84 replies to this topic

[DJoseph98]

I’m honestly surprised how little diversity there is here in Michigan when it comes to ants

 

I figured you would have greater diversity in Formica and Camponotus, wouldn't you? 

[Kaelwizard]

I’m honestly surprised how little diversity there is here in Michigan when it comes to ants

I figured you would have greater diversity in Formica and Camponotus, wouldn't you?

Yeah we have tons of Formica, but I only ever find the same species.

[DJoseph98]

Update 9/21/2020

My ants are behaving in a manner reminiscent of approaching diapause. I now have a thermostat for my heating cable and have been slowing decreasing the temperature inside their formicaria. Normally, the temperature inside each mini hearth (estimated in the one I measure) is normally 85.9F to 86.5F. I have lowered the temperature to the range of 75F to 78F (78F being the setting and 75F being the temperature that the heat kicks on).

I used byFormica fluon on the outworlds of my Crematogaster and Tetramorium colonies to make feeding and cleaning easier and safer for myself and the workers. It works very well, though my Crematogaster seem to find a way to get a single worker past every now and then. This doesn’t change my opinion of it since it is the secondary prevention, where the primary is the lid.

 

Camponotus nearcticus

This colony now has about fifteen workers, at least seven pupae, a few larvae, and a small batch of eggs. I believe the queen has stopped laying for the season now. They are using quite a bit of sphagnum moss to make their formicaria cozier, and they are much greedier with protein now. I remember my initial estimate of about twenty-two workers before diapause seems pretty accurate to this day, though given the small number of non-pupal brood, I think it may be about twenty-five.

 

Crematogaster cf. cerasi

This colony has about fifty workers (a VERY rough estimate), and their brood pile is finally dwindling while their worker count keeps growing. It has reached the point that I have no idea where their queen is. Most of their brood are pupae, with some larvae and I believe I saw some eggs (though not many). The gasters of workers are always full, so I think this colony will successfully overwinter as long as I maintain consistent feeding. Colony seems to prefer the rapidly defrosted/rehydrated mealworms over crickets.

 

Formica cf. pallidefulva

I think I finally know why this queen and her one worker don’t have much brood ever! This group tugs their water-cotton and their brood keeps getting tangled and dying in the strands! I have been feeding this colony with honey and small cut pieces of mealworms, both of which the queen and worker have been gorging themselves on. I am moving this group to a new test tube with a layer of sphagnum moss and my usual dirt/bedding so that the tugging is less of an issue. Hopefully they will get a few more workers out before it is time to go into diapause.

 

Formica cf. subsericea

I have been feeding the single queen with honey once every other day, and she has been eating all of it. She even has a small batch of eggs now! I guess she just needed more fuel. I will leave her in a cooler place still though, because it is too late for her to gain any workers before diapause, so she can just overwinter any larvae if they survive.

The colony I have has eaten some honey, but overall doesn’t have a big appetite. Just waiting for spring now.

 

Lasius cf. americanus

I can’t gauge how many workers there are since they are so small, quick, and like to hang out in one of the ports. I think there might be twelve with almost as many on the way as pupae. This colony is becoming bolder in the outworld and even managed to drag some protein into the nest. Several workers that I spotted had distended gasters with fluid, but it could have been mealworm juices or byFormica liquid food. I have no clue exactly how much brood they have besides the pupae that I have seen, so there is no telling how many workers they will have before diapause.

 

Tetramorium immigrans

I think their brood pile has been reduced by about 25% to 50% in perceived size, however, there are more workers on the walls and ceiling with larvae. The worker count is somewhere around fifty to seventy -five (rough estimate). They show an extreme reaction to the introduction of food (favorites they have are peanut butter and cricekts). The exact term escapes me but they swarm with about half the colony population. High hopes for this colony.

[DJoseph98]

Update 12/8/2020

            Things became very busy for me the last two months, but, since I have a breather now, I can finally post an update. My ants are in hibernation in an outdoor closet, where air temperatures hover around 33F (I know, I know, way below the temperature recommended by ant keeper consensus, but it was either this or 55F all winter). I have kept them like this for (I think) two to three weeks now. Just checked on them today, which I will address below, along with their status prior to placing them in the colder temperatures. Now, just to be clear, I did not place them directly into freezing temperatures. The temperature was originally 44F when I moved them to this location; however, Kentucky weather is extremely unpredictable, and the temperature dropped to 20F the day after (when the weather was reported to have a low of 40F two days prior). No major die offs occurred (as I confirmed today); however, I take these actions and report them here not as a recommendation to others, but as a record of my actions (though tainted by retrospective bias they may be).

 

---------- Colonies is Formicaria----------

Camponotus cf. nearcticus

            This colony had about 20 workers when I placed them in cold temperatures, with one pupa remaining, no other brood. This number is one less (single dead worker seen inside) and, most likely, the pupae is dead. They all seem well, and responsive to light stimuli, though this is minimal.

Crematogaster cf. cerasi

            This colony had (and still has) maybe 70 workers, no obvious deaths evident. They still seem to have larvae, though they are hard to see with worker bodies in the way.

Lasius cf. americanus

            This colony has about 20 workers in it and as many larvae, this number has not changed. This colony is still reactive to light stimuli and moving around a bit, so they seem much more adjusted for the cold (expected).

Tetramorium immigrans

            This colony probably has 100 workers in it with plenty of larvae, though that is hard to judge since they place them in odd spots. No obvious deaths, plenty of antennae movement when exposed to light.

 

With all of these colonies, there was what seemed some mass nanitic die off prior to the first temperature decrease back in October, but their numbers still grew. I was not concerned due to the fact that these were nanitics, so, once the die off slowed down, I then proceeded to decreasing the temperatures.

 

------ Colonies in Test Tubes------

Formica cf. pallidefulva

            My plan had worked, and this queen now has two workers. All three were fattened with honey and mealworm juices several times, transitioned into the lower temperatures slowly, and finally put into my outdoor closet. Today, all three seemed quite responsive to light (still slow) and seemed well and healthy.

Formica cf. subsericea

• Dual Queen Colony: This group only had two workers remaining when I began decreasing temperatures. I don’t think this group will last long, despite feeding them plenty, so I expect founding failure in Spring if not a total die-off this winter. They seemed responsive and healthy when I checked today.
• Single Queen Colony: This single queen has done extremely well and had three workers prior to temperature decreases. I actually waited longer to begin lowering the temperature for this group, so the newest worker had plenty of time to fill itself on honey several times individually and finish developing. All members in this group were healthy and reactive, in a test tube with dirt and sphagnum moss. This colony should do very well come Spring.

Myrmica spp.

            Yes, I found more queens this fall. I found two Myrmica queens hunting together, and I swooped in and kidnapped them both with my test tube. Ate plenty of honey and a small mealworm, temperatures had briefly risen the day I caught them from about 47F the previous day to 70F. They were fed, them placed in a new tube with dirt and sphagnum moss. Doing well, nothing much to report.

           

[TennesseeAnts]

 

Those don't look anything like any nearcticus I have ever seen.

Honestly I agree with you, but it was my best guess given my region and the queen characteristics. The first couple workers are extremely dark compared to the newer ones like that major; that's discounting the newly eclosed and callow workers, of course. Any ideas on another possible species? I don't have the resources or the time to confirm my identifications, so it is always a headache

 

Looks like the hybrid I found last year. They were apparently a hybrid between C. nearcticus and C. subbarbatus. The queen was a pure C. nearcticus, so she mated with a C. subbarbatus male during her flight.