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Spaz’s Pogosticks (P. Occidentalis)


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#1 Offline Spazmops - Posted August 19 2020 - 8:08 AM

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A few weeks back, my good pal Devi and I were anting, and we had the spectacular luck of walking into a P. occidentalis flight. We did what any two sane ant keepers would do, and immediately captured several queens to sell, seeing as they’re the only deregulated species. Of course we each kept a queen. My queen was put into a test tube setup and placed next to a lava lamp for heat. This worked better than expected, and she laid a rather large egg pile. 
It all went downhill when my THA minihearth arrived, for I am not patient. 
To my eventual chagrin, I took the glass off the minihearth and put the end of the test tube in it. And for a while, all was well. The queen explored the inside of the minihearth and its outworld. However, the queen somehow found my table a more suitable place to explore, and left her eggs in the test tube and just RAN. This thing was hauling gaster like Usain Bolt, and it nearly escaped me entirely. I managed to catch her on a piece of paper and place her in the outworld, and then I put the glass back on the nest. 
The eggs were still in the test tube, but I’d heard moving them was a piece of cake with a wet q-tip, so I wasn’t worried.

Moving the eggs was not a piece of cake. It took 4 cotton swabs, and once they were egg-laden, they were placed in the outworld, where their loving and kind mother proceeded to completely ignore them. After a few days I gave up, threw away the cotton swabs, and put dandelion seeds in the outworld. 
About 3 days later, she had laid another batch even larger than the first. Success! I know I handled this in the worst possible way, and I will never try that again, but all’s well that ends well. It’s worth noting I wouldn’t have tried this at all if the queen wasn’t semi-claustral. This was a long post, and the next update should arrive when I get larvae. Thanks for reading.


Edited by Spazmops, March 15 2021 - 8:29 AM.

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Co-owner and founder of Mountain Myrmeculture and The Menagerie Discord Server

Ants I have:

1 Formica fusca group- 0 workers

1 Tetramorium immigrans colony-20 workers

1 Dorymyrmex insanus- 1 queen, used to have workers

 

1 large P. occidentalis colony- around 50 workers, plenty of brood

 

 


#2 Offline TechAnt - Posted August 19 2020 - 8:16 AM

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Quite a story. 


My Ants:
(x1) Campontous semitstaceus ~20 workers, 1 Queen
(x1) Camponotus vicinus ~10 workers, 1 Queen (all black variety)
(x1) Tetramorium immigrans ~100 workers, 1 Queen
(x1) Myrmercocystus mexicanus -1 Queen
(x2) Mymercocystus mimcus -1 Queen
(x1) Mymercocystus testaceus ~45 workers, 1 Queen

#3 Offline Spazmops - Posted August 19 2020 - 8:17 AM

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Quite a story. 

It wasn’t the most fun I’ve had. ANTdrew’s idea of Myrmy’s law was extremely true here.


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Co-owner and founder of Mountain Myrmeculture and The Menagerie Discord Server

Ants I have:

1 Formica fusca group- 0 workers

1 Tetramorium immigrans colony-20 workers

1 Dorymyrmex insanus- 1 queen, used to have workers

 

1 large P. occidentalis colony- around 50 workers, plenty of brood

 

 


#4 Offline TechAnt - Posted August 19 2020 - 8:18 AM

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Quite a story. 

It wasn’t the most fun I’ve had. ANTdrew’s idea of Myrmy’s law was extremely true here.

 

Very true unfortunately. Also, by the way you put it, walking straight into a big flight of stinging ants does not sound very fun.


Edited by TechAnt, August 19 2020 - 8:19 AM.

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My Ants:
(x1) Campontous semitstaceus ~20 workers, 1 Queen
(x1) Camponotus vicinus ~10 workers, 1 Queen (all black variety)
(x1) Tetramorium immigrans ~100 workers, 1 Queen
(x1) Myrmercocystus mexicanus -1 Queen
(x2) Mymercocystus mimcus -1 Queen
(x1) Mymercocystus testaceus ~45 workers, 1 Queen

#5 Offline Spazmops - Posted August 19 2020 - 8:23 AM

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Quite a story. 

It wasn’t the most fun I’ve had. ANTdrew’s idea of Myrmy’s law was extremely true here.

 

Very true unfortunately. Also, by the way you put it, walking straight into a big flight of stinging ants does not sound very fun.

 

Oh man, it was crazy. Clumps of mating alates were falling onto us like rain, it was a pretty gross feeling.


