665 replies to this topic

[ANTdrew]

Would they accept cerasi or lineolata brood?

[TennesseeAnts]

What species are yours? I don't know if they would accept brood from other species.

[ANTdrew]

I've decided I don't want to bother with brood boosting. I only really one want one colony anyway, so I will be releasing the two struggling queens once it gets a bit warmer. Sigyn looks like she will be a lot of fun to keep, but the other two have been more stress than it's worth.

[TennesseeAnts]

Or freeze them.

[FeedTheAnts]

I am the most active CrematoMaster

Bru, you said this without even acknowledging yu boy

*I'm hurt

 

Would they accept cerasi or lineolata brood?

Yes, I believe they would. Crematogaster are all very similar. Larvae are very easy to gather from a Crematogaster nest during the day because colonies will move most of their more developed brood close to the surface on a hot day(Crematogaster are really into that heat). I wouldn't try gathering brood from a nest later in the afternoon though, because the brood will be buried deep. This doesn't apply to wood nesting colonies obviously. 

Have you tried feeding your colonies tiny pieces of apple? Mine love them and they will continue to chew into it long after it appears dry.

[TennesseeAnts]

Quote broke.

I am the most active CrematoMaster

Bru, you said this without even acknowledging yu boy
*I'm hurt
 

Would they accept cerasi or lineolata brood?

Yes, I believe they would. Crematogaster are all very similar. Larvae are very easy to gather from a Crematogaster nest during the day because colonies will move most of their more developed brood close to the surface on a hot day(Crematogaster are really into that heat). I wouldn't try gathering brood from a nest later in the afternoon though, because the brood will be buried deep. This doesn't apply to wood nesting colonies obviously. 
Have you tried feeding your colonies tiny pieces of apple? Mine love them and they will continue to chew into it long after it appears dry.

Sorry.

Edited by Ant_Dude2908, April 2 2019 - 10:08 AM.

[ANTdrew]

LOL!
Thanks for the advice. I’ll consider boosting, but all the colonies I see are up in tree snags where I can’t ever find brood.

[Rstheant]

Do you have them in a ‘tubs and tubes’ setup?

[ANTdrew]

Do you have them in a ‘tubs and tubes’ setup?

My succesful queen, Sigyn, is. She is up to 21 workers.
My two slacker queens are still just in a tube. Frigg got a second worker, so I’m going to keep waiting. Hope springs eternal.

[Rstheant]

[ANTdrew]

Good news: I checked Frigg today, and several new workers eclosed bringing her to four total. If the random deaths stop, she will be good to go.

Sigyn had 23 workers and a new batch of eggs when I checked her last night, so they are thriving. Her gaster is swollen like a balloon!

[Rstheant]

You’ll need a new formicarium.

[ANTdrew]

 

Photo Update 4-8-2019

A lot happened this weekend and things are really looking up for two of the queens. As everyone always says, these are really fun ants to keep. I'm thinking these may be C. lineolata because queens and worker are all jet black. Some interesting things I've noticed is that they always have one or more ants posted around the entrance to their tube as a sentry. They are also far less clean than my Tetramorium; my biggest colony has left a big pile of chewed up insect parts right in contact with their brood. I'll probably only be keeping one of these colonies, so one or two of them will be available for sale soon. If you are in VA and interested, PM me.

 

Sigyn has 24 or more workers now, by far the most productive queen:

 

Things are going much better for Frigg. She is up to 7 workers now. I put her tube in an out world with a small opening, so I can feed them easier and provide constant access to nectar.

 

Thrud still has only small brood. I'll keep waiting...

 

 

Edited by ANTdrew, April 8 2019 - 7:07 AM.

[FeedTheAnts]

I've noticed that Crematogaster like to chew their food into tiny sawdust like pieces. I'm not sure if it is just leftover bits of exoskeleton, or if it is bits of food that they intend on consuming, but either way this behavior definitely does dirty up their nest.

[Rstheant]

They chew it up, so it makes it easier to bring pieces into their best, and also it doesn't take up as much space; it can be put in a confined area.

[ANTdrew]

 

Steady growth continues for Sigyn and Frigg. They are feeding well, too. Here are some of Sigyn's workers feasting on a house spider.

Does anybody know if C. ashmeadi is found this far north?

 

[TennesseeAnts]

Mine has just about 105 workers!

[ANTdrew]

Wow! Yeah, I can tell these girls grow crazy fast. I won't be able to handle more than one colony alongside my two explosively growing Teramorium colonies. I'll need to sell one and figure out what to do with my second Tetramorium colony. I don't want to spread myself too thin.

[ANTdrew]

Update 4-18-19

 

These ants continue to do very well. They do lots of interesting and endearing things like hang all their brood from the top of their test tube. At one point, Sigyn had a pupae hanging straight down from its head. Not quite sure why they would do this, but it cracked me up. Here's a photo:

 

Sigyn's pupae are getting much larger now due to steady flow of protein, and last night I caught this glimpse of her first full size worker eclosing. You can see the size comparison easily with the nanitic next to her:

 

Frigg has nine workers with a tenth on the way. Earlier this week, I found one of her workers on its back dying in their out world. I really don't know why some of them keep dying, but there are plenty of brood developing. I hope she can hit her stride soon and stop worrying me so much.

 

Thrud finally has a pupae. Perhaps she will get her first worker by Easter?

 

In other news, I found a new home for one of my Tetramorium colonies at my local nature center. They will have the space and resources to manage her for sure. With all their activity, she will put on a great show for visitors, no doubt.

 

 

[Jean]

Thanks for the pics. I have a C. Cerasi colony of about 300 and only got the Queen (+ 5 workers) in October. My first colony and I love watching them in their various projects.