204 replies to this topic

[AntsExodus]

Solenopsis carolinses suck! Even though they are cool I have to keep not letting escapes get out cause they are so small!

[TennesseeAnts]

Solenopsis carolinses suck! Even though they are cool I have to keep not letting escapes get out cause they are so small!

Solenopsis invicta are worse, though. At least S. carolinensis don't have huge majors...

[AntsExodus]

Well I think the having huge majors is actually one of the good things about Solenopsis invicta. The bad things in my opinion are the stings and how invasive they are.

[AntsExodus]

Nothing new is going on. I have seen some Brachymyrmex flights and Solenopsis invicta. For some reason my 4 queen Solenopsis carolinses colony killed a queen. You guys know why?

[AntsExodus]

I have so many colonies now! If you didn't know someone in formiculture had to move so they where giving their ant colonies away for free! I gladly took them in and I have so many new colonies now! I got a Camponotus americanus queen for the first time! I also got some new Temnothorax pardoi also for the first time, 3 Camponotus chromaidoes queens, a Solenopsis carolinses colony, a Aphenogaster rudis colony in a mini hearth (which is my very first tarheel ant formicarium I've ever gotten), and a Camponotus nearticus queen who is probably infertile. Thank you so much I will be taking good care of them so no need to worry! Also sadly for some reason my personal Solenopsis Carolinses colony killed 2 of their queens for no reason so there is only 2 queens in that colony now.

[TennesseeAnts]

I have so many colonies now! If you didn't know someone in formiculture had to move so they where giving their ant colonies away for free! I gladly took them in and I have so many new colonies now! I got a Camponotus americanus queen for the first time! I also got some new Temnothorax pardoi also for the first time, 3 Camponotus chromaidoes queens, a Solenopsis carolinses colony, a Aphenogaster rudis colony in a mini hearth (which is my very first tarheel ant formicarium I've ever gotten), and a Camponotus nearticus queen who is probably infertile. Thank you so much I will be taking good care of them so no need to worry! Also sadly for some reason my personal Solenopsis Carolinses colony killed 2 of their queens for no reason so there is only 2 queens in that colony now.

You mean Temnothorax pergandei. I also have 2 colonies of both the red, and the black variant.

[AntsDakota]

Well I think the having huge majors is actually one of the good things about Solenopsis invicta. The bad things in my opinion are the stings and how invasive they are.

I think what he meant was larger majors makes an invasive species even more destructive.

[AntsExodus]

 

I have so many colonies now! If you didn't know someone in formiculture had to move so they where giving their ant colonies away for free! I gladly took them in and I have so many new colonies now! I got a Camponotus americanus queen for the first time! I also got some new Temnothorax pardoi also for the first time, 3 Camponotus chromaidoes queens, a Solenopsis carolinses colony, a Aphenogaster rudis colony in a mini hearth (which is my very first tarheel ant formicarium I've ever gotten), and a Camponotus nearticus queen who is probably infertile. Thank you so much I will be taking good care of them so no need to worry! Also sadly for some reason my personal Solenopsis Carolinses colony killed 2 of their queens for no reason so there is only 2 queens in that colony now.

You mean Temnothorax pergandei. I also have 2 colonies of both the red, and the black variant.

 

Lol yeah sorry I remember them saying Temnothorax P and I looked that up and pardoi came up and I said that was the one lol. My colony is the black varient.

[Arroavantho]

I have so many colonies now! If you didn't know someone in formiculture had to move so they where giving their ant colonies away for free! I gladly took them in and I have so many new colonies now! I got a Camponotus americanus queen for the first time! I also got some new Temnothorax pardoi also for the first time, 3 Camponotus chromaidoes queens, a Solenopsis carolinses colony, a Aphenogaster rudis colony in a mini hearth (which is my very first tarheel ant formicarium I've ever gotten), and a Camponotus nearticus queen who is probably infertile. Thank you so much I will be taking good care of them so no need to worry! Also sadly for some reason my personal Solenopsis Carolinses colony killed 2 of their queens for no reason so there is only 2 queens in that colony now.

Glad you are excited by them! As a side note make sure you check out THA’s video on how the mini-hearth works. The tube in the back is to give them water. You’ll also see a small hole in the back. Use a syringe to fill the water basin every once in a while; it keeps the nest humidified.

[AntsExodus]

Thank you for the info I already know how a THA mini heath works but thank you!

[AntsExodus]

Another Trachymyrmex colony has been added to our Trachymyrmex colonies! This colony is a young colony with a few workers and a queen!

[ponerinecat]

Solenopsis carolinses suck! Even though they are cool I have to keep not letting escapes get out cause they are so small!

[AntsExodus]

 

Solenopsis carolinses suck! Even though they are cool I have to keep not letting escapes get out cause they are so small!

 

Maybe its just the nest lol 

[AntsDakota]

Yeah, maybe a better way to put it is, ‘their small size sucks’.

