292 replies to this topic

[ANTdrew]

Wow those majors are so cool, but soooooo TINY!! I had no idea they were so cute.

Tiny ants are super cute but so hard to keep contained.

Yeah, I’m amazed I haven’t had more escape issues with these. They’re some if the best behaved ants I’ve kept. They even do this cute thing where when I lift the mini-hearth lid, they all run back down for cover. That makes maintenance a lot easier. 😃

[AnthonyP163]

 

Wow those majors are so cool, but soooooo TINY!! I had no idea they were so cute.

Tiny ants are super cute but so hard to keep contained.

Yeah, I’m amazed I haven’t had more escape issues with these. They’re some if the best behaved ants I’ve kept. They even do this cute thing where when I lift the mini-hearth lid, they all run back down for cover. That makes maintenance a lot easier.

 

Make sure you don't let your guard down with these ants! 

 

My colony had some escaped workers while I was asleep, and made trails over my table. I had a lot of work to do with my aspirator upon waking up. 

[ANTdrew]

Duly noted!

[Ants_Dakota]

It seems like you need a THA order now! Those are some crazy fast growers. I still haven’t got a tracking number for my THA order and it’s been almost 3 weeks.

tha orders can take months to ship.

[AntsDakota]

 

Wow those majors are so cool, but soooooo TINY!! I had no idea they were so cute.

Tiny ants are super cute but so hard to keep contained.

Yeah, I’m amazed I haven’t had more escape issues with these. They’re some if the best behaved ants I’ve kept. They even do this cute thing where when I lift the mini-hearth lid, they all run back down for cover. That makes maintenance a lot easier.

 

In my experience Solenopsis molesta are equally well-behaved, despite their reputation for being escape artists. It's not that they can't escape, but they simply don't want to, if I feed them enough.

[AntsDakota]

 

It seems like you need a THA order now! Those are some crazy fast growers. I still haven’t got a tracking number for my THA order and it’s been almost 3 weeks.

tha orders can take months to ship.

 

Sometimes more, sometimes less depending on what you ordered and the season. I bet if it were in spring, summer, or near Christmas it would take even longer than it's taking now.

[Ants_Dakota]

 

 

It seems like you need a THA order now! Those are some crazy fast growers. I still haven’t got a tracking number for my THA order and it’s been almost 3 weeks.

tha orders can take months to ship.

 

Sometimes more, sometimes less depending on what you ordered and the season. I bet if it were in spring, summer, or near Christmas it would take even longer than it's taking now.

 

yikes!

[ANTdrew]

Update 11-3-2020

 I'm still heating this colony, and they're bursting at the seams in their mini-hearth. They are basically using the foraging area as a nest now with several hundred workers and majors just dozing up there at all times. A few times they have emptied out their liquid feeder and started nesting up inside of it. The amount of water they drink is actually kind of absurd.

In any case, I just ordered one of the ready-to-ship Fallen Fortresses from THA. I think the colony will look really great in it, so stay tuned.

Edited by ANTdrew, November 3 2020 - 6:38 AM.

[Devi]

Update 11-3-2020

 I'm still heating this colony, and they're bursting at the seams in their mini-hearth. They are basically using the foraging area as a nest now with several hundred workers and majors just dozing up there at all times. A few times they have emptied out their liquid feeder and started nesting up inside of it. The amount of water they drink is actually kind of absurd.

In any case, I just ordered one of the ready-to-ship Fallen Fortresses from THA. I think the colony will look really great in it, so stay tuned.

AWESOME!  I would love to see pics...  I hope to keep the Phantastic Pheidole.  Maybe someday...

[KitsAntVa]

I'm going to get bicanarata or prenolepis imparis next year. It will be cool to have a replete ant colony, or a big head ant colony.

[Ants_Dakota]

I'm going to get bicanarata or prenolepis imparis next year. It will be cool to have a replete ant colony, or a big head ant colony.

the exact opposite size variations!

[Kaelwizard]

I'm going to get bicanarata or prenolepis imparis next year. It will be cool to have a replete ant colony, or a big head ant colony.

the exact opposite size variations!

Phatbutt Prenolepis or Phathead Pheidole.

[ANTdrew]

LOL. Total opposite in behavior and life strategy, too.

[NickAnter]

Most of the time Pheidole majors are repletes. My navigans colony filled up their major as soon as it could walk haha.

[Boog]

I'm a Phathead fan! The two queens I've got are getting some brood going and they are fun to observe, even though I'm hunched over a bit more than when I observe my Camponotus colony just to see them. The majors are interesting to watch, they take days to darken than the normal workers and I finally got to see them in action when I put some hemp seed hearts in. They were becoming a pain to feed in the small tube setup I used that I made a small outworld I'm testing to see if it'll contain these tiny ants for feeding. Its been successful so far and I need to update my journal with some pics. They're still in a tube connected to the outworld for now but am waiting for their numbers to get higher before moving into a formicarium.

 

I'll be looking at your journal to prepare for what I should expect in a growing Pheidole colony, I'm currently only heating them in the evening when I'm hanging out with my ants so hopefully they won't outgrow my nests too quickly.

 

Btw, are you going to be putting them into diapause? What's the suggestion for Pheidole spp?

Edited by Boog, November 4 2020 - 7:24 PM.

[ANTdrew]

I look forward to seeing what you make for your Pheidole, Boog. My current plan is to keep these going through winter, but I kind of would like a break. In any case, I need to move them into their new Fallen Fortress ASAP.

[ArmansAnts]

Update 11-3-2020

 I'm still heating this colony, and they're bursting at the seams in their mini-hearth. They are basically using the foraging area as a nest now with several hundred workers and majors just dozing up there at all times. A few times they have emptied out their liquid feeder and started nesting up inside of it. The amount of water they drink is actually kind of absurd.

In any case, I just ordered one of the ready-to-ship Fallen Fortresses from THA. I think the colony will look really great in it, so stay tuned.

I can't wait to see them in it! I have a nest planned for mine once they hit ~500 workers that should last a bit above 1000.

[ANTdrew]

Update 11-19-2020

 

 The Phatheads are frickin' huge now, and they were grotesquely over-crowded in their mini-hearth. Thankfully, I was able to order a ready-to-ship Fallen Fortress for them, which was designed for tiny species. It was a hard hit to my checking account for the month, but it is a beautifully designed formicarium. I attached it to their mini-hearth via tubing last night and made a little felt cover for the nest part. I'm only heating the Fortress to encourage their move. They started excitedly exploring right away:

 

 

 By the time I woke up, much of the colony had moved in, and they continue carrying in brood. Honestly, I may have needed something even bigger than this.

 

 

 

Some brood piles they're forming in the Fortress:

 

Edited by ANTdrew, February 10 2021 - 6:29 AM.

[Ants_Dakota]

just thinking about it makes me groan for you checking account as well! but i agree, it is a beautiful formicarium. i hate to think about your checking account next year...

[KitsAntVa]

What i don't understand is how a mini hearth is like 2 times smaller than a fortress but yet these ants still filled up it up after moving out of a mini hearth, i think antdrew is gonna have a hard time keeping up next year.