387 replies to this topic

[Antennal_Scrobe]

I attached the Aeaecus nest to the Myrmica setup again, and this time they seem more enthusiastic. I placed flash lights next to their test tube, and made sure that the new nest was right up against the heating cable, while the old one was far away.

[Antennal_Scrobe]

A Myrmica punctiventris worker eclosed last night. Because the young ant's carapace had presumably hardened before I got up, I had to count the ants to be sure they hadn't just eaten the pupa overnight. Sure enough, there are now 38 workers in the colony.

[Antennal_Scrobe]

Two more Myrmica workers hatched, bringing the total to 40. Two brown pupae remain, and after these eclose, there will be no new ants for a week or two, until the next batch starts to ripen. Both parasitic Lasius queens have died, leaving behind a strong and pungent smell which could only be citronella.

[Antennal_Scrobe]

The Myrmica queen has a larva now! I gave her a cricket leg. What's more, the M. punctiventris colony is now up to 41 workers. Myrmica callows are a lot darker than those of other species, like Tetramorium for example, and can be hard to notice, especially if they eclose while you are asleep or away from home.

[Antennal_Scrobe]

The 42nd Myrmica punctiventris worker has eclosed.

[Antennal_Scrobe]

Another M. punctiventris pupa has turned orange. They still have tons of brood left, even this late in the season. I think the Tetramorium might already be due an upgrade; the soil in their terrarium has so many holes, cracks, and crevices that it looks rather precarious.

[Antennal_Scrobe]

Next summer I'd like to try keeping some Camponotus novaeboracensis in a vivarium. I know just the place in Northern Wisconsin where I could find tons of queens around the first week of July. I know this species nests in soil as well as wood, so just a couple small logs would be enough for them to build their nest in and under. A carpenter ant vivarium would also be a great home for my Ponera and my Brachymyrmex.

Edited by Antennal_Scrobe, November 16 2019 - 2:19 PM.

[Antennal_Scrobe]

The Myrmecina queens have died, though I am not surprised. The Myrmica cf. americana queen is now living in a fresh test tube. I fed most of my ants, including the Ponera, who are still alive and got one fruit fly each.

[Antennal_Scrobe]

I hooked the Aeacus nest back up to the Myrmica colony, but not before cleaning it out thoroughly of all their excrement.

[Antennal_Scrobe]

The next round of Myrmica pupae are eclosing. At this point, I've probably lost track of the worker count, but I don't care as long as they're growing.

[TennesseeAnts]

I found an Aphaenogaster tennesseensis queen! Ha!

[Antennal_Scrobe]

I had pulled the plug on my ants' heat a while ago, but I had to turn it back on today because the Myrmica have several dark brown pupae and I'd rather just let them hatch than be a murderer. The Brachymyrmex queen (Of which there are now five.) had eggs at one point, though they may have eaten them in preparation for winter. I think I might be the first ever on Formiculture to raise this species. The Myrmica cf. americana queen has a couple decent sized larvae, and while I think she may be slowing down, I will feed her anyway.

[Kaelwizard]

Many people keep Brachymyrmex if that’s the species you are referring to.

[NickAnter]

Well, many attempt to.  I have heard that they do best in dirt setups.  They are one of my target species for next year, I think the color is rather cool, on top of the fact that they could have repletes.

[ponerinecat]

brachymyrmex are pretty commonly kept, however because of their small size and bland nature, many people dislike keeping them or don't think of them as one of their prize ant colonies, which is usually what journals are started on.

[NickAnter]

Well, B. depilis is not commonly kept successfully.

[AntsDakota]

I never find many often, and when I did this year, it had landed on my neck. It surprised me and I ended up grabbing it by the gaster.... it didn't make it very long. 

 

brachymyrmex are pretty commonly kept, however because of their small size and bland nature, many people dislike keeping them or don't think of them as one of their prize ant colonies, which is usually what journals are started on.

[Antennal_Scrobe]

On September 10th there were almost as many as there were Lasius brevicornis queens. They were hard to collect, though, because they were so small that they tended to crawl under, rather than into, my container.

[Antennal_Scrobe]

The Myrmica got some honey today, and about 75% of the colony is outside the nest drinking it right now. 

[Antennal_Scrobe]

The Tetramorium are settling down for the winter. They haven't been responding to insects like they normally do, though they still go for honey. This makes sense given the fact that I haven't seen brood against the glass in ages; either it all hatched, or they have a bunch of larvae in hibernation mode that don't care for food or heat, like the Myrmica do. Speaking of the Myrmica, they have been going strong into late November, and will for a few more weeks before the last of the pupae eclose and the last of the eggs develop into larvae of the right size to hibernate. I meant have said this about 3 months ago, but when I opened up the Mini Hearth the Tetramorium were in, I noticed that different larvae had different colored blobs inside them, based, I assume, on what they ate. Some were more blue-grey, and others reddish. The Myrmica queen from Pumpkin_Loves_Ants has a couple decent sized larvae now, and accepted fruit flies today.