21 replies to this topic

[B_rad0806]

8-23-20

I got three of these queens from Nurbs today along with SleepyAsianAnter and Cocdeshijie. One of them has wings so it might not be fertile. I am very happy to finally own this species. I hope good success out of these.

 

Edited by B_rad0806, October 20 2021 - 5:31 PM.

[Devi]

Nice! I will be following this journal!

[B_rad0806]

Update 9-8-20

So I really screwed up here. I tubed up the novos and put them in a box with 10 other pots thinking nothing of it. Keep in mind this is the same box I had the P. Cali in. I left them alone for a few days thinking nothing of it then one day I decided to take a mini peak to see how the novos were doing. Literally everything except one pot was dead. I had never been so angry about ants ever until this moment. I was ready to punch a hole in my wall. Now I figured out why my P. Cali died, because of a stupid box. I think the heat was did not go well with this box and that's what caused everything to die. Luckily Nurbs was nice enough and said he would give me a colony with 1-3 workers for free. All my anger was relieved. So if I have any advice for you guys typing this, it's to make sure your box does not kill your ants. I have never experienced something more stupid than this. So for now this journal is discontinued.

[ANTdrew]

How did the box kill the ants?

[TechAnt]

He just said “I think the heat was did not go well with this box and that's what caused everything to die.”

[B_rad0806]

Update 1-14-21

I was finally able to get my hands on another colony of these. I bought a small colony with 2 workers and a small pile of brood. When they came one of the workers died which sucks. This colony is really small compared to how most should be around this time but I am up for the challenge. Hopefully I can grow this colony to big numbers. In a day or two I will be putting these into a mini hearth since they usually do good in them. 

[Swirlysnowflake]

I love novos! If you don't mind me asking, where did you get them? 

[B_rad0806]

I love novos! If you don't mind me asking, where did you get them? 

Oh I got them from Stricky 

[CheetoLord02]

Stricky that poor colony! Did you ever even feed them after founding?       

Take good care of them Brad, feed them and keep them hot and they'll do just fine.

[B_rad0806]

Update 2-1-21

The queen started laying eggs   What's also funny is that I haven't even started heating them yet. I will most likely start today or tomorrow. 

[B_rad0806]

Update 3-4-21

The colony finally got pupae out of one of their larvae. The queen ate the 2-3 eggs it laid in the last update but since then it has laid more. For some reason their brood has been kinda slow even though they are getting heat 24/7 and a nice amount of protein. 

[CasiahJade]

I need to get a good camera so I can get awesome pictures like that for my Novomessors.  Following the Journal!

[B_rad0806]

I need to get a good camera so I can get awesome pictures like that for my Novomessors.  Following the Journal!

Thank you   I use a clip on macro lens and the pictures come out great. It's a great investment for someone wanting to take good pictures

[B_rad0806]

Update 3-12-21

Another larvae has turned into a pupae. Also the oldest pupae is starting to darken. I expect a new worker coming in the next 2-5 days. Their eggs are now starting to turn into larvae too. I counted maybe 2-3 of them and they seem to already be growing. Glad to see these finally starting to pick up

[B_rad0806]

Update 5-4-21

This took longer than expected but the queen was finally able to get a new worker. The two pupae from the last update ended up not hatching. One was deformed and the other just like didn't hatch for some reason. The one worker from the last update ended up dying most likely due to being old. Now the colony has 1 worker and 4 larvae and just a few eggs.

[B_rad0806]

Update 5-23-21

I lost my patience with this colony and decided to sell it. Hopefully i'm able to acquire more queens this year or i'll be angry 

[B_rad0806]

Update 8-7-21

​I received 1 of these queens yesterday. I already know one thing is for sure, these are not going into a stupid box that will kill them.