167 replies to this topic

[ANTdrew]

I think their colonies don't actually get that big. Queens must not live very long, and they start producing alates pretty early on.

Edited by ANTdrew, November 16 2020 - 6:39 AM.

[ANTdrew]

This colony is happily in hibernation now. See you back here in a couple of months. I predict next season will bring alates for sure.

[Ants_Dakota]

This colony is happily in hibernation now. See you back here in a couple of months. I predict next season will bring alates for sure.

hopefully you will keep posting during winter, antdrew. i have already lost too many friends to winter!

[ANTdrew]

Yeah, I will. Somebody's gotta help these Australians.

[Ants_Dakota]

Yeah, I will. Somebody's gotta help these Australians.

[ANTdrew]

Update 3-2-2021

I picked up my colony of Nylanderia vividula yesterday to begin warming them up again. The vast majority of workers made it through hibernation fine, as did queen Aslaug. There were quite a few dead ants that I had to vacuum up, however. The colony had a very small amount of eggs/ tiny larva that overwintered. They are still in my prototype Antpartment nest with a BoxBox outworld attached. I set one end of the setup on a loop of heat cable yesterday afternoon, and they are slowly coming back. A bit of condensation formed over their water tower, so I may need to tinker a bit with the heating. I hope they get fully active soon.

 

[ANTdrew]

Update 3-15-2021

 

It has been two weeks since I woke up my Nylanderia vividula colony from their diapause, and they are doing great. They've gotten back to feeding heavily on protein, and I've been feeding them crickets, mealworms, earwigs, and the occasional termite treat. Their Antpartment formicarium is working out nicely for them, but condensation is a bit of an issue over their water tower. Heating the top of the glass would probably fix the issue, though.  I really, really love this colony!

 

Here is some new larvae:

 

They are a couple hundred eggs on the other side of the water tower. These ants know how to grow!

 

 

[Antcatcherpro3]

that's a lot of ants. I have a Nylanderia Parvula colony. I have tons of them in my yard, so I caught a colony. They grow fast.

[TennesseeAnts]

that's a lot of ants. I have a Nylanderia Parvula colony. I have tons of them in my yard, so I caught a colony. They grow fast.

How'd you ID the Nylanderia? They can be very difficult to ID, especially more Northern species. 

[Antcatcherpro3]

It took me a LONG time, and I did a ton of researching, but I am pretty sure, pretty sure, that I found the right ID. Everything about them matched. (I used ant wiki). Not the best ID place, but I found out what they were. I saw that there were a species of nylanderia that needed a host.... of the species that I had, and I found that the ants that they needed, were the species that I had.

[Antcatcherpro3]

Nylanderia deceptrix, were the ant that needed nylanderia parvula as a host.

[TennesseeAnts]

It took me a LONG time, and I did a ton of researching, but I am pretty sure, pretty sure, that I found the right ID. Everything about them matched. (I used ant wiki). Not the best ID place, but I found out what they were. I saw that there were a species of nylanderia that needed a host.... of the species that I had, and I found that the ants that they needed, were the species that I had.

Really the only way to ID Nylanderia is by using a high-power microscope or to send specimens to someone that has one. I would just leave it at Nylanderia sp. for now if I were you.

[Antcatcherpro3]

Hmm. I have a microscope, so I'll look into the ID a little more later.

[TennesseeAnts]

Hmm. I have a microscope, so I'll look into the ID a little more later.

Unless you have a good, reliable stereo microscope it will be extremely difficult to impossible to get an ID for Nylanderia. If you're interested, this one is a great budget scope.

[Antcatcherpro3]

Ok

[Antcatcherpro3]

My colony keeps finding a way to escape. I even put fluon so they couldn't escape..... but they still found a way. I think they need more space. I'll try to hook up another dirt jar or something.

[Kaelwizard]

My colony keeps finding a way to escape. I even put fluon so they couldn't escape..... but they still found a way. I think they need more space. I'll try to hook up another dirt jar or something.

I think for small, fast, escape artists like this, a large outworld is probably best to make it easier on the keeper.

[Antcatcherpro3]

Right. The colony is growing pretty fast. Not a lot of workers are escaping, and not in one day, but still. When do nylanderia fly? I might want to try to get a colony from just a single queen.

And yeah. I probably will hook up an outworld. They'll discover it quick.

[ANTdrew]

Yes. More space is key with ants like this. Fluon needs to be kept very well ventilated and free from humidity, too. Fluon stops mine, but I cut a big hole in their lid, so it’s actually open air.

[ANTdrew]

Update 4-1-2021

 

All fooling aside, this colony is doing great. They're actually probably one of my favorites. I've been giving them one or two big protein meals a day, and they are pumping out brood accordingly. The Antpartment nest I made for them is working very nicely, and I solved the condensation issue by heating the top lid. They have spread out more throughout the nest and have brood piles in various locations, but they seem to like the middle chamber best at the moment.

 

One interesting thing I've noticed is that the number of workers out foraging is at a peak shortly before dawn. I think I may try to adjust my feeding to sync up with this surge in activity. This is one of the easiest species I've kept.