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AntsTx's Perilous Pogonomyrmex occidentalis - Ant Keeping Journal

pogonomyrmex occidentalis ant keeping journal antstx

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#1 Offline AntsTx - Posted September 22 2024 - 10:13 AM

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AntsTx’s Perilous Pogonomyrmex occidentalis Journal


Howdy y’all! :hi:

I caught 47 Western Harvester Ant (Pogonomyrmex occidentalis) queens back in late June and now that they have workers I am going to make a journal on the 2 surviving colonies. (The others died of dehydration and lack of seeds because I didn’t know they needed seeds during the founding stage and I didn’t check their water source :*() I am going to edit this first post on my findings on their diet, growth speed, ideal temperature, nuptial flight time, their castes, their temper, how easy it is to contain them, their founding stage, their development cycle, their lifespan, lighting them, and how often I feed them and what I feed them at different ages. I will post the last 3 months below this first post, and then post weekly updates.

________________________________

 

Pogonomyrmex occidentalis Info

 

Last Updated: 9/22/24

________________________________



About Pogonomyrmex occidentalis


   Pogonomyrmex occidentalis, commonly referred to as the Harvester Ant or Western Harvester Ant, is a very interesting species of ant that collects seeds as their primary food source instead of insects or other sources of protein. (They still collect insects but not as often as seeds) They break open these seeds with their powerful jaws and turn the inside of the seed into a food called ant bread. When threatened or hunting they use their stinger to immobilize their prey and then attack them with their jaws. 

   These ants also play major roles in the environment. For example, they bring up nutrient-dense soil to the surface when digging their nests that plants love. They can also disperse seeds, thus helping the spread of native species of plants.

 

Castes of Pogonomyrmex occidentalis

 

Queen:


The queen is usually 10-12mm long and has a yellow/brown to red/brown body. You can identify her from the workers by her larger thorax and her wing scars. If she just landed from her nuptial flight, you can tell if she is a queen by her frantic behavior.


Male:


The males are usually 8-10mm long and have a dark/brown body with a yellow/orangeish brown abdomen. You can identify them by their smaller head and they usually will have their wings on. If you see any of these roaming around or flying around, there is probably a nuptial flight happening.


Workers:


The workers are usually 5-8mm long and have a yellow/brown to red/brown body. You can identify them by their smaller appearance and if they seem to be foraging or constructing their mound with other workers.


Temper of Pogonomyrmex occidentalis


Whenever the colony of Pogonomyrmex occidentalis is young, they are primarily nocturnal and are overly careful at first. Then they become the most confident aggressive ants when their colony grows in numbers. They will start to accept unfamiliar foods and get less and less cautious as they get stronger, which makes feeding time a breeze.


How Easy it is to Contain Pogonomyrmex occidentalis


Pogonomyrmex occidentalis are surprisingly easy to contain because of the fact that they can’t climb glass or plastic, which makes fluon useless. Although they can’t climb glass or plastic, if there's a corner with something like sand attached to the wall, they can climb up that.

Pogonomyrmex occidentalis’s Founding Stage

 

Pogonomyrmex occidentalis are known to be a semi-claustral ant, which means that they need to eat during the founding stage unlike claustral ants which use their wing muscles to feed themselves and their brood. You will need to feed them some seeds and some protein during the founding stage. The best way to make a home for them is not a test tube, except for if you have a bunch of queens, but a small plastic container about 8” high and filled halfway with sand found near a nest of Pogonomyrmex occidentalis. You will need to mix this sand with some water to make a clay like mixture before pouring it in. Once this is done, you can put a upside-down water bottle cap with water with toothpicks in it so the queen doesn’t drown. Make sure to have a toothpick leading up to the bottle cap so the queen or workers can get onto it to drink water. You would then place some seeds in there and a small source of protein for them. Once a week, refill the water bottle cap and spray a tiny bit of water along the inches, about 2” deep into the sand. If you want the queen to dig up against the plastic or glass container that you’re using, you can wrap paper or foil around the base. The queen will then dig her founding chamber, forage, and have her workers. This is when you need to start feeding them a small source of protein and some seeds every 2 days.

 

Lifespan of Pogonomyrmex occidentalis

 

Queen:

In the wild a queen can last up to 40 years, but in captivity it is predicted that they will last for 10 years. This can depend on the amount of males that the queen mated with during her nuptial flight.


Males:

Males will usually be made in May and wait in the nest until it is time for their nuptial flight. When this comes along the male will fly off, mate with a queen, then drop to the ground and slowly die, most of the time becoming food for another ant colony or insect.


Workers:

The workers usually will live up to 4-6 months, while taking on different duties as they age.

 

Colony Timeline of Pogonomyrmex occidentalis

 

First Day:

Congratulations! You caught your Pogonomyrmex occidentalis queen! You will put her in a test tube with some seeds for her to munch on.


First Month:

By now you may have your first workers or have some darkening pupae. Once the first workers arrive, the nanitics, you should probably feed them some more seeds and maybe a mealworm.


6 Months:

Around now you should have 200-250 workers and have them in a nest that they can fit in and don’t have too much extra space.


1 Year:

Congratulations! It’s your antiversary (y)! You probably should have around 750-1000 workers now.


5 Years:

Your colony should be at its worker cap (around 20,000 workers) and you should have started to see alates during their nuptial flight season!


