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Life's been good...

Started By Maculata , Oct 28 2019 7:05 PM

macrophotos rapidgrow

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6 replies to this topic

#1 Offline Maculata - Posted October 28 2019 - 7:05 PM

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I have three colonies established over the summer from new Queens. The growth in three months has been amazing....

1 to ~1,000

Note: the Winged queen was just hatched from the colony's founding queen. That happened approximately 2.5 months after founding.

This section was edited to fix an incorrect ID.

Album: Forelius sp. possibly pruinosus

7 images

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1 to ~300

Album: Tucson, AZ, Crematogaster sp., July 2019

41 images

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1 to ~200

Album: Tucson, AZ Pheidole sp., Aug 2019

20 images

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A60A0597 S NSI

Edited by Maculata, October 28 2019 - 8:14 PM.

NickAnter and Antennal_Scrobe like this

#2 Offline NickAnter - Posted October 28 2019 - 7:18 PM

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LocationOrange County, California

Those are some amazing colonies, nice job! On a side note, I think the Brachymyrmex is Forelius.

Edited by NickAnter, October 28 2019 - 7:18 PM.

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).

#3 Offline Manitobant - Posted October 28 2019 - 7:41 PM

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LocationWinnipeg, Canada

That brachymyrmex actually looks like forelius pruinosus to me.

My journals:

Polyergus Mexicanus: https://www.formicul...gs/#entry175528
Lasius minutus: https://www.formicul...cs/#entry174811
Lasius latipes: https://www.formicul...gs/#entry206449
General acanthomyops journal: https://www.formicul...yops-with-eggs/

#4 Offline Maculata - Posted October 28 2019 - 7:54 PM

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ID fixed and album images moved accordingly! Thanks...

Edited by Maculata, October 28 2019 - 8:15 PM.

#5 Offline Da_NewAntOnTheBlock - Posted October 29 2019 - 12:17 PM

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LocationIllinois

That's some crazy growth! I'll hope that any queen I find can grow that fast lol

There is a important time for everything, important place for everyone, an important person for everybody, and an important ant for each and every ant keeper and myrmecologist alike

#6 Offline Maculata - Posted October 29 2019 - 9:08 PM

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I have a heating pad that keeps the warmest end at 80-85 degrees. Feed them as much food as they can eat (Frozen cricket parts or frozen large fruit flies). Keep a small cotton ball that I can drip some 30% honey water on - stay in ball and not too much - NO stray honey pouring out around the ball for ants to get stuck in and die. When it drys out, put some more honey water or just plain water if there is a lot of dried honey left in the ball. In my sample of queens, smaller ants are much faster growing. Good luck.