67 replies to this topic

[AntsDakota]

 

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

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

 

If you heat them, they grow phenomenally fast, btw. If they aren't....... yeah, they grow just as fast as Camponotus.

[Spazmops]

 

 

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

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

 

If you heat them, they grow phenomenally fast, btw. If they aren't....... yeah, they grow just as fast as Camponotus.

 

I didn’t heat any of my ants until I caught this species, but now that I am, everything grows much quicker.

[Antkeeper01]

I have been doing my best to keep them heated  and now my room is the warmest in the entire house I have closed my vent and don't use fans in my room anymore and I have been supplying my queens with dandielion seeds. Yesterday I moved her into a Antscanada hybrid nest mini connected to a AC Test Tube Portal she is doing much beter than when she was in the test tube.

Edited by Antkeeper01, September 7 2020 - 8:56 AM.

[ANTdrew]

How are the queens for sale doing? Remember, I call dibs on the most prolific, fecund, and productive one. Lol

[Spazmops]

How are the queens for sale doing? Remember, I call dibs on the most prolific, fecund, and productive one. Lol

The queens are doing well. All of them have large larvae, and pupae on the way.

[Antkeeper01]

Should I hibernate my ants for a few days because of the huge snow-storm that starts today and could the wildfires affect nuptial flights?

Edited by Antkeeper01, September 7 2020 - 9:21 AM.

[ANTdrew]

No, don’t do that unless you’re ready for full hibernation.

[Antkeeper01]

ok, and would wildfires affect nupital flights?

[Spazmops]

ok, and would wildfires affect nupital flights?

This is the last weekend that we’re likely to find any ant queens. I don’t think wildfires would affect the ants, I saw Brachymyrmex sp. fly the other day. The cold snap we’re about to get will stop them from flying, but don’t hibernate your ants until October or November. Just make sure they’re kept at 70-85° until then.

[Antkeeper01]

ok thank you, and i am having some problems with my largest tetremorium test tube colony (8 workers) please look at my journal to find out more.

[Spazmops]

ok thank you, and i am having some problems with my largest tetremorium test tube colony (8 workers) please look at my journal to find out more.

If you have any more questions, feel free to PM me. I’m happy to help, but this thread is for my journal, and I want it to stay at least a little on-topic.

[Antkeeper01]

Long Live The Queen!!!

Edited by Antkeeper01, September 8 2020 - 5:25 AM.

[Spazmops]

Nanitic! Queen Demeter has successfully raised a worker. I take back everything bad I said/thought/posted about her. The worker is so well camouflaged with the inside of the minihearth I though I had miscounted a pupae, so it’s impossible to get photos. Yay!

[Antkeeper01]

whoohoo glad you are having better luck than me!!!!!!!!!

Edited by Antkeeper01, September 18 2020 - 1:07 PM.

[Spazmops]

You’ll probably get workers soon. Your queen might eat her eggs a few times first though

[ANTdrew]

Cheeeers!

[Spazmops]

Update 10/9/2020

A second worker is eclosing and starting to wiggle around. Queen Demeter won't leave it alone though, so I hope she doesn't kill it. She recently laid a new batch of eggs, and already has some small larvae from it. Here's a colony list;

1 queen

1 worker

1 worker in the process of eclosing 

2 pupae, both with eyes

3 huge larvae

2 small larvae

~7 eggs, give or take

[Spazmops]

Update 10/9/2020

A second worker is eclosing and starting to wiggle around. Queen Demeter won't leave it alone though, so I hope she doesn't kill it. She recently laid a new batch of eggs, and already has some small larvae from it. Here's a colony list;

1 queen

1 worker

1 worker in the process of eclosing 

2 pupae, both with eyes

3 huge larvae

2 small larvae

~7 eggs, give or take

She killed the worker. I don't know why, does anyone else know of this happening? I think they may want more protein, so I'll give them a grasshopper leg. I want to remedy this problem soon, because there's 3 more pupae and one is starting to eclose. 

[Spazmops]

Update 10/15/2020

The queen let this worker live! Huzzah! That bodes well for the next 2 pupae. Just to be safe, I still gave them a grasshopper leg.

[Spazmops]

Update 10/25/2020

I know I recently updated the journal, but the 4th worker eclosed today and I FINALLY managed to get a usable photo. I also just realized I haven't put any pictures up, so there's no evidence I even have P. occidentalis... lol. I know the picture isn't the best, but if you look closely you can see all 4 workers, the queen, the 3 big larvae that I hope will be closer to full-sized workers, their seed pile, and a small batch of eggs the queen recently laid. 

Edited by Spazmops, October 25 2020 - 11:50 AM.