113 replies to this topic

[ANTdrew]

Snow in April? That's gangsta!

[Antcatcherpro3]

I know. This storm brought more than rain. I was supprised myself. The forcast said it would snow in western MA, but it snowed all the way to the coast. Hard.

[Kaelwizard]

Snow in April? That's gangsta!

Snowed here a day or two ago.

[Antkeeper01]

Whelp, because it was raining today in MA I would of said that there was going to maybe be a flight of Preno, but it ended up snowing instead.....

4 inches like us

 

Snow in April? That's gangsta!

Snowed here a day or two ago.

 

snowed here 4 inches yesterday

[Antcatcherpro3]

Crazy. I'm going to tennessee for april break this week, so I won't be posting for a while. But after I will make a post of all the species I find 

I'm also getting away from the cold weather. lol

[mantisgal]

go out this week, it could happen for you!

 

Was out on my deck and peeked in my cistern, saw a golden blob. A fifth Queen! Had she drowned? I scooped her into a clay dish to dry and brought her inside. She soon felt warm and dry enough to begin exploring the dish: Not Drowned! Wings still on but that could be because falling in water delayed their removal. 

 

Rather than disturb an existing Queen chamber she has been given her own tube and cardboard sleeve, so we shall see about the wings. Bowers are approximately 22C.

 

Current plan is to check no sooner than Saturday if I cannot resist the urge to look.

[Canadian anter]

Woot! This is exciting

[Antcatcherpro3]

You know what. I've might post this week. I thought it might be to big to fit in my bag but I could try to squeeze mt computer in.

[AntsDakota]

When you put the queens in pairs, they have more eggs, and supercolonies are just really cool.

Yes. Two queens is not a supercolony. At best it will increase the number of nanitics produced, but after that the amount of eggs laid will be the same as if they had one queen, in most cases. The queens alternate in egg laying, so it may prolong their lifespans, as there is less stress on their ovaries, but other than that it will not affect keeping them in any way. I prefer polygynous colonies solely because of the visual aesthetics. 

Snow in April? That's gangsta!

Haha, happens here all of the time. Try snow in May as well, on top of that.

[ANTdrew]

Nah, I’m good, bro!

[TennesseeAnts]

Crazy. I'm going to tennessee for april break this week, so I won't be posting for a while. But after I will make a post of all the species I find 

I'm also getting away from the cold weather. lol

Good luck with that, lol. We're not a whole lot better right now. Another strange weather pattern hit us again and now we're back down into the low-mid 60s. Later this week we're supposed to get back into the 70s and 80s, though, so I'm dying until then.

[Antkeeper01]

 

Crazy. I'm going to tennessee for april break this week, so I won't be posting for a while. But after I will make a post of all the species I find 

I'm also getting away from the cold weather. lol

Good luck with that, lol. We're not a whole lot better right now. Another strange weather pattern hit us again and now we're back down into the low-mid 60s. Later this week we're supposed to get back into the 70s and 80s, though, so I'm dying until then.

 

here the high for the next 2 days is 59

[mantisgal]

So i have peeked and Queen number 5 is whaling away at her blocking cotton, I might just let her out. I took the fastest peeks ever at the paired queens who were both in cuddle mode so I think they're OK. Did not fully inspect, just looked for motion, so if there are eggs I do not yet know. Perhaps at next week's peek. Will be back to update on Queen 5

[mantisgal]

I HAS EGGS

[NPLT]

I HAS EGGS

[There's no emote for applause but pretend there is one here]

Congratulations!

[mantisgal]

Thank you. I just had a feeling and decided to check on the pair I found wingless and housed together ❤. In the light I saw perhaps up to a dozen eggs, carefully guarded by their Lady Mothers.

I will try to photograph under red light later when the sun sets so no white light interferes. I would like to shift them into the single dark box I threw together for the 5th queen I caught: if I'm going to be taking them out again I may as well test this camera.

This colony will be known as Prenny Lane

[mantisgal]

caught another 9 Queens when I went to dig up a plant from the vacant lot next door. When I put in my spade I unearthed a nest, so I just started grabbing. Put 6 in a tube. Then i had an Idea. A wonderful, terrible idea. I grabbed an AC tube and watered it and socked it onto a teensy weensy connector chamber, then went back and tossed 3 more Queens and a few wild workers in. For Science. I have darkshades on all new tubes, and will offer the workers food soon.

 

Peeked at Lil Miss Lonely. she is calm and washy - no longer pulling on exit cotton, still has wings. Was thinking of adding her to the newest Science group but I saw a Speck that may be an Egg??? If she has laid will she abandon the tube for greener pastures with her pals or will she refuse to leave? Plan hiccup: glass tubes are wider diameter than outworld connector. Do I knock'er in and eff the egg?

 

No update on Prenny Lane, I find it is easier not to look at them now that I know they have started brooding

 

Hooray for Science!

[AntsDakota]

Unmated queens can lay eggs as well, they're just not mated. If the queen truly is mated, she should lay at least several more, clump them into a ball, and carry them around. If they're randomly scattered around the tube and she doesn't seem to give a darn about them she most likely isn't mated. But neither are absolute signs, just general traits. 

[mantisgal]

I'm just going to hafta wait and see. For Science!

 

Just had a Bad Feeling, checked on the tube of 6. Water seepage! Dumped them into the Science Outpost, so there's 9 Queens in there, a half dozen workers, and at least 2 Queens dropped wings.

 

Lil Miss Lonely only had one egg looking thing. Checked on Wing & Wingless: Wing is active, Wingless appears to be brooding over a few speckles.

 

Gave the Science Outpost half an earthworm and one worker is on it, vibing hard, gaster a-wiggle. Will check shortly to make sure I saw joy and not the flailing of a stuck foot

Edited by mantisgal, April 18 2021 - 10:20 AM.

[mantisgal]

I think tomorrow I will let the Science Outpost out if they're still unhappy, tho several Queens are holed up in a tube. I'm just collecting to collect now and that's unfair to them. I shouldn't keep more than I have resources for, and there will be more Queens, the year is yet young and Camponotus are due