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Odontomachus - issues passing founding stage


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15 replies to this topic

#1 Offline johnnas87 - Posted July 6 2021 - 9:15 PM

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Hi fellow hobbyist. I have been quite unfortunate as an ant-keeper to my favorite species of ant, the trapjaw.
I currently have 4 queens in at standard test tube setup with soil bits, 3 of which have eggs. Now the puzzling thing is i do not see the eggs growing to larvae even though i have them for more than a month now. These queens are fed cut-up crickets once every 3-4 days, kept in a dark storage room where they are only moved when fed/to remove food waste.

The oldest queen I have was caught in Feb 2021, that is close to 5 months already. And her eggs still appear like tiny specks.
My questions are:
1. Are all my queens infertile? My definition of infertile means mated but biologically not laying eggs that will develop to larvae.
or
2. Are my queens not mated? If so wouldn't they die off since the instinct to grow a colony ends with their inability to reproduce?
or
3. The setup is inhabitable such that stress is causing them to eat the eggs.

I appreciate any help given or insights to what I can learn on. I currently live in Singapore where the climate is hot and humid.


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#2 Offline SYUTEO - Posted July 6 2021 - 9:59 PM

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Trap jaws like humidity, is your setup too dry?


Began antkeeping in 2018  :)

 

All ant journal: https://www.formicul...os-ant-journal/


#3 Offline johnnas87 - Posted July 6 2021 - 10:22 PM

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Trap jaws like humidity, is your setup too dry?

 

Hi i don't think so, my test tubes are still full on water.



#4 Offline SYUTEO - Posted July 6 2021 - 10:24 PM

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Trap jaws like humidity, is your setup too dry?

 

Hi i don't think so, my test tubes are still full on water.

 

Is the substrate dry?


Began antkeeping in 2018  :)

 

All ant journal: https://www.formicul...os-ant-journal/


#5 Offline DIACAMMAWORLDCOOL - Posted July 6 2021 - 11:10 PM

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Hi fellow hobbyist. I have been quite unfortunate as an ant-keeper to my favorite species of ant, the trapjaw.
I currently have 4 queens in at standard test tube setup with soil bits, 3 of which have eggs. Now the puzzling thing is i do not see the eggs growing to larvae even though i have them for more than a month now. These queens are fed cut-up crickets once every 3-4 days, kept in a dark storage room where they are only moved when fed/to remove food waste.

The oldest queen I have was caught in Feb 2021, that is close to 5 months already. And her eggs still appear like tiny specks.
My questions are:
1. Are all my queens infertile? My definition of infertile means mated but biologically not laying eggs that will develop to larvae.
or
2. Are my queens not mated? If so wouldn't they die off since the instinct to grow a colony ends with their inability to reproduce?
or
3. The setup is inhabitable such that stress is causing them to eat the eggs.

I appreciate any help given or insights to what I can learn on. I currently live in Singapore where the climate is hot and humid.

Ok so I have kept tons of trap jaw queens and most just die off. This is mainly because of cannibalism. Trap jaw queens and developing colonies must be daily fed insects and some they won't accept. If this routine is interrupted the queen will end up eating her own eggs or brood. And I suggest keeping trap jaws in complete dirt setups where they can dig into soil.

In your case maybe try other food materials? And are all the queens collected from a single colony or area? Idk maybe it could be fertility issues like u mentioned. I would suggest collecting queens from another colony or area.

 

P.S Keeping trap jaw queens is frustrating. They will consume their own brood/workers with the most delicate of disturbances. I suggest dirt setups coz I find they do better in there.
Hopefully your situation improves.



#6 Offline johnnas87 - Posted July 6 2021 - 11:53 PM

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Hi fellow hobbyist. I have been quite unfortunate as an ant-keeper to my favorite species of ant, the trapjaw.
I currently have 4 queens in at standard test tube setup with soil bits, 3 of which have eggs. Now the puzzling thing is i do not see the eggs growing to larvae even though i have them for more than a month now. These queens are fed cut-up crickets once every 3-4 days, kept in a dark storage room where they are only moved when fed/to remove food waste.

The oldest queen I have was caught in Feb 2021, that is close to 5 months already. And her eggs still appear like tiny specks.
My questions are:
1. Are all my queens infertile? My definition of infertile means mated but biologically not laying eggs that will develop to larvae.
or
2. Are my queens not mated? If so wouldn't they die off since the instinct to grow a colony ends with their inability to reproduce?
or
3. The setup is inhabitable such that stress is causing them to eat the eggs.

