109 replies to this topic

[JCRHJM]

Well it took a while but we got there, the final forficata worker has eclosed. 

This brings the colony to five ants total with no eggs currently though I am hoping that will change soon as the queen is looking quite physogastric. 

I was always under the impression that forficata was a smaller bull ant, but looking at these workers they are at least 2+ cm with some even pushing 2.5 so a real "giant" bull ant. They had actually stashed the last empty cocoon inside the alternate test tube so I only realised the worker had eclosed when I decided to check on them. 

 

I will be moving them into their formicarium later today and I'll get some more photos then.

 

Regarding the Nigrocincta colony, they are doing well with 2 large larvae, a good pile of eggs and a few small larvae. I might have missed a few though as they are the same colour as the formicarium floor. One of the workers did appear to be sickly yesterday so I removed her and placed her in another container just in case she was down with some pathogen. As of right now, she is dead though the rest of the ants are looking healthy and are taking protein. 

[JCRHJM]

Well I moved them into the formicarium today, but some unexpected things happened,

 

I noticed that one of the smaller workers had a growth coming out of its thorax, it looked like a worm that curved upwards so I initially mistook it for one of its legs. I only saw it once I had placed the test tube into the new formicarium outworld and I knew I had to remove the worker from the colony. I am fairly sure it is some sort of parasite, likely a nematode, I initially thought it was cordyceps though this is unlikely as a growth only forms once the ant has deceased. It is also possible that the this was a deformity in the ant as workers have only eclosed for a few weeks while the queen (which appears fine) has been with me for many months. The worker was also a little weaker than the others and had a bum leg so I knew things weren't going well for it. I had to remove it from the colony to prevent further infections once the alleged parasite reached the final stage of its life cycle and is currently isolated in another container. Its a bummer to cut the colony down but it had to be done, it is also possible that other workers or the queen herself might be infected as well so I will be observing their condition carefully over the next couple of weeks. As for the worker I will be keeping it away and feeding it honey to see what happens.

 

Here is a picture of it, with the worm like projection curving up from its thorax. 

 

As for some good news, the forficata have brood, more than 10 eggs and 1 small larvae.

 

If anyone has any idea what might be happening to that worker or any suggestions on how to proceed I am all ears. 

 

Edited by JCRHJM, December 10 2021 - 2:14 AM.

[PaigeX]

 

Well I moved them into the formicarium today, but some unexpected things happened,

 

I noticed that one of the smaller workers had a growth coming out of its thorax, it looked like a worm that curved upwards so I initially mistook it for one of its legs. I only saw it once I had placed the test tube into the new formicarium outworld and I knew I had to remove the worker from the colony. I am fairly sure it is some sort of parasite, likely a nematode, I initially thought it was cordyceps though this is unlikely as a growth only forms once the ant has deceased. It is also possible that the this was a deformity in the ant as workers have only eclosed for a few weeks while the queen (which appears fine) has been with me for many months. The worker was also a little weaker than the others and had a bum leg so I knew things weren't going well for it. I had to remove it from the colony to prevent further infections once the alleged parasite reached the final stage of its life cycle and is currently isolated in another container. Its a bummer to cut the colony down but it had to be done, it is also possible that other workers or the queen herself might be infected as well so I will be observing their condition carefully over the next couple of weeks. As for the worker I will be keeping it away and feeding it honey to see what happens.

 

Here is a picture of it, with the worm like projection curving up from its thorax. 

 

 

As for some good news, the forficata have brood, more than 10 eggs and 1 small larvae.

 

 

If anyone has any idea what might be happening to that worker or any suggestions on how to proceed I am all ears. 

 

 

Maybe its a deformed seventh leg. An anomaly growth, as I would think the queen would have succumb to any parasite by now. If it passes away, I would keep the Ant, pin it then send it in for analysis.

