers, I think? Things seem to be peaceful in this moment in time. I didn't expect the workers to be so cute! With their big goofy heads and long antennae and tiny gasters. They're just all so little.

 

06-27-2020:

Still peaceful. They have a tiny outworld now where I put honey soaked in a piece of paper towel, a piece of a nut, and just added a tiny bit of a super worm I separated between my smaller colonies. Some of the workers just ventured out into it today. They're so tiny I don't really see them unless they are against the water cotton so I have to use a magnifying glass or my phone to observe them. lol There HAS to be an easier way to observe this tiny species! Suggestions?

 

06-28-2020:

The peace holds so far. More and more workers are braving the tiny "outworld" and are happily taking what they need from the bit of super worm. I figured I'll leave it until it dries out since there is plenty for these tiny gals. I'm hoping if I keep them in enough protein they won't turn on the double queens since that's what seemed to happen with one of my Invicta colonies. All the other double/triple queens were fine as long as I kept them in protein but the one I didn't give enough protein turned quickly on the second queen as a food source. I don't know if it'll work but I figured it's worth a try.

 

06-30-2020:

So I put two wingless fruit flies in for my navigans and the workers quickly took them to the Queens! The Queens promptly started to either help chop them up or eating them? Either way they were pretty excited about it. As you can see still peaceful so far. Fingers crossed!

 

07-03-2020:

So I have some bad news and some good news.

 

The bad news is that they finally turned on one of the queens. The good news? I was lucky enough to catch it before they did damage to her and they didn't attack the other queen.

So I stayed up late last night playing a game with friends since I had off work today and I had gotten up to potty my dog when I noticed there was a big dark blob near the entrance of the test tube. I took a closer look and realized it was one of the queens with workers surrounding her and trying to pull her apart. Luckily I had some outworld tubs prepared for when my other species got their workers so all I had to do is add the barrier. Then I hurriedly separated the test tube from it's mini outworld and used a q-tip to gently pull the attacked queen out. I then replaced the original test tube and placed the original setup back where I had them. I then carefully knocked off any lingering, stubborn workers and TRIED to replace them back in the original housing. They kept attacking the rescued queen so I didn't dare leave them with her. I'm sure I lost a worker or two during it all.

 

Once she was no longer being attacked the rescued queen went straight for the new test tube I gave her and settled in to clean herself. She looks like she is ok. The only thing I'm worried about is that she has no workers of her own and because of the tiny tube and the brood is kept at the very back I can't give her any older brood from the original nest. So she is on her own until she lays a fresh batch of eggs for herself. I'll try giving her a tiny drop of honey later to try and hold her over and hope she can catch up from the loss time.

 

My poor friend was like "what's wrong, are you ok"? lol I knew this was likely to happen since several people informed me that having two queens may end up with a nest war that could end up with both queens dead. But still it was an "Aaah! My queen!" moment. It was pretty lucky timing with work letting us have off Friday, I having been playing late with friends, and my dog telling me he wanted out at that time otherwise I'm certain that queen would be dead this morning. Still she has a long way to go if she is to survive this setback. I'll try to help her along to the best of my abilities but it's up to her when to lay. Better sooner than later so let's hope.

 

07-30-2020:

Yesterday was a big day for me. Not only did I notice my first impressa worker but I also noticed my first Major of my navigans! Sorry for the extra bad quality and sever shaking. I was a bit excited when I realized I had a big headed major and got more shaky than normal. Plus I might have been super tired after work. I really like this species despite being so tiny it's hard to observe.

 

 

02-15-2022:

Still thriving!

 

Link To My Journal Directory


Edited by BitT, February 15 2022 - 4:15 PM.

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#2 Offline TechAnt - Posted June 2 2020 - 6:07 PM

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Beautiful queen! Whenever they mix their egg piles, it’s a good sign they are fusing colonies, also Pheidole sp. are often polygonus, though some are not. You CAN try separating them it if you don’t feel comfortable, personally, I would wait a little longer to see if they fuse egg piles. Often, it seems ants that fuse colonies seem to keep their egg piles separate, and end up fusing them later. As I mentioned on your Pheidole Dentata, most / all Pheidole DO NOT STING, but they DO bite. Majors are the ones with the strongest bites, while workers have nearly unnoticeable bites (in general). But I have no experience with this species and I’m a beginner ant keeper, so don’t just take my word for it, other people on the forum will probably know better then I.