[AntsExodus]

Well this week was Formica week as I have caught 2 Formica subserica queens and a thatching Formica queen. Sadly Formica subserica are not polygenous cause I put the queens together and one died the next day. The thatching Formica queen I caught while hiking and I know she is a thatching ant cause I saw the nest she flow from which was a thatching ant colony with this huge mound next to a rock. Sadly she was infertile so I put her in isopropyl alcohol to study her. Also the place with the thatching ant colony had around 40 colonies of thatching ants so I am probably going to go again hopefully next year! They also had different castes of workers some big and some small.

Edited by AntsExodus, June 28 2020 - 7:58 AM.

[AntsDakota]

Well this week was Formica week as I have caught 2 Formica subserica queens and a thatching Formica queen. Sadly Formica subserica are not polygenous cause I put the queens together and one died the next day. The thatching Formica queen I caught while hiking and I know she is a thatching ant cause I saw the nest she flow from which was a thatching ant colony with this huge mound next to a rock. Sadly she was infertile so I put her in isopropyl alcohol to study her. Also the place with the thatching ant colony had around 40 colonies of thatching ants so I am probably going to go again hopefully next year! They also had different castes of workers some big and some small.

'Thatching ants' is the common name for Formica social parasites. Did you provide hosts for her? Also, Formica subsericea is polygynous. Yours was probably F. argentea, which is identical to the naked eye, but not polygynous.

[TennesseeAnts]

Well this week was Formica week as I have caught 2 Formica subserica queens and a thatching Formica queen. Sadly Formica subserica are not polygenous cause I put the queens together and one died the next day. The thatching Formica queen I caught while hiking and I know she is a thatching ant cause I saw the nest she flow from which was a thatching ant colony with this huge mound next to a rock. Sadly she was infertile so I put her in isopropyl alcohol to study her. Also the place with the thatching ant colony had around 40 colonies of thatching ants so I am probably going to go again hopefully next year! They also had different castes of workers some big and some small.

'Thatching ants' is the common name for Formica social parasites. Did you provide hosts for her? Also, Formica subsericea is polygynous. Yours was probably F. argentea, which is identical to the naked eye, but not polygynous.

Hmm. In my experience F. argentea is polygynous too... I probably screwed the ID up, so I'll put a worker under my microscope again.

Edited by Ant_Dude2908, June 28 2020 - 11:18 AM.

[AntsExodus]

 

Well this week was Formica week as I have caught 2 Formica subserica queens and a thatching Formica queen. Sadly Formica subserica are not polygenous cause I put the queens together and one died the next day. The thatching Formica queen I caught while hiking and I know she is a thatching ant cause I saw the nest she flow from which was a thatching ant colony with this huge mound next to a rock. Sadly she was infertile so I put her in isopropyl alcohol to study her. Also the place with the thatching ant colony had around 40 colonies of thatching ants so I am probably going to go again hopefully next year! They also had different castes of workers some big and some small.

'Thatching ants' is the common name for Formica social parasites. Did you provide hosts for her? Also, Formica subsericea is polygynous. Yours was probably F. argentea, which is identical to the naked eye, but not polygynous.

 

I put her in isopropyl alchohol so she is dead cause she was infertile and flying I am preserving her as a specimen for studies

[AntsExodus]

Sorry I haven't said anything in a while I've been doing school and working on other stuff. Well anyways I have a lot to say.

 

My Hypoponera colony had a weird civil war and they killed each other unit the last person. I don't know what happened they were caught all together as a colony so it was weird.

 

The Camponotus americanus queen I got had her nanatics and then the next day the queen died and the workers were all fine. It looked like the workers strangled her to death. I don't know why they killed her as they where her biological workers and the queen was not brood boosted.

 

My Camponotus chromaidoes colony had a unknown die out which was weird but they are still alive.

 

My Trachymyrmex colony has lost all their fungus due to me going out on a little trip to Florida even though I put a test tube in their setup so I will soon be donating fungus to them.

 

Now the good news

 

My Lasius colony has been exploding in population and they have so many new workers soon to be born!

 

My 2 Queen and 3 Queen Pheidole bicarinata colony has their very first nanatics!

 

My 3 queen Brachymyrmex patagonicus colony has around 20 nanatics and my other 5 2 queen Brachymyrmex colonies have cocoons and my other 3 queen Brachymyrmex colony only has eggs but I still have hopes for them.

 

Caught 4 more Pheidole Bicarinata queens last night which is nice.

 

My Formica queen got her first nanatics and they are stunning!

 

 

Sorry about a lot of the unknown things as I am trying to find out why some of them happened but some I think were just part of life. Sorry I haven't been updating this journal school is tough and I have something I am working on and I am getting some new pets so I have less time to be in Formiculture and I apologize. Thanks to everyone who has been helping me with tips and just moral support!

Edited by AntsExodus, August 18 2020 - 7:11 AM.

[TechAnt]

Real life things are more important then updating some journal about ants. But know Formiculture is here to help you with your adventure into this crazy hobby that is Ant keeping whenever you need it.

Edited by TechAnt, August 18 2020 - 7:19 AM.