664 replies to this topic

[NickAnter]

Sweet! I currently have a colony of Crematogaster lineolata with 2 queens, 4 alate females, and over 150 workers. I collected them with my aspirator and trust me, it was one of my biggest regrets! They actually have formic acid, and that stuff is horrible on your lungs! I went to bed that night coughing a madman and I almost had an asthma attack! I don't recommend anyone do that!

Crematogaster do not have formic acid. They have another venom that they exude on the tips of their stingers, and that is what you inhaled.

Edited by NickAnter, June 12 2019 - 6:28 AM.

[TennesseeAnts]

They don't seem to use their singers much though...

[FeedTheAnts]

That's exactly what I'll do. I don't really care for using mini-hearth with fast growing escape artists.

The Fortress also has much thicker walls(I believe). My Crematogasters chewed out of their mini hearth at a weak point in the wall, so I think a fortress would totally be a better option. Whatever you do, NEVER let the water tower spill. It happened to me twice, and that was all it took for the ants to chew out.

[ANTdrew]

Update 6-18-2019

Sigyn and her colony continue doing great. Their tube is literally full of workers and brood now, so I won’t even bother estimating their number. This colony never left their founding tube. I’ve had a new one in their box for months, but they’ve shown no interest in it. I have no money to buy their Fortress, sadly, so I’ll need to make something or get a second job.

[TennesseeAnts]

Mine are finally making a comeback! Lots of eggs and larvae.

[Acutus]

I have a tiny colony that I'm trying to keep going. I'm not sure if I'm winning or losing though!

[ANTdrew]

I have a tiny colony that I'm trying to keep going. I'm not sure if I'm winning or losing though!

Lots of heat and lots of food is the key with these.

[ANTdrew]

Mine are finally making a comeback! Lots of eggs and larvae.

That’s great! That makes me think just tubs and tubes would be fine for these.

[ANTdrew]

Update 6-26-2019

Holy crap do these have a ton of brood now! This colony is growing really fast and seem to be thriving. I'm kind of annoyed that they've never left their founding tube even though it is almost completely dry, but I do have a full tube right next to it for them to move into. They've started feeding a lot again after a brief stretch of lackluster feeding. They went really nuts for a bit of boiled beef I gave them, and last night they devoured a whole wood beetle. I feed them every single day now. I'm going to be bold and try making a bead container formicarium for these girls' expansion - money is just too tight for THA stuff. I'll need to go Fort Knox level on the escape proofing though!

 

Tons of brood:

 

Beef soup feeding frenzy:

[ANTdrew]

Update 7-28-2019
Disaster! I went on a four day trip up to the Shenandoah, and came back to find out my divas had figured out how to climb upside down on fluon. I freaked out and decided to reapply fluon on the lid. Something went wrong, though. Perhaps I didn’t let it dry long enough or didn’t apply it well, but they started just streaming up the sides of their box and several escaped. I made a crappy temp fix by sticking some mesh over the hole in their lid with some clay. The mesh must be trapping humidity, so now tons of them are climbing up all over the lid dying to explore the wide world! I have no money, but my brother ordered me an AC outworld (an act I’m eternally grateful for). I’m hoping the lid and professional design of this will help me contain these Houdinis. If not, my terrible luck will continue, and I’ll have to give up my beloved Divas.
Bottom line, this colony is getting huge. Somebody fed the gremlins after midnight.

Edited by ANTdrew, July 28 2019 - 5:47 PM.

[Acutus]

Did you try just baby powder without alcohol? My Apaenogasters crossed the fluon too but they can't cross the powder.

[TennesseeAnts]

Good brother!

[ANTdrew]

Hope springs eternal. I literally went to the source today and called Mack from THA. I had the best chat with him and learned a lot about containing Crematogaster. His point was that the fluon needs to be very dry to work and that I should reapply it. He also said I need to separate their foraging area from their nest to help keep humidity down. I think two things happened last night that caused my jailbreak disaster: one is I didn’t let the fluon fully dry long enough, and two is that a crushed a worker putting on the new lid, which is what caused all heck to break loose. Today I put on a different lid that I even dried a bit in a semi-warm toaster oven, and lo and behold, the Houdinis are contained. Is there any more beautiful sight in ant keeping than your girls awkwardly falling off your barrier?

[Acutus]

Is there any more beautiful sight in ant keeping than your girls awkwardly falling off your barrier?

 

Not many that's for sure!! 

[ANTdrew]

Photo Update 7-30-2019

 This is now my prize colony, and I'm not going to give up on them. They are still mercifully contained by the dried fluon coated lid, and I'm optimistic that the AC outworld will be a good size expansion for them. Here are some photos of their feeding frenzies. Protein heavy is an understatement!

 

 

I keep these hot and well fed and they are easily surpassing the "Gremlins after midnight" phase of their development.

[Acutus]

I like the AC Out Worlds except for the price! the function well but I have large ants in mine.

[ANTdrew]

Yeah, with shipping it's almost a hundred bucks for a plastic box. Are we insane or what?

My twin brother bailed me out because he is recently divorced and living in my parents' house. His reasoning, other than our deep love for each other, was that "dead men don't need money." That's why he is my best and true friend.

[ANTdrew]

Update 8-6-2019

 Things are getting back to normal for this colony. The AC out world arrived Saturday, so I'll be getting that set up soon. I've been feeding these a lot lately, and they're loving their protein. Here is an artsy shot I took last week:

 

 

Edited by ANTdrew, March 2 2021 - 7:20 AM.

[Rstheant]

Feed Crematogaster lots of sugars and heavy protein, including bloodworm soup.

[ANTdrew]

Feed Crematogaster lots of sugars and heavy protein, including bloodworm soup.

Bruh! Where you been?