[JCRHJM]

 

 

Well I moved them into the formicarium today, but some unexpected things happened,

 

I noticed that one of the smaller workers had a growth coming out of its thorax, it looked like a worm that curved upwards so I initially mistook it for one of its legs. I only saw it once I had placed the test tube into the new formicarium outworld and I knew I had to remove the worker from the colony. I am fairly sure it is some sort of parasite, likely a nematode, I initially thought it was cordyceps though this is unlikely as a growth only forms once the ant has deceased. It is also possible that the this was a deformity in the ant as workers have only eclosed for a few weeks while the queen (which appears fine) has been with me for many months. The worker was also a little weaker than the others and had a bum leg so I knew things weren't going well for it. I had to remove it from the colony to prevent further infections once the alleged parasite reached the final stage of its life cycle and is currently isolated in another container. Its a bummer to cut the colony down but it had to be done, it is also possible that other workers or the queen herself might be infected as well so I will be observing their condition carefully over the next couple of weeks. As for the worker I will be keeping it away and feeding it honey to see what happens.

 

Here is a picture of it, with the worm like projection curving up from its thorax. 

 

 

As for some good news, the forficata have brood, more than 10 eggs and 1 small larvae.

 

 

If anyone has any idea what might be happening to that worker or any suggestions on how to proceed I am all ears. 

 

 

Maybe its a deformed seventh leg. An anomaly growth, as I would think the queen would have succumb to any parasite by now. If it passes away, I would keep the Ant, pin it then send it in for analysis.

 

I actually have good reason to believe now that the projection is actually part of a clipped wing, this is for a number of reasons, the worker in question has a larger hump on its thorax compared to other workers of forficata which would indicate wing muscles. Also the growth extends directly from the place where wings would be, also parallel to it on the other side of the ant, there is a second projection though this is much smaller, indicating a likely pair of wings. 

 

This means that if my theory is correct, a queen alate was produced as part of the first generation before the workers clipped her wings. I know this typically is not known to happen though extensive research has not been conducted into the biology of myrmecia. 

 

I will still be isolating this ant for a period of time, just to confirm its health as well as to allow me to draw closer comparisons in its morphology to the rest of the workers. If all turns out well, i will be returning her back to her family.

[JCRHJM]

Forficata meets Nigrocincta 

Since these ants have excellent eyesight, they immediately recognised each other and the overall interaction was like 2 dogs barking at each other across a fence, the size difference is also evident and this is one of the smaller forficata workers. 

The forficata worker will remain in self isolation for another week or so before being added back to the main colony 

Edited by JCRHJM, December 13 2021 - 1:30 AM.

[JCRHJM]

Time for a big update, 

 

The rhytidoponera metallica are chugging along, not really explosive growth but they are growing. I'll continue feeding them protein. They have started to tunnel against the plastic, I'm looking forward to seeing them expand those.

 

The nigrocincta are doing well also, I lost a worker about a week ago but the rest of the colony members have been fine since then so its probably no big deal, they did reject a frozen - thawed cricket which is a little annoying but they have been taking mealworms with enthusiasm. I'll continue trying to get them to take frozen crickets as that would be the more convenient protein option. 

 

nigrocincta having a party in the outworld:

 

I added the quarantined forficata worker back to the colony and things didn't go as planned........ I probably should have seen this coming as the worker had been removed for around a week and it's colony scent had likely worn off. When it came in contact with the first worker, the quarantined individual was grabbed in the mandibles and dragged away, I imagine this would be to remove it from the premises of the colony but since they were in an enclosed space there was nowhere to go. This continued for several hours, they weren't exactly fighting as neither was trying to sting the other and the quarantined individual seemed to be complying. At some points I would see the quarantined individual in the nest with the others before the dragging resumed. As of right now, it is underneath a driftwood piece and seems mostly okay despite the rough treatment. It seems to be "banished" from the rest of the colony. 

