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Most sucessful colonies/queens


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36 replies to this topic

#1 Offline Antkeeper01 - Posted July 6 2021 - 6:43 AM

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I'm making this to list your most sucessful colonies/queens(and to test a theory of ANTdrews)


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1X Pogonomyrmex occidentalis 40-50 Workers

1X Solenopsis molesta 10 Workers (mono)

Ants I Want: Crematogaster sp, Camponotus Sp., Ponera Pennsylvanica, Mymercocystus sp.

 

My Youtube channel: https://www.youtube....kUjx-dPFMyVqOLw

 

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#2 Offline Skwiggledork - Posted July 6 2021 - 7:08 AM

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I had a Tetramorium immigrans colony get to a couple hundred workers and was going strong before I made a mistake and killed it.

My Camponotus colonies are going strong.

I've got a Lasius colony that should have died forever ago, but it somehow still here. Going on 3 years and has less than 30 workers still.


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#3 Offline PetsNotPests - Posted July 6 2021 - 7:43 AM

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Yessss! Finally a thread on something positive for a change. I can't wait to read the responses on this. 


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Ants are Pets, not Pests. 

 

-Camponotus sansabeanus

-Camponotus US-CA02

-Camponotus vicinus

-Formica podzolica

-Monomorium spp.

-Pogonomyrmex californicus

-Solenopsis spp. 

 


#4 Offline ConcordAntman - Posted July 6 2021 - 8:12 AM

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Camponotus pennsylvanicus 150+ workers and growing, founded 5/2018

Purchased Camponotus americanus 16 workers with an active brood pile of eggs & larvae founded, spring 2017

 

What’s the theory being tested? Oh, never mind, I see.  :rolleyes:


Edited by ConcordAntman, July 6 2021 - 8:19 AM.

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#5 Offline Antkeeper01 - Posted July 6 2021 - 8:18 AM

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look at the worst queen/colony deaths topic https://www.formicul...e-3#entry192793


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1X Pogonomyrmex occidentalis 40-50 Workers

1X Solenopsis molesta 10 Workers (mono)

Ants I Want: Crematogaster sp, Camponotus Sp., Ponera Pennsylvanica, Mymercocystus sp.

 

My Youtube channel: https://www.youtube....kUjx-dPFMyVqOLw

 

 Join Our Fledgling Discord Server https://discord.com/...089056687423489


#6 Offline ConcordAntman - Posted July 6 2021 - 8:37 AM

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I'd sure hate to prove ANTDrew wrong but with worldwide membership you’d think there should be at least 5 ant keepers on the forum with successful colonies that’d want to brag a bit :unknown:


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#7 Offline DDD101DDD - Posted July 6 2021 - 8:42 AM

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What are we considering as successful?


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He travels, he seeks the p a r m e s a n.


#8 Offline Manitobant - Posted July 6 2021 - 8:50 AM

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I have a polyergus Mexicanus colony that i raised from a queen and now has biological workers.
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#9 Offline Canadian anter - Posted July 6 2021 - 9:48 AM

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I have 2 colonies of Pogonomyrmex in their hundreds, and a colony of Formica bradleyi which is going back up after a huge die off from 300 or so

 

I also have a Formica montana going strong at around 500, an Aphaenogaster tennesseensis at a couple dozen, and a Lasius brevicornis at a a hundred or so.

 

I'm only posting to prove AntDREW wrong


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Visit us at www.canada-ant-colony.com !

#10 Offline ConcordAntman - Posted July 6 2021 - 9:48 AM

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What are we considering as successful?

:thinking: I can’t speak for Antkeeper01 but what about surviving one season with active foraging, larvae and pupae for the start of the colony’s second year?


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#11 Offline ConcordAntman - Posted July 6 2021 - 9:52 AM

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I have 2 colonies of Pogonomyrmex in their hundreds, and a colony of Formica bradleyi which is going back up after a huge die off from 300 or so

 

I also have a Formica montana going strong at around 500, an Aphaenogaster tennesseensis at a couple dozen, and a Lasius brevicornis at a a hundred or so.

 

I'm only posting to prove AntDREW wrong

Hey, don’t be too harsh now ;)  but that’s what I’m talking about. Antkeepers with some pride in their work! :D  


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#12 Offline to_be_announced - Posted July 6 2021 - 9:55 AM

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I have a Tetramorium colony of 100+ and going strong.  I'm actually selling this colony.

 

I also have a Camponotus pennsylvanicus colony of 20+ doing quite well.