  • OhNoNotAgain, Antkid12 and TechAnt like this

Co-owner and founder of Mountain Myrmeculture and The Menagerie Discord Server

Ants I have:

1 Formica fusca group- 0 workers

1 Tetramorium immigrans colony-20 workers

1 Dorymyrmex insanus- 1 queen, used to have workers

 

1 large P. occidentalis colony- around 50 workers, plenty of brood

 

 


#6 Offline Antkid12 - Posted August 19 2020 - 8:35 AM

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Quite a story. 

It wasn’t the most fun I’ve had. ANTdrew’s idea of Myrmy’s law was extremely true here.

 

Very true unfortunately. Also, by the way you put it, walking straight into a big flight of stinging ants does not sound very fun.

 

Oh man, it was crazy. Clumps of mating alates were falling onto us like rain, it was a pretty gross feeling.

 

Wow, I've never experienced ant flight that big!


Ants I have: Tapinoma sessile(2 queen colony). RED MORPH Camponotus neacticus(now has pupae!), Tetramorium immigrans (x3), Aphaenogaster sp, Temnothorax sp, Brachymyrmex sp.   possibly infertile   :(,  Ponera pennsylvanica, and Pheidole morrisi!  :yahoo: 

 

Other insects: Polistes sp. Queen

                    

Ants I need: Pheidole sp., Trachymyrmex sp., Crematogaster cerasi , Dorymyrmex sp. Most wanted: Pheidole morrisii

 

                    

                   

 

 


#7 Offline ANTdrew - Posted August 19 2020 - 8:44 AM

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In the future, tape the tube to the side entry hole, or stick it on with mounting putty. Give the ants a day or two to explore before using more agressive methods to get them moving.
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"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#8 Offline Kaelwizard - Posted August 19 2020 - 8:46 AM

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Yeah, why did you take off the glass? That just let her escape.

#9 Offline Spazmops - Posted August 19 2020 - 8:49 AM

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My thought process was that she would move into the nest without wanting to explore more. I greatly underestimated her curiosity, and I thought she would want to stay closer to her eggs.


In the future, tape the tube to the side entry hole, or stick it on with mounting putty. Give the ants a day or two to explore before using more agressive methods to get them moving.

Thanks for the tip! I’ll try that with the other two minihearths I got.


Co-owner and founder of Mountain Myrmeculture and The Menagerie Discord Server

Ants I have:

1 Formica fusca group- 0 workers

1 Tetramorium immigrans colony-20 workers

1 Dorymyrmex insanus- 1 queen, used to have workers

 

1 large P. occidentalis colony- around 50 workers, plenty of brood

 

 


#10 Offline Spazmops - Posted August 24 2020 - 6:29 AM

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Update 8/24/2020

We have larvae and a massive brood pile! It’s so big that she has to carry it in like 4 different clumps, and bear in mind this is the second group of brood she’s laid. I feel like semi-claustral species might be easier to convince to lay more eggs, seeing as they’ll eat when they have eggs and thus can keep their energy up.


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Co-owner and founder of Mountain Myrmeculture and The Menagerie Discord Server

Ants I have:

1 Formica fusca group- 0 workers

1 Tetramorium immigrans colony-20 workers

1 Dorymyrmex insanus- 1 queen, used to have workers

 

1 large P. occidentalis colony- around 50 workers, plenty of brood

 

 


#11 Offline ANTdrew - Posted August 24 2020 - 6:53 AM

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Eggcellent!


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"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#12 Offline Spazmops - Posted August 24 2020 - 7:05 AM

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Eggcellent!

Amazingly, she outpaced my tetramorium queens. 


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Co-owner and founder of Mountain Myrmeculture and The Menagerie Discord Server

Ants I have:

1 Formica fusca group- 0 workers

1 Tetramorium immigrans colony-20 workers

1 Dorymyrmex insanus- 1 queen, used to have workers

 

1 large P. occidentalis colony- around 50 workers, plenty of brood

 

 


#13 Offline Devi - Posted August 24 2020 - 7:44 AM

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I can confirm all of the alates raining on us.  Pretty crazy...


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#14 Offline OhNoNotAgain - Posted August 25 2020 - 7:02 AM

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Alate rain! Fun. Reminds me of walking outside into a beautiful scene of shimmering, wafting insects in the bright sunlight after a rain ... except of course they were termites and it was right next to the house. Being pre-antkeeping I squashed every termite couple I could find.

 

Anyway, more than a q-tip I might suggest a wooden skewer dipped in clean water to put on a layer of water. Or a wooden skewer with a bit of moist paper towel attached. It's easier to get the eggs off those surfaces.

 

Next time you really want to move ants into a mini-hearth from a test tube, you could also try dumping into the outworld. Just make sure there's Fluon on the top of the outworld.

 

Also saving just one queen was kinda brave.... With my P. cali track record, personally I would've saved at least 3-4 lol.


