24 replies to this topic

[NickAnter]

 

 

We have two workers!

There are 3 more pupae to eclose as well. These workers are probably the cutest nanitics that I have ever seen, they just have a particularly cuteness about them.

The cf. aerata queen should hopefully get workers in a couple days, I can see the eyes of the workers through the pupae.

[ANTdrew]

Awesome!!!

Edited by ANTdrew, September 18 2021 - 12:32 PM.

[NickAnter]

The fusca-group Formica duo ended up murdering one of their queens very shortly after that last post.

They did, however, end up with about 12 workers before going into hibernation.

The aerata ended up with 6 workers before hibernation. 1 died in hibernation, and one shortly after being taken out.

 

Both now have some pupae, although naturally the cf. argentea have 6 times as much brood as the cf. aerata. The cf. aerata are in a mini hearth, which I am now regretting, since the cf. argentea are going to outgrow their tube soon. I may have to do a switcheroo to right that issue there.

 

Here are five pictures: (the argentea have 12 pupae, set to double their population quickly, but they took a bunch of pupae as soon as I shined a light on them)

[NickAnter]

They are doing fantastic!

The bicolored colony has over 15 workers now, and a small amount of brood. The queen remains extremely physogastric at all times for some reason.

 

The monocolor colony has over 40 workers, and is doing absolutely fantastic. This colony is an absolute joy to keep, and is super active, and yet not too sensitive to light or vibration now. They are always out and about foraging, and are of a size that magnification is not necessary for observation, and they aren't slow on the growing front at all. Here is a video of the colony:

Edited by NickAnter, April 3 2022 - 8:44 PM.

[NickAnter]

Here is a video of the bicolored colony. They have pupae that seem to be workers that will be quite a lot bigger than the ones they have. They also have a nice pile of eggs now. They have 19 workers, down from their peak of 21, since two old workers died.

 

The monocolor colony has over 50 workers now, which is cool. If they keep going at the current rate, I expect them to hit about 150-200 workers by the end of the year.