1106 replies to this topic

[ANTdrew]

So… what’s the guidance?

[TennesseeAnts]

So… what’s the guidance?

Literally as soon as it stops raining run outside and get as many as you can. As soon as they get their nest entrances open the alates will pour out. I brought a butterfly net and a fixed blade knife to aid in collection. Founding chambers look like mini Solenopsis mounds and are shallow (3 inches is the deepest I found today). Queens are large, 7-8mm in length and slower moving.

Does that help?

[TennesseeAnts]

Update: 8/9/21

 

Pheidole bicarinata

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The queen I've decided to keep out of the hundreds I collected is a single dealate with 7 workers and a handful of eggs, larvae and one or two pupae. The best out of the 200 or so queens I collected, I am hoping she has many more workers (and maybe majors!) next update. 

Pheidole tysoni

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I'm keeping 2-3 queens of this species just due to the fact that I've yet to get a colony to a decent size yet. The most advanced queen has some small larvae and a nice pile of eggs, hopefully they develop.

 

Pheidole pilifera

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The two alates died off about a week into keeping them, but the dealate is going strong with 7 pupae, a pile of eggs and some small larvae. I'm extremely excited for her to get a nice colony going!

 

Pheidole dentata

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Both my queens have workers now, with the best having 12 workers and a ton of eggs, larvae and pupae, including a major larva or two. They've got quite the appetite, and have been taking small mealworms and sugar water every day since the first worker eclosed around August 1st-2nd. 

 

[ANTdrew]

Phantastic Pheidole!

[TennesseeAnts]

Update: 8/16/21 

 

Pheidole dentata; colony #1

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They're nearing 20 workers now, and have several major brood. The larva from last update has pupated and is set to eclose any day now, and three more major larvae have appeared. The queen continuously pumps out eggs, and they have a massive pile of brood, probably 60-70 strong. This colony might even reach maturity before hibernation when and if they hibernate. 

 

 

 

Edited by TennesseeAnts, August 16 2021 - 9:39 AM.

[TennesseeAnts]

I will also be starting a new journal exclusively for each of my newer colonies, as this journal has become fairly repetitive with its updates with the exception of the new colonies. For now, this journal will be inactive until something new happens with the larger colonies. I will edit this post and link the new journals here once I've created it. 

 

Pheidole dentata

Pheidole pilifera

Edited by TennesseeAnts, August 25 2021 - 8:38 AM.

[ANTdrew]

I approve of the decision! I need to update all my journals, but I’ve been crazy busy.

[TennesseeAnts]

Well, after three and a quarter awesome years, the great Freya has passed on. I knew it was coming for a while, with something strange and white protruding from her abdomen for about two weeks back in July (an ant's version of a prolapsed uterus?), and her just acting strange in general. I thought she had gotten better, but today I peeked in her chamber and saw this...



Really sucks, but now I can focus more on my colonies from this last season and this season. I'll reuse their grout nest for my Ph. dentata since they're running out of room in their tube.

Edited by TennesseeAnts, September 7 2021 - 7:42 PM.

[m99]

RIP Freya, you had beautiful babies 

 

*edit* Aw I just noticed the huge brood pile too. What a shame, sorry man!

Edited by m99, September 7 2021 - 9:02 PM.

[ANTdrew]

Aw, man! That sucks so bad.

[TennesseeAnts]

RIP Freya, you had beautiful babies 

 

*edit* Aw I just noticed the huge brood pile too. What a shame, sorry man!

Yeah, trust me, there's several dozen piles just like that one. They had at least a few hundred larvae. 

 

Aw, man! That sucks so bad.

It really does, but I'm going to attempt to introduce another queen to the colony to take over. Hopefully I grab a light-variant queen to try it with, since I like the color of their minors better, and it would be cool to see a mix of the two variants, lol.

[Antkeeper01]

We all loved Freya but I wish she could have lived forever

[TennesseeAnts]

New video for my S. invicta x richteri:

 

[ANTdrew]

Really cool!

[PetsNotPests]

That's a LOT of larvae. Nice vid!

[AntBoi3030]

That video gave me old ants Canada vibes *sniff

[TennesseeAnts]

Really cool!

Thanks! Their first three major pupae have showed up, and one is very dark, almost ready to eclose.

 

That's a LOT of larvae. Nice vid!

Thanks! I counted 180 workers yesterday, and if the brood pile is any indication, that'll change very soon, lol.

[NicholasP]

 

Really cool!

Thanks! Their first three major pupae have showed up, and one is very dark, almost ready to eclose.

 

That's a LOT of larvae. Nice vid!

Thanks! I counted 180 workers yesterday, and if the brood pile is any indication, that'll change very soon, lol.

 

How are your colonies doing! The ants you keep seem like very interesting ants!

[TennesseeAnts]

 

 

Really cool!

Thanks! Their first three major pupae have showed up, and one is very dark, almost ready to eclose.

 

That's a LOT of larvae. Nice vid!

Thanks! I counted 180 workers yesterday, and if the brood pile is any indication, that'll change very soon, lol.

 

How are your colonies doing! The ants you keep seem like very interesting ants!

 

All of the colonies I'm currently focused on are doing awesome. I'll have to toss together a mass-update for all my journals sometime this week.

[TennesseeAnts]

Bring back the Mega Journal? What do y'all think? I just don't have the time for all the separate journals like I used to anymore.