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ANTdrew's Crematogaster Divas Journal -Reboot!
Started By
ANTdrew
, Oct 20 2018 5:49 PM
antdrew crematogaster journal divas
735 replies to this topic
#721
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Posted July 5 2025 - 2:58 PM
RushmoreAnts
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- ANTdrew likes this
"God made..... all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds (including ants). And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:25 NIV version
Keeping:
Tetramorium immigrans Camponotus vicinus, modoc, novaeboracensis, herculeanus
Formica pallidefulva, argentea Solenopsis molesta
Formica cf. aserva Lasius brevicornis, neoniger
#722
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Posted July 14 2025 - 4:23 PM
ANTdrew
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Update 7-14-2025
After a lot of grief and headaches, I’ve learned that talcohol barriers are really the only way to contain Crematogaster cerasi. Barriers do get worn away, though, as ants test them all day everyday. This happened with a ring of talc I put on the escape proof lip in my mega-outworld last week, which allowed workers to surpass the lip. They still couldn’t escape out of the lid, though. Luckily, talcohol is extremely easy to reapply, so I quickly fixed the issue before it got out of hand. A few unlucky workers died a drunken death in the process, however, when they got caught up in the paintbrush I was using to reapply.
Here is what the new barrier looks like:
Consider it the first obstacle in the American Ninja Ant Warrior course.
After a lot of grief and headaches, I’ve learned that talcohol barriers are really the only way to contain Crematogaster cerasi. Barriers do get worn away, though, as ants test them all day everyday. This happened with a ring of talc I put on the escape proof lip in my mega-outworld last week, which allowed workers to surpass the lip. They still couldn’t escape out of the lid, though. Luckily, talcohol is extremely easy to reapply, so I quickly fixed the issue before it got out of hand. A few unlucky workers died a drunken death in the process, however, when they got caught up in the paintbrush I was using to reapply.
Here is what the new barrier looks like:
Consider it the first obstacle in the American Ninja Ant Warrior course.
- RushmoreAnts and AntBoi3030 like this
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.
#723
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Posted July 15 2025 - 6:29 AM
ANTdrew
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Here’s a brood mountain GIF:
Edited by ANTdrew, July 15 2025 - 6:30 AM.
- RushmoreAnts and rptraut like this
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.
#724
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Posted July 19 2025 - 10:46 AM
ANTdrew
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Y’all thirsty much?
- RushmoreAnts, Ants_Dakota, AntBoi3030 and 2 others like this
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.
#725
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Posted July 21 2025 - 1:30 PM
Ernteameise
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This colony is amazing.
They are not even like an army. They are like a tide.
- rptraut likes this
#726
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Posted July 21 2025 - 3:07 PM
ANTdrew
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Thank you! Yes, they move like a liquid.
- rptraut and Ernteameise like this
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.
#728
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Posted August 3 2025 - 4:40 PM
ANTdrew
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Update 8-3-2025
The colony continues its rampant growth. The top tier of their UtahAnts nest is mostly full of brood, and they even stack some up the walls of the outworld sometimes. I fed them mealworms again from my home culture, which recently started producing again, and they went nuts for them.
Protein rush:
Brood wall:
Why use an expensive nest if you can stack brood up the walls of your outworld??
The colony continues its rampant growth. The top tier of their UtahAnts nest is mostly full of brood, and they even stack some up the walls of the outworld sometimes. I fed them mealworms again from my home culture, which recently started producing again, and they went nuts for them.
Protein rush:
Brood wall:
Why use an expensive nest if you can stack brood up the walls of your outworld??
- RushmoreAnts, rptraut and Ernteameise like this
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.
#729
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Posted August 4 2025 - 5:18 PM
RushmoreAnts
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I can 100% see how Tetras and Cremas are cousins.
(Both are in the tribe Crematogastrini.)
- ANTdrew likes this
"God made..... all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds (including ants). And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:25 NIV version
Keeping:
Tetramorium immigrans Camponotus vicinus, modoc, novaeboracensis, herculeanus
Formica pallidefulva, argentea Solenopsis molesta
Formica cf. aserva Lasius brevicornis, neoniger
#730
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Posted September 19 2025 - 9:41 AM
ANTdrew
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Update 9-19-25
There have been no major changes with this colony. They continue to put out lots of brood and pile it up at various spots in their UtahAnts nest. This colony is over three years old now and they're showing no signs of slowing down. If anything, this seems like a genetically fitter and more efficient colony than my beloved first colony. I hope I can keep them for many more years to come.
Outworld view. Good luck cleaning anything in here:
There have been no major changes with this colony. They continue to put out lots of brood and pile it up at various spots in their UtahAnts nest. This colony is over three years old now and they're showing no signs of slowing down. If anything, this seems like a genetically fitter and more efficient colony than my beloved first colony. I hope I can keep them for many more years to come.
Outworld view. Good luck cleaning anything in here:
Edited by ANTdrew, September 19 2025 - 9:44 AM.
- RushmoreAnts, rptraut, Full_Frontal_Yeti and 3 others like this
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.
#731
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Posted October 3 2025 - 3:44 AM
Ernteameise
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How does one actually clean out a colony like that? Removing waste and dead insects? They would be all over you, wouldn't they?
#732
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Posted October 3 2025 - 7:13 AM
ANTdrew
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You simply can’t. I just leave it all.
- Ernteameise likes this
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.
#733
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Posted October 3 2025 - 8:19 AM
Zhuge
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You simply can’t. I just leave it all.
What about the liquid feeders?
If you have permits to ship pheidole californica to washington pls lmk
Keeping:
Solenopsis molesta
Pogonomyrmex occidentalis
Tetramorium immigrans
Camponotus modoc
8 Lasius queens
#734
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Posted October 3 2025 - 8:19 AM
OwlThatLikesAnts
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How does one actually clean out a colony like that? Removing waste and dead insects? They would be all over you, wouldn't they?
I'm also sure that they chew up the exoskeleton and feed it to the larva.
The actual ant feces is another thing...
Currently keeping:
1x Formica subsericea, 35-40 workers + maybe eggs
1x Crematogaster cerasi, only queen now, workers ded 
*internal screaming*
1x Myrmica ruba sp around 10 workers + pupa
*New* 1x founding Camponotus pennsylvanicus + eggs that die (probably infertile)
*New* 2x Camponotus nova, one is infertile
*As you watch your ants march, remember that every thing begins with a small step and continued by diligence and shared dreams*
-A.T (which is Me)
#735
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Posted October 3 2025 - 8:20 AM
Zhuge
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How does one actually clean out a colony like that? Removing waste and dead insects? They would be all over you, wouldn't they?
I'm also sure that they chew up the exoskeleton and feed it to the larva.
The actual ant feces is another thing
I actually never have had to clean up after my ants yet. They seem to not generate any waste at all.
If you have permits to ship pheidole californica to washington pls lmk
Keeping:
Solenopsis molesta
Pogonomyrmex occidentalis
Tetramorium immigrans
Camponotus modoc
8 Lasius queens
#736
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Posted October 3 2025 - 9:57 AM
ANTdrew
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I need to refill liquid feeders every 24-36 hours. Scroll back in the journal, and I have a post detailing how to do this when 473 ants are on each feeder.
- RushmoreAnts, rptraut and Ernteameise like this
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.
Also tagged with one or more of these keywords: antdrew, crematogaster, journal, divas
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