1113 replies to this topic

[TennesseeAnts]

Formica integra (Colony #1)
3-29-20

Got the last queen and biological workers! They are cleaning the new queen off.

Edited by Ant_Dude2908, March 29 2020 - 9:03 AM.

[RushmoreAnts]

800-1000. 

My iPad picks this up as a phone number.  I guess your colony has one now.........

[Da_NewAntOnTheBlock]

lol

[RushmoreAnts]

Indeed.

[ANTdrew]

Photos of the mega colony?

[TennesseeAnts]

Photos of the mega colony?

Soon!

[RushmoreAnts]

 

800-1000. 

My iPad picks this up as a phone number.  I guess your colony has one now.........

 

Ant_Dude's Formica pacifica colony is now in my contacts.   I literally added it.

Edited by AntsDakota, March 29 2020 - 12:30 PM.

[Da_NewAntOnTheBlock]

you should call it...lmao

[RushmoreAnts]

Hello....... I’m calling to complain about your foragers who are intruding in my kitchen.........

[TennesseeAnts]

800-1000.

My iPad picks this up as a phone number.  I guess your colony has one now.........

Ant_Dude's Formica pacifica colony is now in my contacts.   I literally added it.

Omg that's awesome! lol

[TennesseeAnts]

Formica integra (Colony #1)
3-29-20

I have umm....errr..... Neutralized.... The hosts, as they were aggressive towards the new queen and workers. After doing so I was able to move them into the Mini Hearth without problem. They have some pupae, a bunch of large larvae, some eggs and small larvae and 45-50 integra workers.

Edited by Ant_Dude2908, March 29 2020 - 2:06 PM.

[RushmoreAnts]

That's too bad...... at least you still have the colony.

[TennesseeAnts]

Formica integra (Colony #1)
4-5-20

Wow. Okay then. I went back to that rock again and found another queen and 30 or so workers. The colony now has 3 queens, 100 or so workers and 200-225 eggs and larvae. This colony has done amazing for only one year!!!

[RushmoreAnts]

I am definitely going to try this this year.

[TennesseeAnts]

Some new videos up:

 

 

 

Edited by Ant_Dude2908, April 8 2020 - 9:45 AM.

[TennesseeAnts]

Double post.

Edited by Ant_Dude2908, April 8 2020 - 9:45 AM.

[Nare]

Yeah I've heard of lots of people having trouble with rebellious hosts, particularly in the fusca-group. This is why I plan on using parasitic pupa wherever possible, though fusca-group are much more locally abundant, so I might have to use them anyways. Unless I wanted to boost all my parasitic queens with Formica ulkei pupa...

[TennesseeAnts]

Yeah I've heard of lots of people having trouble with rebellious hosts, particularly in the fusca-group. This is why I plan on using parasitic pupa wherever possible, though fusca-group are much more locally abundant, so I might have to use them anyways. Unless I wanted to boost all my parasitic queens with Formica ulkei pupa...

Yeah. But it's been too long since I separated the original colony, so I can't add queens from under that rock anymore. So I now have 2 colonies of F. integra, one with 2 queens and one with 1 queen.

.

Edited by Ant_Dude2908, April 8 2020 - 10:37 AM.

[TennesseeAnts]

New update on the Pogonomyrmex occidentalis:

Hope you enjoy!

 

Edited by Ant_Dude2908, April 10 2020 - 10:47 AM.

[TennesseeAnts]

Aphaenogaster tennesseensis (Colony #1)
4-15-20

They still have the three parasitic workers, but they now have 2 pupae and a batch of about 15 new eggs.

Pogonomyrmex occidentalis (Colony #1)
4-15-20

Doing good as always. Up to 36 workers with about 50 eggs, 20 larvae and 30 pupae. Always taking chia seeds, with the occasional meal worm.

Trachymyrmex septentrionalis (Colony #1)
4-15-20

So it's been a bit of a rough ride with this colony. A few days after their last update the humidity in their test tube dropped, killing their fungus and all of their workers. The queen has been nearly a month without workers or fungus, but @Ferox_Formicae sent me some workers and fungus, and now they're back to a place for good recovery, with an ever growing fungus garden 3 times the size of the queen! Keep in mind, it was about half as big as a single worker when it got here!