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

Strangest ant war/welcoming party/mating flight ever!

pheidole hawaiiant hawaii tha formicarium new workers

  • Please log in to reply
5 replies to this topic

#1 Offline Connectimyrmex - Posted January 20 2017 - 6:21 PM

Connectimyrmex

    Advanced Member

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

Hi.

Today I was able to get more workers from the original colony that I caught my queen from. I've done this before, and that's how I was able to reach about 30 workers so fast. I used an old method of mine (find a foraging tube, use a plastic bag to scrape the dirt into a ziplock bag) and I got maybe 20 or so new workers (maybe 3 soldiers, 15 minors, and 1 male alate? I couldn't count). I refrigerated them (and the dirt they came in) and poured that into the outworld of my Pheidole colony. First, all of the resident pheidole poured out of the nest. That had never happened before, so I was worried. The newly caught majors went berserk and one major started attacking a minor (which was one of the minors from the newly caught nest). They all were running around for quite a while. Eventually, all the minors went into the nest, even the newly caught ones. The majors and the alate were still in the outworld. Eventually, for some reason, the minors pushed the queen out. The majors went and started to guard the queen, and the workers pushed the male alate to the queen. I don't know if the workers were trying to get the queen to mate, but the male broke free and ran into the nest. Then all of the workers (and queen) went back into the brood chamber and there were no ants in the outworld. Well, almost none. They had left a callow out. The callow is just sitting there. I wonder if its trying to harden its exoskeleton.

Sadly, the male alate died. I don't know why.

Has this ever happened to any of you guys?


  • Martialis, Serafine and antgenius123 like this
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

#2 Offline Serafine - Posted January 21 2017 - 4:19 AM

Serafine

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 1,782 posts
  • LocationGermany
This is awesome and hilarious at the same time. I hope they grow together well.
  • LC3, Martialis and Shareallicu like this

We should respect all forms of consciousness. The body is just a vessel, a mere hull.

Welcome to Lazy Tube - My Camponotus Journal


#3 Offline antgenius123 - Posted January 21 2017 - 4:21 AM

antgenius123

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 218 posts

Wow that's pretty interesting. Maybe if you try it with another species something totally different could happen.


 
Currently own:
(1x) Camponotus Sp.
(1x) Pheidole aurivillii (?)
(1x) Monomorium Sp. (?)

Other

#4 Offline Connectimyrmex - Posted January 23 2017 - 6:45 PM

Connectimyrmex

    Advanced Member

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

Thanks for all the positive feedback! :)

 

I tried that again with more pheidole (and some brood) and that didn't happen. The minors just ran in with the brood and the majors started attacking a springtail that hitchhiked in the bag.


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

#5 Offline Shareallicu - Posted January 28 2017 - 6:58 PM

Shareallicu

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 202 posts

That's very interesting!  How much time went by between the two collections?  I always wondered if they would remember other members of the colony if they were collected at two different times.Thanks for sharing



#6 Offline Connectimyrmex - Posted January 29 2017 - 3:09 PM

Connectimyrmex

    Advanced Member

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

The collections were about four months apart.


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





Also tagged with one or more of these keywords: pheidole, hawaiiant, hawaii, tha formicarium, new workers

0 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users