 

 

I will also be adding a camponotus aeneopilosus colony to this journal which I moved into a formicarium yesterday, there are 7 workers, 6 good sized larvae, a couple of eggs and a very physogastric queen. These guys are extremely active and are the fastest moving of all the ants in my collection, dare I say it, these guys are probably my favourite. They moved in very quickly when I heated up the formicarium and will be confined to the initial chambers until they grow in size. 

 

[JCRHJM]

I have removed the quarantined forficata worker and released her into my garden, the reason for this was that today I saw her having a confrontation with the queen. It seems that the workers of this founding colony no longer behave aggressively towards it though the queen does. She had grabbed onto the quarantined workers leg and the worker was attempting to bite back, both of them were pulsating their abdomens, although the queen was much larger I knew that one sting from the worker and this colony was doomed. After a few nerve wracking minutes, the quarantined worker was released and exited the nest which allowed me to swiftly plug the hole and extract it. I also noticed that the pile of small larvae had turned into 1 surprisingly large larvae accompanied by a smaller one. I wonder if the stress from the alien worker was causing them to feed the brood to themselves. 

 

^ The queen and worker are tussling in the bottom right.

 

The nigrocincta colony has had one of its larvae spin a cocoon with another larvae appearing to be at a mature size. I did notice a large larvae which was a more creamy colour and had a more ribbed appearance, I believe this is what happens to larvae that fail to spin but I am not sure. The nigrocincta also have a decent pile of eggs and small larvae which is great to see. 

[JCRHJM]

Update time,

 

The nigrocincta colony now has 2 cocoons, as I predicted the unpupated larvae got eaten. There is also a batch of small larvae and a few eggs, they recently took a live cricket which gives them a nice break from the mealworms. This colony will soon be moving into their permanent home which will be another gated formicarium.

 

 

The forficata still have 1 larvae but are eating well, they took a cricket as well. Hopefully the queen lays a new batch of eggs soon.

 

The rhytidoponera seem to be more active on the surface now and have dug more and more tunnels. I expect that soon the dirt setup will be an absolute labyrinth.

 

The aeneopilosus were given a weakened cricket which they attacked and sprayed formic acid at but haven't seem to have eaten. They have now dragged it into their nest along with a mealworm carcass which they seem to be using as a rubbish area. I will be introducing springtails to their setup soon. 

[ANTdrew]

That formicarium seems quite large for a young colony.

[JCRHJM]

That formicarium seems quite large for a young colony.

It has gates so the colony will be confined to a smaller section for now 

[ANTdrew]

Ah, that’s good.

[PaigeX]

Ah, that’s good.

Yea there are little slots of plastic you can pull out to give more chambers as the colony grows. 
https://www.antshopa...arge-outworld-1
I'm guessing they got it on sale (best time to buy). I've been thinking of getting one my self but wanted to try making more nests before I buy acrylic.

 

Other shop is not on sale but you can see the gates better here.
https://www.queenofa...rmicarium-large

Edited by PaigeX, December 28 2021 - 8:35 AM.

[JCRHJM]

 

Ah, that’s good.

Yea there are little slots of plastic you can pull out to give more chambers as the colony grows. 
https://www.antshopa...arge-outworld-1
I'm guessing they got it on sale (best time to buy). I've been thinking of getting one my self but wanted to try making more nests before I buy acrylic.

 

Other shop is not on sale but you can see the gates better here.
https://www.queenofa...rmicarium-large

 

Yeah the gates are a real life saver when it comes to saving money and avoiding colony stress from moving nests

[JCRHJM]

I ACCIDENTALLY CRUSHED A NIGROCINCTA WORKER !!! ((

 

I was moving the water test tube about before it fell on an unfortunate worker, fortunately these ants are extremely tough, it lay there for a few seconds before slowly starting to get up. A few nearby workers came over to investigate and touched their stricken sister with their antennae. The crushed worker spent the next few minutes regaining its footing, from what I can see no haemolymph was spilled and started moving about gingerly again. Now it seems to be moving fine but that was definitely a mistake I won't be repeating. 

