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NickAnter's Nylanderia vividula Journal(Comeback!)

Started By NickAnter , Jul 23 2019 6:02 AM

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221 replies to this topic

#181 Offline ANTdrew - Posted September 3 2020 - 8:18 AM

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My colony continues to impress me. Here's Aslaug's massive brood pile in their mini-hearth. Sorry it is flipped:

 


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"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#182 Offline Kaelwizard - Posted September 3 2020 - 8:39 AM

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It’s not flipped unless you took it upside down.

#183 Offline ANTdrew - Posted September 3 2020 - 10:06 AM

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It’s not flipped unless you took it upside down.

Yeah, I fixed it.
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"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#184 Offline NickAnter - Posted September 29 2020 - 11:15 AM

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They are making a good comeback after their die-off due to fungus. They have around 400+ workers now, and are making more workers than males, which is good. They queen has laid many hundreds of eggs. The fungus was in the outworld, so over a month ago, gave them a new outworld. Their sugar water intake is insane, fully drinking one of the mini-THA feeders every couple days. Pictures will come soon.


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Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 

#185 Offline ANTdrew - Posted September 29 2020 - 12:14 PM

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Excellent! My colony is catching up...
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#186 Offline FightNFive - Posted October 3 2020 - 6:38 PM

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Wow, what a great journal! I am so excited that this is our first species. A great, high energy species to captivate the young scientific mind of my step-son. Thank you for your time compiling this journal. Keep up the great observations and documentation.
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#187 Offline ANTdrew - Posted October 3 2020 - 6:56 PM

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Check out the Nylanderia Notebook thread I started dedicated to these awesome ants:
https://www.formicul...k/?fromsearch=1
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#188 Offline AntsDakota - Posted October 4 2020 - 4:57 AM

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My friend Thunder_Birds has a small Nylanderia colony. I'll have to recommend this journal.


Edited by AntsDakota, October 4 2020 - 4:57 AM.

"God made..... all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. (including ants) And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:25 NIV version

#189 Offline 11.11.00 - Posted October 4 2020 - 10:35 AM

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Are they poly?


#190 Offline ANTdrew - Posted October 4 2020 - 11:26 AM

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Yes, they can be.
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#191 Offline ANTdrew - Posted October 15 2020 - 8:42 AM

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Update? - My colony is off the chain!


"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#192 Offline NickAnter - Posted October 15 2020 - 12:55 PM

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Steadily increasing in population.


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Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 

#193 Offline NickAnter - Posted November 30 2020 - 1:24 PM

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They have about 500 eggs/small larvae. Their activity has greatly decreased, but, about 200 workers did come out today when I fed them a whole cricket. That is the largest feeding response in months. Most of the workers are repletes, almost all inside the nest are. Most of the foraging workers are not full of food, presumably so that if they die, they do not lose the colony a bit of food. I suspect once the larvae grow larger, so will their demand for protein. Hopefully they will return to their former glory. They also have like 45 pupae.


Oh, and pictures will not come until I either sort out my phone, or find a good camera.


Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 

#194 Offline NickAnter - Posted March 14 2021 - 2:35 PM

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Long time no update! I have sort on neglected these, not badly enough they had die offs, but enough so that they never really grew. Today, that changes. Remember how in the very beginning they got into the hydration cotton? Well, they have since chewed a lot of it out, making it so that I have to very frequently water the nest. After wondering what to do, and being altogether too lay, today I started work on a formicarium similar to what is seen in the Phasor's Phormicariums thread. For the bottom level, however, I am using a layer of sand, with a layer of hydrostone poured on top of that. This allows for the hydrostone to stay hydrated for a long time.

 

On the levels above that, I will just be using a thin layer of hydrostone. Soon going to hook this formicarium up to the outworld, and keep it watered, while letting the other one dry out. I know this is an effective way to move them, because one time I forgot to hydrate the nest, and the entire colony moved into the outworld. :facepalm: So far, I have only poured the bottom layer, and the one above that. Tomorrow I hope to finish the whole thing. I also vacuumed out their outworld, and added a bunch of sand, which they are currently happily moving about.


Edited by NickAnter, March 14 2021 - 4:32 PM.

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Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 

#195 Offline ANTdrew - Posted March 14 2021 - 3:40 PM

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Awesome! I can’t wait to see the finished product. My colony is doing great two weeks after waking up.
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#196 Offline NickAnter - Posted March 14 2021 - 3:47 PM

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20210314 160339

That is the formicarium so far, it will have several nestmate like attachments, and 3 more hydrostone layers for the three remaining levels.


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Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 

#197 Offline ANTdrew - Posted March 14 2021 - 3:49 PM

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Yeah, they’re going to love that!
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#198 Offline NickAnter - Posted March 14 2021 - 4:28 PM

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Finished the last 3 pours! Might be able to finish it today.


Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 

#199 Offline ANTdrew - Posted March 17 2021 - 4:47 AM

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Update?


"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#200 Offline NickAnter - Posted March 17 2021 - 7:09 AM

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Got hit with schoolwork. I have finished the formicarium however, and am just waiting to connect it up. Hopefully I can do that today.


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Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 

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