151 replies to this topic

[Locness]

Here’s a GIF of my Monomins feasting on fruit flies. They’re dwarfed by the tiny flies!

 

Wow  My brain is trying to compute that size difference lol

[rptraut]

Post some good photos here or do an ID thread to make sure they are Monomorium. I think Temnothorax could be a possibility if they were found in nuts. Monomorium are a soil dwelling species.

 

Yes, I sorta ruled out Temnothorax as these girls are very black, very shiny and T longispinosis is not supposed to live around here.  I will post photos for a positive ID.

The shape of the head and antennae of Monomorium are pretty distinctive, don't you think?

[ANTdrew]

Your description does sound like Monomorium. Post photos when you get a chance, though.

[rptraut]

Will do!

[ANTdrew]

Update 4-13-2023

 

Reviving this thread for another season of Monomorium observations. The dual queen colony I founded last spring made it through diapause and are really doing great now. Their test tube is basically entirely full of workers and a massive pile of brood. I will need to dump them into a new nest very soon. I'm still kicking around ideas for how to do this in a fully escape proof way. 

 

I will officially be naming the two queens Gudrid and Sigrid after famous Viking warrior women. Which one is which is anybody guess, though! 

 

Good photos of these are hard to get now since the entire tube is filled to bursting with tiny ants. 

[Flu1d]

Update 4-13-2023

Reviving this thread for another season of Monomorium observations. The dual queen colony I founded last spring made it through diapause and are really doing great now. Their test tube is basically entirely full of workers and a massive pile of brood. I will need to dump them into a new nest very soon. I'm still kicking around ideas for how to do this in a fully escape proof way.

I will officially be naming the two queens Gudrid and Sigrid after famous Viking warrior women. Which one is which is anybody guess, though!

Good photos of these are hard to get now since the entire tube is filled to bursting with tiny ants.

Is.. that something to be worried about..?

Awesome looking colony btw

[ANTdrew]

Yup! I was wondering who would catch that. I’ll be dumping them out of that tube before they stupidly flood it.

[ANTdrew]

Update 5-27-2023

 

My dual queen colony just keeps growing and growing. Luckily they haven't flooded their tube yet, but I'll need to get them out of it soon since they keep tunneling into the wet cotton. Monomorium aren't the brightest of ants, apparently. They do enjoy their mealworms, though! 

 

[Jonathan5608]

I purchased a 4 queen colony with 100+ about a month ago and they’re really doing well in their fortress. They got nice sized food piles from all the crickets and the queens are starting to lay alot of eggs

[Virginian_ants]

I got a large colony with five queens and hundreds of workers a little while back, because they are known escape artists I put them in a Ants Scandinavia inspired island with a water moat to stop them from escaping.
https://photos.app.g...cdJZkdfVLbHiT68

[Virginian_ants]

I would like to ask how long do queens live? Antwiki says 1 years but that sounds very short for ants. Do they inbreed so the colonies last longer or what.

Edited by Virginian_ants, July 31 2023 - 12:49 PM.

[ANTdrew]

The one year lifespan is a total myth. I currently have three queens that are older than a year. My last colony’s queens also lived longer than a year.