29 replies to this topic

[CatsnAnts]

Hey there!

I have decided to break down my journals even further. I simply like the individual attention that I can give towards some of the species I have, such as Pheidole tysoni. There is another reason as well - I have recently "upgraded" my camera situation in a sense that I literally spent 8 US dollars on a reversal ring for my standard DSLR camera (thanks Dry_Twig for the suggestion, best 8 dollars of my life!). I didn't think much of it at first, as I was unable to get clear shots after over a day of trying and adjusting settings, but as time went on I discovered more techniques available to get sharp macro shots (or as sharp as they can be for a "poor man's macro lens" ). I finally found some good settings and actually had to learn, humph, about how cameras work since I have never used anything besides an iPhone camera before. Anyways, back to the actual focus of this journal. I currently have three Pheidole tysoni colonies, two with one queen and one with three queens:

#1 Pheidole tysoni (1 queen):
This queen has lots of larvae that seem ready to pupate considering how small the nanitics will be. Here's her photo (and the only photo of this journal so far, more coming soon):




#2 Pheidole tysoni (1 queen):
This colony is in the same position as the first colony.

Pheidole tysoni (3 queen):
This colony appears to have just gotten its first larvae. All three queens are still getting along fine.

Edited by CatsnAnts, August 30 2020 - 3:41 PM.

[Kaelwizard]

Those are better pictures than what I can get!

[AntsDakota]

Those are better pictures than what I can get!

Same.

[Antkid12]

 

Those are better pictures than what I can get!

Same.

 

me too. 

[CatsnAnts]

#1 Pheidole tysoni (1 queen):

This queen and the other single queen should be getting their first pupae any day now. I have decided to open the test tubes to take pictures from the front to reduce glare, and it seemed to work pretty well:

 

 

 

#2 Pheidole tysoni (1 queen):

This queen is in the same position as the first queen.

 

 

 

Pheidole tysoni (3 queens):

These three queens are still doing great, its starting to seem as though this species is polygynous, although I'll have to wait until workers to be sure:

[TennesseeAnts]

I'm sure you've mentioned it, but what camera/lens do you use? Those pictures are amazing!

[CatsnAnts]

I'm sure you've mentioned it, but what camera/lens do you use? Those pictures are amazing!

I'm using a Canon EOS Rebel xsi EF-S (or at least I think that's how I name it lol), it's my Mom's old camera that she used to use. I'm simply using the standard lens that came with the camera (EF-S 18-55mm) combined with a reversal ring. I've also made a homemade light diffuser and a light box so that I can get properly lit macro shots. Its a little tricky to adjust settings such as aperture since I have no electrical connection to the lens, but I'd say it does the job pretty well, and thank you! In case anyone is wondering, I'm using an aperture of f22, a shutter speed of 1/200 second, an ISO of 100, and I have Mirror Lock-Up mode turned on to reduce blur from mirror slap since this is a DSLR camera.

[CatsnAnts]

Well gosh dang it, my cat jumped through the tissue paper in my light box, literally tearing it to shreds, and then landed on my light diffuser, crushing it. Why do these things happen to me ahhhhh.

[Kaelwizard]

Well gosh dang it, my cat jumped through the tissue paper in my light box, literally tearing it to shreds, and then landed on my light diffuser, crushing it. Why do these things happen to me ahhhhh.

That is the worst luck ever.

[ANTdrew]

Worst luck would be if the cats destroyed the test tube or something.

[Antkid12]

Well gosh dang it, my cat jumped through the tissue paper in my light box, literally tearing it to shreds, and then landed on my light diffuser, crushing it. Why do these things happen to me ahhhhh.

Aw man. 

Edited by Antkid12, July 27 2020 - 8:18 AM.

[CatsnAnts]

Update 7-31-2020​

 

All three of my colonies are still doing great, and we have our very first pupae!

 

 

#1 Pheidole tysoni (1 queen):

 

This queen just got her first pupae today  ! She has lots of larvae about to turn into pupae as well, so it shouldn’t be incredibly long until I have workers!

 

 

#2 Pheidole tysoni (1 queen):

 

No pupae yet, but she should get some either today or tomorrow!

 

 

Pheidole tysoni (3 queens):

 

These three queens only appeared to have a huge batch of eggs and small larvae at first, but after one of the queens moved I was able to see another massive pile of large larvae that should also be pupating sometime soon! What a surprise! So far, it’s looking like this species is polygynous, but only after workers will it be for sure.

[AntsDakota]

Well gosh dang it, my cat jumped through the tissue paper in my light box, literally tearing it to shreds, and then landed on my light diffuser, crushing it. Why do these things happen to me ahhhhh.

You gotta love cats, but they can be dangerous to almost anything delicate. For some reason birds like to land on the screen when the windows of my house are open, and my cats will try to climb the screen to get at them, and there are holes all over the screen. Not that big of a deal, but still. At least they don't chew shoes or do their business in the lawn, though. 

[madbiologist]

Wow, you must have super good lighting to be able to use all three of those settings combined, even just one of them would be challenging for me to handle! I really should look into that light diffuser/box stuff...

[Antkid12]

Update 7-31-2020​

 

All three of my colonies are still doing great, and we have our very first pupae!

 

 

#1 Pheidole tysoni (1 queen):

 

This queen just got her first pupae today  ! She has lots of larvae about to turn into pupae as well, so it shouldn’t be incredibly long until I have workers!

 

 

#2 Pheidole tysoni (1 queen):

 

No pupae yet, but she should get some either today or tomorrow!

 

 

Pheidole tysoni (3 queens):

 

These three queens only appeared to have a huge batch of eggs and small larvae at first, but after one of the queens moved I was able to see another massive pile of large larvae that should also be pupating sometime soon! What a surprise! So far, it’s looking like this species is polygynous, but only after workers will it be for sure.

Nice, pics?

[CatsnAnts]

Wow, you must have super good lighting to be able to use all three of those settings combined, even just one of them would be challenging for me to handle! I really should look into that light diffuser/box stuff...

I’ll be posting a tutorial later today in the off-topic section on how I do macro photography (using a reversal ring), but ya, a flash is definitely required!

Nice, pics?

Not today, sorry. I don’t want to stress them out too much, so I’ll post pictures when they get workers!

Edited by CatsnAnts, July 31 2020 - 11:33 AM.

[madbiologist]

What exactly is a reversal ring? I've been using extension tubes, as well as a ring flash.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

[CatsnAnts]

What exactly is a reversal ring? I've been using extension tubes, as well as a ring flash.
Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

It’s a secret...


Jk. I’ll explain in detail in my tutorial later, but it’s basically an attachment that acts like a filter on the front of the lens that lets it screw on to the camera backwards. Instead of taking a bigger picture and making it smaller (like the standard lens I have), it does the exact opposite.

[CatsnAnts]

Update 8-1-2020

 

 

Pheidole tysoni (3 queens):

 

This colony has an extremely large brood pile with lots of eggs and larvae. I expect them to be getting their first pupae sometime soon, and it still looks like all three queens are passive towards one another.

 

 

 

Also, here's the link to my photography tutorial that I promised https://www.formicul...ds/#entry157595.

[harlan]

does anyone know how long these queens live?