4 replies to this topic

[Demoant]

Hello everyone! Hope all of you are doing well and your colonies thriving. After dealing with my exams (including the most important university entrance exam), I am coming back to the hobby.
Before you ask, all the ants in the old journal are gone, either given away or euthenized. I did give some to my good friend Leo which you can follow him here:

https://www.formicul...apone-ooceraea/

 

List of ants currently present:
Camponotus sp.(undescribed sp.)
Paratopula bauhinia

Dilobocondyla fouqueti

Cataulacus granulatus

 

List of previously kept ants:

refer to old journal:https://www.formicul...ts-ant-journal/

 

 

Updates will come monthly as I don't have that much to share right now.

Edited by Demoant, April 29 2024 - 1:42 AM.

[Demoant]

29th April 2024

The first week after the exams...

 

 

Camponotus sp.

1Q, ~40 wor

This is a fairly small but charming Camponotus. They have this reddish brown chestnut colour that is pleasing to the eye. Found them nesting in some dead branches while hiking before my exams and took them back home.

This is one of the few photos I took where the queen is in frame. Since I actually put a piece of their old stick nest as the entrace, she has been hiding there and only coming out occasionally.

 

These are recent photos (taken today actually). The colony has been growing very well, callows can be seen everytime I check on them and they always have a good amount of brood.

 

And this is one of the majors in the colony. They act as repletes, constantly having their abdomen swollen with food.

 

 

Paratopula Bauhinia

1Q, 1Q

Caught 2 queens during a night hunt. I originally put them together, but reconsidered and separated them. I don't think P.bauhinia or in fact any Paratopula allow multi-queen founding.

This is one of the queens. I didn't want to disturb them that much as they are prone to stress. 
Paratopula is infamous for how difficult it is for them to found. I have some experience under my belt so now it really is just about luck.

 

 

Dilobocondyla fouqueti 

1Q

Another speices that I have kept before. Similar to Paratopula, they are sometimes not cooperative when it comes to colony founding.

She laid 2 eggs so far, but is ignoring them. This might be a sign of her not being mated and only produce haploid eggs. Only time will tell...

 

 

Catualacus granulatus

(many)

Yes, I have 4 queens right now... and they are not developing one bit.

It was not until recently that I learned most queens running about on handrails are not mated/fake queens. Real queens tend to hide in sticks or bamboo immediately after mating and readily produce eggs.

There was also the technique of worker boosting, but it is extremely tedious and does not guarantee success.

I may as well tell you that I attempted Cataulacus founding for at least 14 times, only two of those attempts were succesful.

Alas, we have hope.

An egg! From an unboosted queen! Right now I can only hope the queen will lay more and won't want omelettes for food.

 

 

Shots of the Wild

This part will show the different photos I took during my trips.

This time we have slug, mantis and jumping spider.

 

 

Hope you have enjoyed this entry of the journal. I will see you next month. Happy anting!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Demoant]

8/5/2024

I have been hiking almost non-stop...

 

Diacamma sp.

3 workers

A very small budding colony. I found them nesting under a rock and quickly scooped them up.

They are extremely sensitive to light and vibrations so I usually cover them with a piece of tin foil.

I am not actually sure if they have a gamergate even. I can't find the gemma, aka the thing that indicates an ant is a gamergate in Diacamma, on any of the three ants.

Perhaps they are waiting for the the eggs to develop into new workers for gamergates or I just have terrible eyesight. I did notice however that only 2 workers forage at a given time, so that one in the nest might be the gamergate.

We shall see if they develop or not.

 

 

 

Odontoponera denticulata

2Q

Ah, the ant that is a tradition to keep every year. I have a two queen founding colony this year. This photo was taken before they were placed in the nest.

One queen is smaller than the other. They also seem to be from the same colony as I did catch them in the same area, about 20cm apart.

 

This is the current brood pile as of today, pretty nice.

 

 

 

Mystery Camponotus

1Q, 6W

Make a guess of what they are. Hint, very sensitive to any disturbance.

I do know the species, blanking them out as I am not sure if they will be successful.

They do have a small pile of eggs now and I will reveal them once they managed to produce new workers. 

 

 

 

Iridomyrmex anceps

1Q

This is a species that I have been wanting for years. In 2020 I had a colony which escaped (and I froze them like an idiot) and I wanted to keep them every since.

Went out on a hot, sunny day after some heavy rain and voila, a queen running in some grass.

She has already begun to lay eggs, and will grow in no time.

 

 

 

Dinomyrmex Gigas 

1Q

Just a queen specimen, not a real living queen.

She was gifted to me by Martin, a keeper who lives nearby.

 

 

 

Shots of the Wild

We've got plenty of photos to show.

Good old Harpegnathos venator.

 

Weaver ants murdering a beetle.

 

 

Wasp, not sure what species.

 

Neocollyris sp. Tiger beetle

 

Juvenile of Conocephalus melaenus, a katydid.

 

Odontotermes formosanus dealate.

 

 

Hope you have enjoyed this entry of the journal. I realised that I have more to show than I initially thought so the entries might come more frequently.

See you next time and happy anting!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ernteameise]

Very nice pictures!

And Dinomyrmex are amazing giants, aren't they? I now also have a taxidermied specimen proudly displayed on my wall.

I am amazed that these weaver ants, they appear to change color depending on where you go.

I remember the ones I saw when I visited Queensland and Kakadu National Park were a bright green at the back, while yours are more reddish.

[Leo]

Wasp is probably in the genus auplopus