I appreciate any help given or insights to what I can learn on. I currently live in Singapore where the climate is hot and humid.

Ok so I have kept tons of trap jaw queens and most just die off. This is mainly because of cannibalism. Trap jaw queens and developing colonies must be daily fed insects and some they won't accept. If this routine is interrupted the queen will end up eating her own eggs or brood. And I suggest keeping trap jaws in complete dirt setups where they can dig into soil.

In your case maybe try other food materials? And are all the queens collected from a single colony or area? Idk maybe it could be fertility issues like u mentioned. I would suggest collecting queens from another colony or area.

 

P.S Keeping trap jaw queens is frustrating. They will consume their own brood/workers with the most delicate of disturbances. I suggest dirt setups coz I find they do better in there.
Hopefully your situation improves.

 

Wow daily feed? I'll try your suggestion. I had better chances with crickets, they didn't really like mealworms. Maybe i can try alternating their food. Do u also think i shld mix it up with sugar/honey at the founding stages? Or just stay on protein?

 

I doubt these queens are from the same colony. They were all caught at random near my home across different months.

 

I'll probably try moving them to soil again. I didn't get any success from soil previously. Visibility was bad as well when the queen was tunneled. Darn trapjaws are a really difficult bunch to adopt. Thanks for the suggestion Diacammaworldcool!



#7 Offline SYUTEO - Posted July 7 2021 - 12:00 AM

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Hi fellow hobbyist. I have been quite unfortunate as an ant-keeper to my favorite species of ant, the trapjaw.
I currently have 4 queens in at standard test tube setup with soil bits, 3 of which have eggs. Now the puzzling thing is i do not see the eggs growing to larvae even though i have them for more than a month now. These queens are fed cut-up crickets once every 3-4 days, kept in a dark storage room where they are only moved when fed/to remove food waste.

The oldest queen I have was caught in Feb 2021, that is close to 5 months already. And her eggs still appear like tiny specks.
My questions are:
1. Are all my queens infertile? My definition of infertile means mated but biologically not laying eggs that will develop to larvae.
or
2. Are my queens not mated? If so wouldn't they die off since the instinct to grow a colony ends with their inability to reproduce?
or
3. The setup is inhabitable such that stress is causing them to eat the eggs.

I appreciate any help given or insights to what I can learn on. I currently live in Singapore where the climate is hot and humid.

Ok so I have kept tons of trap jaw queens and most just die off. This is mainly because of cannibalism. Trap jaw queens and developing colonies must be daily fed insects and some they won't accept. If this routine is interrupted the queen will end up eating her own eggs or brood. And I suggest keeping trap jaws in complete dirt setups where they can dig into soil.

In your case maybe try other food materials? And are all the queens collected from a single colony or area? Idk maybe it could be fertility issues like u mentioned. I would suggest collecting queens from another colony or area.

 

P.S Keeping trap jaw queens is frustrating. They will consume their own brood/workers with the most delicate of disturbances. I suggest dirt setups coz I find they do better in there.
Hopefully your situation improves.

 

Wow daily feed? I'll try your suggestion. I had better chances with crickets, they didn't really like mealworms. Maybe i can try alternating their food. Do u also think i shld mix it up with sugar/honey at the founding stages? Or just stay on protein?

 

I doubt these queens are from the same colony. They were all caught at random near my home across different months.

 

I'll probably try moving them to soil again. I didn't get any success from soil previously. Visibility was bad as well when the queen was tunneled. Darn trapjaws are a really difficult bunch to adopt. Thanks for the suggestion Diacammaworldcool!

 

Trap jaws don't need honey or sugar during the founding stage and they would most likely ignore it.


Began antkeeping in 2018  :)

 

All ant journal: https://www.formicul...os-ant-journal/


#8 Offline johnnas87 - Posted July 7 2021 - 4:38 AM

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update: have tried feeding them again today. Boy they were hungry even though they were just fed yst.  



#9 Offline Manitobant - Posted July 7 2021 - 4:50 AM

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Put soil, preferably coco fiber, in their test tube. You don’t need to move them to strictly soil based setups.

#10 Offline DIACAMMAWORLDCOOL - Posted July 7 2021 - 7:49 PM

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Put soil, preferably coco fiber, in their test tube. You don’t need to move them to strictly soil based setups.

No but they do well in them.Or so I think.