Edit: NOT ALL species of Pheidole are polygonus, I’m not sure if this species is or is not, some ARE monygnous.

Edited by TechAnt, June 2 2020 - 6:09 PM.

My Ants:
(x1) Campontous semitstaceus ~20 workers, 1 Queen
(x1) Camponotus vicinus ~10 workers, 1 Queen (all black variety)
(x1) Tetramorium immigrans ~100 workers, 1 Queen
(x1) Myrmercocystus mexicanus -1 Queen
(x2) Mymercocystus mimcus -1 Queen
(x1) Mymercocystus testaceus ~45 workers, 1 Queen

#3 Offline BitT - Posted June 2 2020 - 6:27 PM

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Beautiful queen! Whenever they mix their egg piles, it’s a good sign they are fusing colonies, also Pheidole sp. are often polygonus, though some are not. You CAN try separating them it if you don’t feel comfortable, personally, I would wait a little longer to see if they fuse egg piles. Often, it seems ants that fuse colonies seem to keep their egg piles separate, and end up fusing them later. As I mentioned on your Pheidole Dentata, most / all Pheidole DO NOT STING, but they DO bite. Majors are the ones with the strongest bites, while workers have nearly unnoticeable bites (in general). But I have no experience with this species and I’m a beginner ant keeper, so don’t just take my word for it, other people on the forum will probably know better then I.

Edit: NOT ALL species of Pheidole are polygonus, I’m not sure if this species is or is not, some ARE monygnous.

I know my Pheidole Megacephala are polygonus but I wasn't sure Pheidole Navigans were. I was running out of test tubes and thought I'd try combining two since I had a lone one already (though, as I said the single one died). I thought it a good sign when one seemed very interested in the other and seemed to be "affectionate" with the other kind of in the way workers are to a queen. The other queen though basically said a "hello" and lost interest in the other. Then with the separate piles it just worried me. But you're right, I have time before any workers arrive so maybe I'll wait a while and check on them later to see if they combine the piles further in their growth.



#4 Offline NickAnter - Posted June 2 2020 - 6:29 PM

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Pheidole navigans will, once they get workers, tear the queens to pieces.


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Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 


#5 Offline BitT - Posted June 2 2020 - 6:58 PM

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Pheidole navigans will, once they get workers, tear the queens to pieces.

Ouch, so they are not a poly species? Should I try separating them soon then? They are my only two so I'd like to get at least one to stay healthy.



#6 Offline NickAnter - Posted June 2 2020 - 7:04 PM

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I would keep them separate.


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Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 


#7 Offline BitT - Posted June 2 2020 - 7:10 PM

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NickAnter,

I'm guessing you've had experience with them before.

Then I'll try to separate them soon. Any advice in getting a queen to move who already has eggs without stressing her out too much?



#8 Offline Broncos - Posted June 3 2020 - 12:15 PM

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Nice! I have never had any luck with this species, but I hope you do!


Currently Keeping:

Pogonomyrmex Californicus Bicolor & Concolor

Pogonomyrmex Subnitidius

Camponotus Sansabeanus

Youtube:https://www.youtube....-ants-tutorials


#9 Offline BitT - Posted June 3 2020 - 1:13 PM

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Nice! I have never had any luck with this species, but I hope you do!

Thanks! I'll try but they're the tiniest I currently have but most definitely not the most stubborn so far!


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#10 Offline BitT - Posted June 24 2020 - 2:29 PM

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Our first worker!


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#11 Offline BitT - Posted July 3 2020 - 3:25 PM

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So I have some bad news and some good news.



#12 Offline BitT - Posted July 30 2020 - 5:38 PM

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Is that our first major?!



#13 Offline Antkid12 - Posted July 31 2020 - 2:56 AM

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Yes it is!  (y)


Ants I have: Tapinoma sessile(2 queen colony). RED MORPH Camponotus neacticus(now has pupae!), Tetramorium immigrans (x3), Aphaenogaster sp, Temnothorax sp, Brachymyrmex sp.   possibly infertile   :(,  Ponera pennsylvanica, and Pheidole morrisi!  :yahoo: 

 

Other insects: Polistes sp. Queen

                    

Ants I need: Pheidole sp., Trachymyrmex sp., Crematogaster cerasi , Dorymyrmex sp. Most wanted: Pheidole morrisii

 

                    

                   

 

 





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