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OiledOlives' Aphaenogaster Journal

aphaenogaster lamellidens aphaenogaster treatae aphaenogaster picea

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18 replies to this topic

#1 Offline OiledOlives - Posted November 3 2022 - 9:13 AM

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I am separating my Aphaenogaster from my main journal here

 

My Aphaenogaster ashmeadi will not be updated here. That journal is linked here

 

Aphaeogaster is my favorite native genus. A. rudis was my first "real" colony and I really enjoyed keeping them. I've only kept 7 out of the 12 species in Virginia: Aphaenogaster rudis, Aphaenogaster picea, Aphaenogaster N22b, Aphaenogaster fulva, Aphaenogaster lamellidens, Aphaenogaster ashmeadi, and Aphaenogaster tennesseensis. This journal will document my experiences with Aphaenogaster lamellidens, Aphaenogaster tennesseensis, and Aphaenogaster picea.

Aphaenogaster lamellidens
I bought this colony from another antkeeper in mid-July. The colony originally had 6 workers but has grown a lot since then.
July 21, 2022
post-5636-0-27372300-1658436184.jpg

I boosted this colony with A. fulva brood in mid-August.

 

August 30, 2022

554d461ce3e1c5c953299deb93dc7a02.jpg

September 21, 202220f1baadd8438d33be9e0bd223206731.jpg

 

As of 11/3/22, this colony is around 70 workers.


A. tennnesseensis
I bought a colony from Tbone in early July. They were at around 40 workers and I boosted the colony on 7/10/22 with A. fulva brood.
6/21/22

post-5636-0-70859700-1658436147.jpg

8/30/22d99f2d500941a2ab906841ab72b00699.jpg

10/20/22

9bed12efc1ba83ec7459f3ed1b984142.jpgb576aeaeadeadcdad394b25e73cb2326.jpg


Edited by OiledOlives, April 23 2023 - 8:36 AM.

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#2 Offline Ant-nig321 - Posted November 4 2022 - 12:14 PM

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Nice colony keep updating

#3 Offline JaydenScheepers - Posted November 6 2022 - 10:21 PM

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Interesting genus, queen looks smaller than the workers.

#4 Offline OiledOlives - Posted November 7 2022 - 6:03 AM

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Interesting genus, queen looks smaller than the workers.

A. tennesseensis is the only species where the queen is smaller than the workers, as they are temporary parasites. A10 and A. mariae are the only two species of Aphaenogaster in the world which practice temporary parasitism to my knowledge.



#5 Offline OiledOlives - Posted November 14 2022 - 7:59 AM

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w8uwK-0H_ITZFRgPb_x9v0TDPJBekrdRi9v2iJJ6

ADDvDK1ugRt1UW2ja5bpPBGDa8vy7W3xfkJYwrXD

PPef58EcQyl4f5dRBlNM4WpOiBhZ4JY7YA_UlVcF

igRtGxhsKmxM8bFGH14nsgmh6uuSxW4GLrlCv9eT

 



#6 Offline OiledOlives - Posted January 23 2023 - 7:21 AM

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The Aphaenogaster tennesseensis are starting to slow down. I have moved the heating cable further away and will diapause them in a cold room for around 1-2 months soon.

I moved the Aphaenogaster lamellidens into a minihearth attached to a larger outworld. They are very voracious and take quite a bit of food for their size.
646a41f33817fdeabe2e93f4a1dcbfe2.jpge8c872424c73db57eb6e57cc89dee5d2.jpg

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#7 Offline OiledOlives - Posted February 6 2023 - 6:30 PM

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Some angry Aphaenogaster tennesseensis workers on their liquid feeder
More Aphaenogaster tennesseensis workers on liquid feeder.JPG
Angry Aphaenogaster tennesseensis workers.JPG
Aphaenogaster tennesseensis workers on byFormica liquid feeder.JPG

Aphaenogaster lamellidens and fulva
Aphaenogaster lamellidens and fulva.JPG
Aphaenogaster lamellidens worker.JPG

The lamellidens are easily the fastest growing Aphaenogaster that I've ever kept. In less than 8 months, the colony has gone from 6 workers to well over 120.


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#8 Offline ANTdrew - Posted February 6 2023 - 6:44 PM

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Any tips for finding lamellidans queens?
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#9 Offline sANTa - Posted February 9 2023 - 7:37 AM

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Any tips for finding lamellidans queens?

I recommend using a black light in the morning, also single queens are usually common under rocks in late spring.


HoHoHo 


#10 Offline OiledOlives - Posted February 10 2023 - 5:50 PM

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Any tips for finding lamellidans queens?

I've never found queens in the wild but they are extremely common under rocks and wood in the deep South.



#11 Offline OiledOlives - Posted April 22 2023 - 2:49 PM

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I moved the lamellidens into a new nest. They are growing quite rapidly.

I moved a new A. fulva colony that I caught into their old nest. Usually I don't keep fulva but the queen had much brighter colors that I am used to so I will be keeping these.
53d310d20a59f1b51c8c9e28c094fef2.jpg85f11d6b2a3d787d57110c564c931943.jpg9cca4cbd2582ade0f005b08ac6357307.jpg2964e9c10d1fbb8d18218a481e4254ee.jpg

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#12 Offline OiledOlives - Posted April 23 2023 - 9:51 AM

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some more lamellidens pictures

Attached Images

  • Aphaenogaster lamellidens orewr eat emawomr.jpg
  • Aphaenogaster lamellidens.jpg
  • Aphaenogaster lamellidens s.jpg
  • Aphaenogaster lamellidens eating mealworm.jpg
  • Aphaenogaster lamellidens fsda.jpg

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#13 Offline OiledOlives - Posted September 11 2023 - 4:51 AM

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This is a picture I took of my lamellidens yesterday. They currently have around 30 female alate larvae and some alate pupae, some of which will eclose tomorrow.e2ecfd9e686e4eaafe7e8726507c18ce.jpg

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#14 Offline Jonathan5608 - Posted September 11 2023 - 8:04 AM

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This is a picture I took of my lamellidens yesterday. They currently have around 30 female alate larvae and some alate pupae, some of which will eclose tomorrow.e2ecfd9e686e4eaafe7e8726507c18ce.jpg

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Nice lookin ants

#15 Offline OiledOlives - Posted September 13 2023 - 12:16 PM

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First alate emerged, 20+ left to come out

They also climbed out of their outworld and murdered one of my bureni colonies54a091da70d3b8b8157e404c9f943f1c.jpgdfda3aaa61037bf315d9b8178d6cb6e2.jpg004f52dc86f51b6011e548d8e4c399b1.jpg

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#16 Offline OiledOlives - Posted October 22 2023 - 1:48 PM

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Aphaenogaster floridana (all of these pictures are from 9/10 and the floridana have grown quite a bit since then)
Aphaenogaster floridana 5 (best).jpg

Aphaenogaster treatae
Aphaenogaster treatae 2 (better).jpg

Aphaenogaster tennesseensis
Aphaenogaster tennesseensis 4.jpg
with a rostrata worker
Rostrata with tennnesseensis 3.jpg


Edited by OiledOlives, October 22 2023 - 1:48 PM.

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#17 Offline Virginian_ants - Posted October 22 2023 - 2:37 PM

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Do they coexist? I might try that.

#18 Offline ANTdrew - Posted October 22 2023 - 4:10 PM

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Nice! Where did you get the treatae?
"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 OiledOlives - Posted October 22 2023 - 4:53 PM

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For the S. rostrata, it was just a random worker that I put in there. No idea where it is now.

The treatae are from LI and I got them from someone else as a queen with some brood.


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