 

 

 

 

Hi fellow hobbyist. I have been quite unfortunate as an ant-keeper to my favorite species of ant, the trapjaw.
I currently have 4 queens in at standard test tube setup with soil bits, 3 of which have eggs. Now the puzzling thing is i do not see the eggs growing to larvae even though i have them for more than a month now. These queens are fed cut-up crickets once every 3-4 days, kept in a dark storage room where they are only moved when fed/to remove food waste.

The oldest queen I have was caught in Feb 2021, that is close to 5 months already. And her eggs still appear like tiny specks.
My questions are:
1. Are all my queens infertile? My definition of infertile means mated but biologically not laying eggs that will develop to larvae.
or
2. Are my queens not mated? If so wouldn't they die off since the instinct to grow a colony ends with their inability to reproduce?
or
3. The setup is inhabitable such that stress is causing them to eat the eggs.

I appreciate any help given or insights to what I can learn on. I currently live in Singapore where the climate is hot and humid.

Ok so I have kept tons of trap jaw queens and most just die off. This is mainly because of cannibalism. Trap jaw queens and developing colonies must be daily fed insects and some they won't accept. If this routine is interrupted the queen will end up eating her own eggs or brood. And I suggest keeping trap jaws in complete dirt setups where they can dig into soil.

In your case maybe try other food materials? And are all the queens collected from a single colony or area? Idk maybe it could be fertility issues like u mentioned. I would suggest collecting queens from another colony or area.

 

P.S Keeping trap jaw queens is frustrating. They will consume their own brood/workers with the most delicate of disturbances. I suggest dirt setups coz I find they do better in there.
Hopefully your situation improves.

 

Wow daily feed? I'll try your suggestion. I had better chances with crickets, they didn't really like mealworms. Maybe i can try alternating their food. Do u also think i shld mix it up with sugar/honey at the founding stages? Or just stay on protein?

 

I doubt these queens are from the same colony. They were all caught at random near my home across different months.

 

I'll probably try moving them to soil again. I didn't get any success from soil previously. Visibility was bad as well when the queen was tunneled. Darn trapjaws are a really difficult bunch to adopt. Thanks for the suggestion Diacammaworldcool!

 

Trap jaws don't need honey or sugar during the founding stage and they would most likely ignore it.

 

Some sps. are carnivorous.



#11 Offline DIACAMMAWORLDCOOL - Posted July 7 2021 - 7:50 PM

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Edited by DIACAMMAWORLDCOOL, July 7 2021 - 7:51 PM.


#12 Offline DIACAMMAWORLDCOOL - Posted July 7 2021 - 7:52 PM

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update: have tried feeding them again today. Boy they were hungry even though they were just fed yst.  

Exactly.



#13 Offline johnnas87 - Posted July 7 2021 - 11:17 PM

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Update: 

Oh man I cannot express how happy I am. Apparently there is a huge larvae right beside the pile of eggs. I almost mistook it for food remnants until i brought the tube out under the window lighting and lo and behold, this cutie. I think there were more hanging around the top edges of the glass surface. 

 

PS: Would love to show u guys but i've no idea how to upload an image haha


Edited by johnnas87, July 7 2021 - 11:20 PM.


#14 Offline DIACAMMAWORLDCOOL - Posted July 8 2021 - 12:55 AM

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Update: 

Oh man I cannot express how happy I am. Apparently there is a huge larvae right beside the pile of eggs. I almost mistook it for food remnants until i brought the tube out under the window lighting and lo and behold, this cutie. I think there were more hanging around the top edges of the glass surface. 

 

PS: Would love to show u guys but i've no idea how to upload an image haha

just click on gallery>upload>and then upload pic,either as a private or public one.

you may have to create a album.



#15 Offline Superant33 - Posted July 13 2021 - 8:42 PM

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As others have stated, make sure you have substrate. I use a mix of coconut fiber and sand. Feed small soft bodied insects. Fruit flies are my staple food. Termites are their favorite food. Add springtails. My smaller Odontomachus actively feed on them. The larger species ignore them. Regardless, springtails will help reduce mold growth. I start all of my Odontomachus in test tubes. A test tube is fine.

#16 Offline Superant33 - Posted July 13 2021 - 8:43 PM

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As others have stated, make sure you have substrate. I use a mix of coconut fiber and sand. Feed small soft bodied insects. Fruit flies are my staple food. Termites are their favorite food. Add springtails. My smaller Odontomachus actively feed on them. The larger species ignore them. Regardless, springtails will help reduce mold growth. I start all of my Odontomachus in test tubes. A test tube is fine.




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