96 replies to this topic

[antperson24]

Sunburst is an ant nectar made by byFormica. It is the only sugar source I give my ants. 

Oh, I should look into that.

[ANTdrew]

Update 3-15-2023

 

Jord is all set to start her third season. I picked up the colony last night from the cold basement they have been hibernating in for the past couple of months. Six workers were lost over the winter, but there are plenty of plump larvae and lots of new eggs to replace them already. I hope this colony will really take off this year and pass the 100 worker mark, but we'll have to wait and see. I definitely want to get them a new setup because the lid of their inception chamber is very dirty now and many little cracks have started forming in the round container itself for some reason. Stay tuned!

[antperson24]

Update 3-15-2023

 

Jord is all set to start her third season. I picked up the colony last night from the cold basement they have been hibernating in for the past couple of months. Six workers were lost over the winter, but there are plenty of plump larvae and lots of new eggs to replace them already. I hope this colony will really take off this year and pass the 100 worker mark, but we'll have to wait and see. I definitely want to get them a new setup because the lid of their inception chamber is very dirty now and many little cracks have started forming in the round container itself for some reason. Stay tuned!

Wow, still in that small of nest? I hope they do well in their new one!

[ANTdrew]

It’s not that small considering the size of the colony.

[antperson24]

It’s not that small considering the size of the colony.

How big is the colony? I just assumed they were close to one hundred workers.

[ANTdrew]

Maybe 50, but I need to do a count.

[antperson24]

Maybe 50, but I need to do a count.

Oh that makes sense now.

[ANTdrew]

Update 3-24-23

 

It has really started to warm up in my area recently, and the warmth has helped all my colonies activate back to normal activity levels. Jord is doing great as she enters her third season. Lots of foragers stream out now once they get the word of a food source. I'll be curious to see how much they can grow this year, plus I look forward to getting them into a new setup at some point. I've been feeding them dubia roach pieces as their first protein of the year. Groups of them work together to haul the chunks into the nest. Here is a photo of feeding time two days ago:

 

[aznphenom]

I am definitely hoping to get catch some aphaenogaster too. They were never on my list but I had novomessor and they were super fun to raise. I've been told they're very similar. I think I have only seen a10 around mine once. aphae seems to be the least popular species in my area.

[ANTdrew]

I am definitely hoping to get catch some aphaenogaster too. They were never on my list but I had novomessor and they were super fun to raise. I've been told they're very similar. I think I have only seen a10 around mine once. aphae seems to be the least popular species in my area.

A. treatae are probably just as big as Novomessor. I definitely recommend trying to find them. 

[aznphenom]

 

I am definitely hoping to get catch some aphaenogaster too. They were never on my list but I had novomessor and they were super fun to raise. I've been told they're very similar. I think I have only seen a10 around mine once. aphae seems to be the least popular species in my area.

A. treatae are probably just as big as Novomessor. I definitely recommend trying to find them. 

 

there's no way I would have missed treatae if they're that big and around me. They might be sand loving species so I might check out the trachy area

[ANTdrew]

Update 4-28-2023

 

This colony is really taking off now! Their nest is almost full, and I counted up over 80 workers. They have a massive clump of new eggs as well and brood at various stages of development. All of this leads me to conclude that they will need a new nest very soon. I'll be figuring out what options I have and possibly building some new stuff for them. I have been power-feeding the colony with lots of dubia roaches and mealworms. Up to 20 workers will come out now once food is detected. I'm really proud of this colony. 

 

[ANTdrew]

Update 5-15-2023

 

This colony crossed the threshold to awesomeness at some point last week. Big masses of workers stream out now when they detect food, and there are always 10 or so out foraging at any given time. These ants really love when I refill their liquid feeder with Sunburst nectar. I estimate the colony is getting near to 100 workers finally. Enjoy the photos below.

 

Nest overview:

 

Liquid feeder frenzy. Aphaenogaster do drink liquid sugars! 

 

Protein party:

 

[Ernteameise]

May I ask how often you change the sunburst nectar?
Once a week? Every second day?
I still try to find out the sweet spot for acceptance with my ants.

And great looking colony by the way.

[ANTdrew]

May I ask how often you change the sunburst nectar?
Once a week? Every second day?
I still try to find out the sweet spot for acceptance with my ants.

And great looking colony by the way.

I kind of just do it whenever I think of it. It’s probably every ten days or so.

[ANTdrew]

Update 5-25-2023

 

 These treatae are quickly becoming one of my favorite colonies. They are growing very fast now and are probably near or even over 100 workers. I'll definitely need to upgrade their nest space soon, but I've been so busy that it's hard to find the time to work on the DIY project I have in mind. Hopefully I'll have more time for these sorts of things once I finish teaching for the year. Here is a photo of foragers gathering up tasty mealworm segments. 

 

[ANTdrew]

Update 6-5-2023

 

This colony is undergoing some serious growth, and the time had come for a larger nest. Luckily I had a vacant Fallen Fortress available that worked perfectly for this purpose. I crafted a larger outworld to go with the nest using a Hobby Lobby display case. The move was very easy! I first hooked up the nest to their old outworld via tubing. Then I carried the whole thing outside and exposed them to direct morning sunlight, while the new nest was covered. After a while, I lifted the glass off their Inception Chamber, and that really got them moving. After the queen and brood were moved in, I aspirated remaining workers in the old outworld and dropped them into the new one. The last step was hooking the Fallen Fortress to the new outworld. The whole process took 30 minutes. They look great in the new setup! 

 

 

[ANTdrew]

Update 9-21-23

 Way overdue for an update, but here we go. This colony continues to do very well. They haven't had any explosive growth, but I think they are near 100 workers or maybe a bit more now. Their new Fallen Fortress nest is suiting them well, and so is the outworld I made for them. I'll keep these going probably until November. Stay tuned! 

 

Protein and sugar feeding frenzies. These still go nuts when I top up their Sunburst. 

 

[ANTdrew]

Addendum:
Here is a top down view of their Fallen Fortress, which they’ve filled up nicely.

Temperatures have really dropped here and so has their foraging activity. Such a nice, easy to manage colony.

[ANTdrew]

Update 10-8-2023

 

This species is incredibly rewarding to keep, and here is a quick story to illustrate why. Yesterday, my son caught a blue bottle fly outside with a net. He dropped it live into my colony's outworld, and a lucky worker actually managed to grab hold of it. Many more quickly rushed out to help. They proceeded to remove its wings and dragged it into the nest. Queen Jord herself finished off the kill! Unfortunately it happened so quickly I wasn't able to take photos! This is an open top outworld, by the way, with only fluon holding the ants in!