41 replies to this topic

[AntsExodus]

A lot of people have really big ant colonies that are their biggest ant colonies, and some others have a queen and nanatics as their biggest colony. What is your biggest colony? Mine is a Pheidole Bicarinata colony that I own. It has around 50 workers and 1 queen. I have owned this colony for a few months now. This colony used to have 7 queens but they killed 6.

[Ferox_Formicae]

I have a large Aphaenogaster cf. rudis colony with around 150 workers and about the same number or more in young brood.

[ponerinecat]

I've never had a big colony

[TheMicroPlanet]

I've never had a colony 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

yet...

[Skwiggledork]

My Tetramorium immigrans colony is my biggest, but I put them in a dirt setup and have no idea how big they've gotten. I would guess 4-500, but I could be off.

[AntJohnny]

I have a parasitic lasius colony with about 800. It would have been alot bigger but I dropped there setup and lost a few hundred. I also have a formica species with about 400. I have a few multiple queen colonies I am hoping will start to rapidly grow after hibernation.

[NickAnter]

My Nylanderia are the largest, at about 800 workers, by over 795 compared to all my other ants.  None of my other ants, unless something goes terribly wrong, will ever catch up to them.

Edited by NickAnter, January 31 2020 - 7:15 AM.

[TennesseeAnts]

Mine is a Formica pacifica colony with close to 2,800 workers. I caught the queen near Seattle, Washington in June of 2016. She was my first queen, so it's even more impressive that she's gotten to maturity. Last year they produced their first alates, and had mini nuptial flights in their outworlds.

My largest colony I have with me in Tennessee is a Camponotus chromaiodes colony with about 600 workers. I found her and her 40 ish workers in an old log in July of 2018.

Edited by Ant_Dude2908, April 11 2020 - 4:49 PM.

[antwall]

Mine is a Nylanderia vividula colony with 500-600 workers and too much brood to count.

[Serafine]

Camponotus barbaricus, around 12-14k workers (~3.5 years old).

[ANTdrew]

My biggest colony is Tetramorium immigrans that will be going into their third season after this winter. It's been estimated that they are ~8,000 ants. They're actually getting too big for me to manage.

I also have a Crematogaster cerasi colony that's maybe ~1,000 workers.

[FeedTheAnts]

Yay! An excuse to brag on The Valentines! 

Stats: Crematogaster ashmeadi -- queen caught May 2017 -- 4000 to 5000 workers 

 

I also owned a Formica pallidefulva colony in the past that had over one thousand workers when I released them.

[Broncos]

Formica Francoeuri with about 200 workers. This sound crazy but I counted about 300 brood.

[AntsDakota]

I've never had a big colony

Truer words have never been spoken. (For me, at least) My Solenopsis molesta have a hundred or so introduced wild workers and a few dozen queens.... still not a big colony, though.

[Manitobant]

My 2 largest colonies are aphaenogaster picea with around 75 workers and over 100 brood and a 7 queen tapinoma melanocephalum colony at about 150 workers and 50 brood.

[Serafine]

Formica Francoeuri with about 200 workers. This sound crazy but I counted about 300 brood.

(Servi)Formica species are well-known for their ability to raise pretty ridiculous amounts of brood. Just feed them a ton of insects during their active time and you will see them explode into the thousands within a few months.

[TennesseeAnts]

Formica Francoeuri with about 200 workers. This sound crazy but I counted about 300 brood.

(Servi)Formica species are well-known for their ability to raise pretty ridiculous amounts of brood. Just feed them a ton of insects during their active time and you will see them explode into the thousands within a few months.

I've definitely experienced this....

[NickAnter]

Antwall, how in the world has your Nylanderia colony grown so big so quick? How often do you feed protein? Mine are only at about 350. And they were caught before yours and kept on a heating cable the whole time. What is your secret?

[antwall]

I feed fruit flies every other day, and the queen laid a few thousand eggs. Maybe just because they are allowed to design their own home in their sand jar setup.

Edited by antwall, December 19 2019 - 10:46 AM.

[Rob11420]

My biggest colony is also Nylanderia Vividula with 2 queens and over 1000 workers    They are one and a half years old and produced their first male elates a few weeks ago.