Formiculture Journals::

Veromessor pergandei, andrei; Novomessor cockerelli

Camponotus fragilis; also separate journal: Camponotus sansabeanus, vicinus, quercicola

Liometopum occidentale;  Prenolepis imparis; Myrmecocystus mexicanus

Pogonomyrmex subnitidus and previously californicus

Tetramorium sp.

Termites: Zootermopsis angusticollis

 

Isopods: A. gestroi, granulatum, kluugi, maculatum, vulgare; C. murina; P. hoffmannseggi, P. haasi, P. ornatus; V. parvus

Spoods: Phidippus sp.


#15 Offline Spazmops - Posted August 25 2020 - 7:39 AM

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Ooh, a termite flight does not sound fun. Thanks for the tip about the skewer, if I ever try moving eggs again I’ll use that method. Pogonomyrmex occidentalis are fun because they can’t climb glass or plastic, or even the inside of the silicon tube in the minihearth. Whenever my queen returns from foraging she just falls to the bottom of the nest. I’m going to try sanding the inside of the tube with sandpaper and a pencil. I did consider keeping more than 1, but breaking even on ant expenses was more important to me than the guarantee of having a colony of these guys.


Co-owner and founder of Mountain Myrmeculture and The Menagerie Discord Server

Ants I have:

1 Formica fusca group- 0 workers

1 Tetramorium immigrans colony-20 workers

1 Dorymyrmex insanus- 1 queen, used to have workers

 

1 large P. occidentalis colony- around 50 workers, plenty of brood

 

 


#16 Offline Spazmops - Posted August 28 2020 - 8:21 AM

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Update 8/28/2020

I saw her carrying a huge larvae today, much larger than my Formica fusca group larvae. I think she might also have a pupae tucked in one of the connection ports. Nanitics aren't too far off!


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Co-owner and founder of Mountain Myrmeculture and The Menagerie Discord Server

Ants I have:

1 Formica fusca group- 0 workers

1 Tetramorium immigrans colony-20 workers

1 Dorymyrmex insanus- 1 queen, used to have workers

 

1 large P. occidentalis colony- around 50 workers, plenty of brood

 

 


#17 Offline Antkid12 - Posted August 28 2020 - 9:03 AM

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To me its pretty cool when termites fly. I keep a few and feed the rest to my ants.


Edited by Antkid12, August 28 2020 - 9:04 AM.

Ants I have: Tapinoma sessile(2 queen colony). RED MORPH Camponotus neacticus(now has pupae!), Tetramorium immigrans (x3), Aphaenogaster sp, Temnothorax sp, Brachymyrmex sp.   possibly infertile   :(,  Ponera pennsylvanica, and Pheidole morrisi!  :yahoo: 

 

Other insects: Polistes sp. Queen

                    

Ants I need: Pheidole sp., Trachymyrmex sp., Crematogaster cerasi , Dorymyrmex sp. Most wanted: Pheidole morrisii

 

                    

                   

 

 


#18 Offline Spazmops - Posted September 7 2020 - 6:06 AM

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Mini-Update 9/7/2020

There’s definitely at least one pupae, and it’s naked, so I can see its head. It’s huge. I can’t wait for it to become a worker, this species seems really fun to keep.


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Co-owner and founder of Mountain Myrmeculture and The Menagerie Discord Server

Ants I have:

1 Formica fusca group- 0 workers

1 Tetramorium immigrans colony-20 workers

1 Dorymyrmex insanus- 1 queen, used to have workers

 

1 large P. occidentalis colony- around 50 workers, plenty of brood

 

 


#19 Offline Antkeeper01 - Posted September 7 2020 - 6:27 AM

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I got my queens in july i only have larve and eggs!!! :facepalm:


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1X Pogonomyrmex occidentalis 40-50 Workers

1X Solenopsis molesta 10 Workers (mono)

Ants I Want: Crematogaster sp, Camponotus Sp., Ponera Pennsylvanica, Mymercocystus sp.

 

My Youtube channel: https://www.youtube....kUjx-dPFMyVqOLw

 

 Join Our Fledgling Discord Server https://discord.com/...089056687423489


#20 Offline Spazmops - Posted September 7 2020 - 7:04 AM

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I got my queens in july i only have larve and eggs!!! :facepalm:

Just wait a little bit and you’ll get there. Have you been giving her seeds and are you keeping her heated?


Co-owner and founder of Mountain Myrmeculture and The Menagerie Discord Server

Ants I have:

1 Formica fusca group- 0 workers

1 Tetramorium immigrans colony-20 workers

1 Dorymyrmex insanus- 1 queen, used to have workers

 

1 large P. occidentalis colony- around 50 workers, plenty of brood

 

 





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