9 replies to this topic

[Dan_Not_Found]

I got 2 colonies of myrmecocystus navajo today! I've tried to keep this species in the past but with no luck. Hopefully it will be different this time!
Currently they have ~20 workers each.

One colony has a replete already but she's hiding under the queen.

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[AntsCali098]

Very nice! Navajo are cute little ants.

[Dan_Not_Found]

The colonies are still alive, but there doesn't seem to be much brood or progress at all. They both only have a few medium sized larvae, no eggs, no cocoons, and I'm getting sort of concerned as it's been like this ever since I moved them into mini hearths. I might just be overthinking this, but is there something I'm doing wrong? Their water towers are filled, they have sand, they're on a heating pad, and I offer them protein every week (which they rarely ever accept). Any help at all would be much appreciated!

Edited by Dan_Not_Found, March 21 2023 - 6:49 PM.

[Locness]

What protein are you feeding?

[Dan_Not_Found]

What protein are you feeding?

Mostly mealworms, should I try a different feeder insect?

[rptraut]

I don't raise this kind of ant, but I know all of my small colonies readily accept cooked chicken liver.  It's the first thing I feed them because I know they will always accept it.  I also find my colonies absolutely love flies, not just fruit flies, but house flies, deer flies, cluster flies, hover flies .....really any kind of fly.  However, they won't care much about any kind of protein if they haven't got brood to feed.   For that you need the queen to lay eggs.  Consider why she might not be doing this.  Does she need more privacy.  In your photos she looks pretty forlorn in a barren landscape, my queens usually like a dark hole where they can feel secure and go about the business of laying eggs.  Maybe this kind of ant doesn.t require this, but if there is one thing I've learned it's that every queen is different.  Some queens will lay eggs in broad daylight in a test tube while others will eat their brood the first time you check on them.  Try giving her a dark place to hide and she if she responds.  As I said, I don't raise these kinds of ants, but hopefully some of these suggestions might help.

[aznphenom]

Very nice! Navajo are cute little ants.

they're too small for my taste. I like to call ghost ants because they're so transparent looking. But we have the choice between mexicanus and navajo, most would pick mexicanus for the size

[UtahAnts]

Sometimes these small colonies just need to be force-fed. I'd recommend cutting your meal worms into very small and manageable sizes and placing them directly down the tube into the nest. Many on this forum may be opposed to directly feeding colonies in the nest for a variety of valid reasons, such as mold. But as long as the serving sizes are manageable, I find small bits of food in the nest stimulates foraging and trash removal, not to mention the larvae start bulking up after a couple of feeding sessions. 

Edited by UtahAnts, March 22 2023 - 10:15 AM.

[Locness]

What protein are you feeding?

Mostly mealworms, should I try a different feeder insect?

I've fed my pots almost exclusively on fruit flies. They are easy to hunt for the ants. For starting colonies, I prekilled the flies. If they had trouble getting the food, I dropped the dead flies into the nest. Worked every time.

[rptraut]

I have one small colony (I think they're neoniger) that are reluctant to eat anything out in the open. I now put their food in an entrance and cover it with a pull tab from a cream container. As soon as it's covered, they swarm it and pull it into the nest. If they don't want it I clean it out next day. They are also very good about bringing garbage out. Make sure you only feed them as much as they can clean up between feedings. Mold mostly grows on uneaten food. If they're eating everything, no mold!
RPT