 

I have a prenolepis imparis queen that I caught this spring that has 5+ workers now.  Doesn't fit the "surviving one season" that ConcordAntman mentioned, but I included it since it seems to be doing well.


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Currently keeping Tetramorium Immigrans and Camponotus Pennsylvanicus in THA mini hearths.  I also have a couple Prenolepis Imparus queens in test tubes.


#13 Offline DDD101DDD - Posted July 6 2021 - 10:06 AM

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What are we considering as successful?

:thinking: I can’t speak for Antkeeper01 but what about surviving one season with active foraging, larvae and pupae for the start of the colony’s second year?

 

Ah, ok. In my case I have a Campontous pennsylvannicus colony with about 250 workers, founded in 2019 and a Lasius neoniger colony with about 500 workers, the queen was caught in 2019 but got her first workers in 2020.


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He travels, he seeks the p a r m e s a n.


#14 Offline NickAnter - Posted July 6 2021 - 10:13 AM

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My polygynous Lasius americanus colony is at over 200 workers, my Pheidole navigans colony is around 500 workers, and my Nylanderia vividula colony at over 400 workers.

 

None of those have shown any sign of slowing down, have decent amounts of brood, and over 100 workers. Those are generally my criteria for a successful colony, unless the species rarely gets over 100 workers.


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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). 


#15 Offline ANTdrew - Posted July 6 2021 - 10:32 AM

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I stand corrected.
Here are mine:
Crematogaster cerasi 8k+ workers, queen alates
https://www.formicul...-divas-journal/

Pheidole bicarinata at least 2k workers, queen pupae
https://www.formicul...-the-phatheads/

Nylanderia vividula 1,200 workers, more than 30 queen alates.

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Edited by ANTdrew, July 6 2021 - 10:40 AM.

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"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#16 Offline Antkeeper01 - Posted July 6 2021 - 1:07 PM

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i proved him wrong! hehe


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1X Pogonomyrmex occidentalis 40-50 Workers

1X Solenopsis molesta 10 Workers (mono)

Ants I Want: Crematogaster sp, Camponotus Sp., Ponera Pennsylvanica, Mymercocystus sp.

 

My Youtube channel: https://www.youtube....kUjx-dPFMyVqOLw

 

 Join Our Fledgling Discord Server https://discord.com/...089056687423489


#17 Offline DDD101DDD - Posted July 6 2021 - 3:38 PM

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Honestly though, it's a little weird in my opinion how few large colonies there are with alates. Off the top of my head, I can think of maybe 3-5 people on this forum with large mature colonies. A lot of people seem to leave after about a year or 2 too, judging from all the journals that were started and never updated past a few months or years. In discord too, many people are active for about a year and then disappear randomly.


Edited by DDD101DDD, July 6 2021 - 3:38 PM.

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He travels, he seeks the p a r m e s a n.


#18 Offline ANTdrew - Posted July 6 2021 - 3:42 PM

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Honestly though, it's a little weird in my opinion how few large colonies there are with alates. Off the top of my head, I can think of maybe 3-5 people on this forum with large mature colonies. A lot of people seem to leave after about a year or 2 too, judging from all the journals that were started and never updated past a few months or years. In discord too, many people are active for about a year and then disappear randomly.

That’s exactly why I made that comment on the other colony death thread.
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"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#19 Offline ConcordAntman - Posted July 6 2021 - 4:36 PM

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Honestly though, it's a little weird in my opinion how few large colonies there are with alates. Off the top of my head, I can think of maybe 3-5 people on this forum with large mature colonies. A lot of people seem to leave after about a year or 2 too, judging from all the journals that were started and never updated past a few months or years. In discord too, many people are active for about a year and then disappear randomly.

I hear ya! It takes a fair chunk of time to care for our colonies. Some may think, ants, how hard can it be, only to get discouraged when tending issues arise and casualties occur. 
As for alates, my smallest colony had one alate probably from an unfertilized egg but isn’t it unlikely for any of our colonies to replicate the conditions necessary to foster alates?


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#20 Offline cocdeshijie - Posted July 6 2021 - 4:39 PM

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Myrmecocystus mexicanus

Queen from August of 2020, now 500+ workers

1043f298119e1.png

 

510df9c8ede07.png

 

fbccc3a805fdd.png


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誰でも大好き!well.....except a few

 

cocdeshijie’s Formicarium Guides: https://cocdeshijie....cfe2df393b517f7

Ants API: https://ants-api.qwq.xyz/





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