[RonPopeil]

can you go into a little more detail on the temperatures/humidity levels youre keeping in with the forficata? I'm also interested in the sugars youre providing, i think you mentioned honey....but is that it? 

[Antkeeper_21]

I ACCIDENTALLY CRUSHED A NIGROCINCTA WORKER !!! ((

 

I was moving the water test tube about before it fell on an unfortunate worker, fortunately these ants are extremely tough, it lay there for a few seconds before slowly starting to get up. A few nearby workers came over to investigate and touched their stricken sister with their antennae. The crushed worker spent the next few minutes regaining its footing, from what I can see no haemolymph was spilled and started moving about gingerly again. Now it seems to be moving fine but that was definitely a mistake I won't be repeating. 

That’s some lucky ant to survive a 75? gram container falling on them without taking any serious damage. Can you send the picture where the worker got injured.

[JCRHJM]

can you go into a little more detail on the temperatures/humidity levels youre keeping in with the forficata? I'm also interested in the sugars youre providing, i think you mentioned honey....but is that it? 

I'm keeping the forficata at whatever the indoor temperature is, these guys are not fussy at all when it comes to temperature though they will grow faster if kept warmer. As for humidity they have a water source so they can self regulate though the overall nest should not be too moist. Sugars are mostly raw honey with sugar water occasionally. 

[JCRHJM]

 

I ACCIDENTALLY CRUSHED A NIGROCINCTA WORKER !!! ((

 

I was moving the water test tube about before it fell on an unfortunate worker, fortunately these ants are extremely tough, it lay there for a few seconds before slowly starting to get up. A few nearby workers came over to investigate and touched their stricken sister with their antennae. The crushed worker spent the next few minutes regaining its footing, from what I can see no haemolymph was spilled and started moving about gingerly again. Now it seems to be moving fine but that was definitely a mistake I won't be repeating. 

That’s some lucky ant to survive a 75? gram container falling on them without taking any serious damage. Can you send the picture where the worker got injured.

 

here is the pic of the other workers crowding around their stricken friend

As of now, I'm unable to distinguish the injured one from the others so I assume she is back to normal, there have also been no worker deaths in this time period. I think the main thing was that the exoskeleton was not broken but these guys definitely are extremely durable. 

Edited by JCRHJM, January 2 2022 - 3:05 PM.

[JCRHJM]

Time for another big update,

 

The Aeneopilosus have been progressing well, they have 2 cocoons and a good batch of eggs/small larvae to go along with the 3 or so large larvae they have. They don't seem to consume protein much at the moment but that's probably because they already have it stockpiled in their abdomens.

 

 

 

The rhytidoponera metallica are continuing to dig tunnels through their dirt setup, different entrances are appearing and disappearing all the time, I'm excited to see the finished product which would be a big labyrinth filled with ants. They are also a lot more active and numerous above ground now so I will be increasing their protein intake.

 

 

The nigrocincta are currently in the process of moving into their new setup. I am waiting for their old nest to dry out though they currently have not shown much interest in their new one. As of today they did accept a frozen - boiled cricket as well as a mealworm piece which is good news. Currently have 2 cocoons, 3 medium larvae and a pile of eggs.

 

 

The forficata have now laid a new sizeable batch of eggs, I didn't expect them to pump out the third generation so quickly though I suppose eating all but one of the 2nd gen larvae helped. They also have 1 decent sized larvae which should be cocooning in the next few weeks.

 

 

Edited by JCRHJM, January 4 2022 - 7:18 PM.

[JCRHJM]

Annoyingly, the aeneopilosus are back to eating their mature larvae despite an abundant amount of protein provided, I guess this is just ants being ants. At least there is a very sizeable cluster of eggs/small larvae 

Edited by JCRHJM, January 5 2022 - 4:12 PM.