Pogonomyrmex occidentalis’s Diet


Currently I have found that they like and dislike these types of foods:

 

What they like:

 

Seeds:

  • Dandelion seeds


Protein:

  • Small mealworms


What they don’t like:


Seeds:

Nothing so far


Protein:

  • Cricket legs


The Growth Speed of Pogonomyrmex occidentalis


Founding Growth Speed:


In my experience with these colonies, Pogonomyrmex occidentalis usually take around 5-7 weeks to get their first workers, usually having 3-6 workers in their first batch. (Mine were late because I didn’t know they needed seeds during the founding stage)


Development Cycle of Pogonomyrmex occidentalis


Egg:

The egg generally takes 10-12 days to hatch into a larva

 

Larvae:

The larvae usually takes 10-14 days to eclose into a pupa


Pupae:

The pupae generally takes 9-12 days to eclose into a worker

 

In conclusion, this process takes 29-38 days for an egg to go to a worker.


Pogonomyrmex occidentalis’s Ideal Temperature


Pogonomyrmex occidentalis are usually found in an arid/desert climate where it is usually hot, so they like a constant 85-90 degrees fahrenheit where their nest is. This can be implemented by using a heat cable, heat matt, heat lamp, or putting them in a hot room. Since they live in an arid/desert climate they will not need diapause (hibernation) so they will keep growing year round and you never should let them drop below 80 degrees Fahrenheit if you want them to grow.

 

When Pogonomyrmex occidentalis Have Their Nuptial Flights


I caught the 47 queens in late June on a morning (6:30am) the day after a rainstorm at about 80 degrees fahrenheit. I’ve also heard they have their nuptial flights 3-4 hours before a rainstorm. You can also try catching them when they are foraging around for food after they dug their founding chamber, you can catch them digging their founding chamber, or you can simply dig up their founding chamber with a shovel.


How Often I Feed and What I Feed Pogonomyrmex occidentalis


Founding Feeding

 

I usually feed my Pogonomyrmex occidentalis a small mealworm and around 10 dandelion seeds every 2 days.


Lighting Pogonomyrmex occidentalis

 

Lighting Pogonomyrmex occidentalis is definitely not required but you can use it as a source of heat and to simulate day and night. This is better to be used in a terrarium or if you have multiple colonies that you want to heat.

 

If any of this information is wrong, please let me know!


Edited by AntsTx, October 7 2024 - 3:11 PM.

  • RushmoreAnts, Ants_Dakota, AntsGodzilla and 1 other like this

Currently Keeping:

Camponotus texanus x2                                             Pheidole obtusospinosa - 2 workers

Camponotus vicinus - 15-20 workers                         Solenopsis xyloni x7 - Batch of eggs

Camponotus pennsylvanicus - 95-100 workers         Pheidole lamia - 4 workers                                                                                                                                 

Dorymyrmex bureni - 3 workers

Formica spp. - 5 workers

Pogonomyrmex occidentalis x2

Neoponera villosa x15

Crematogaster lineolata x5 - 75-100 workers 


#2 Offline AntsTx - Posted September 22 2024 - 10:18 AM

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_________________

 

LAST 3 MONTHS

_________________

 

6/30/24:

Around this time I caught 47 Pogonomyrmex occidentalis queens and put most of them in test tubes, and some of them in dirt containers. (These ended up dying because the queens couldn’t get to the water)

test-tube-wuth-dant.jpg

Here I have 14 queens tubed up.

 

7/8/24:

Almost all of the queens have eggs and 1 has a larva. Around 5 have died so far.

 

8/10/24:

Most of the queens have died by now, and at this time I realized that the queens needed food in the founding stage. I fed the remaining 4 queens a small mealworm and some dandelion seeds. There are 3 queens that have larvae, the most being 2 batches of eggs and 3 small larvae.

 

8/28/24:

Sadly, 2 of the queens have died, one died of dehydration because the dirt in her tube absorbed all of the water and I didn’t check up on them until now, and the other one died from infertility I’m assuming.

 

9/4/24:

The remaining 2 queens are doing well, one of them having 2 pupae, 3 larvae, and 2 batches of eggs. (I’m calling them Colony 1 now) The other one has 1 batch of eggs and 1 big larva, probably about to eclose into a pupa. (Colony 2)

 

9/7/24:

I checked up on them today and I saw that Colony 1 now has 3 pupae, and 2 are darkening! Colony 2 now has a pupae!

 

9/12/24:

Colony 1 now has their first worker! She is very shy. Colony 2 has more larvae now.

 

9/18/24:

Colony 1 now has 3 workers, with 2 pupae and a ton of larvae. Colony 2 has 2 big larvae and some small larvae. 

 

9/22/24:

I checked up on them today and Colony 1 has 5 workers, 2 pupae, 3 big larvae, lots of small larvae, and 2 batches of eggs! Colony 2 also has their first worker! 

ant-tube.jpg

This is Colony 1, you can see some older workers pulling at the cotton on the right, and on the left there is the queen, 3 younger workers, and the brood pile.

I couldn’t get any pictures of Colony 2 because the queen and her worker were too frantic so my phone couldn’t focus on them.

 

If anyone has any name suggestions for the queens and the colonies please let me know!


Edited by AntsTx, September 22 2024 - 10:25 AM.

  • RushmoreAnts, AntsGodzilla and antlover18 like this

Currently Keeping:

Camponotus texanus x2                                             Pheidole obtusospinosa - 2 workers

Camponotus vicinus - 15-20 workers                         Solenopsis xyloni x7 - Batch of eggs

Camponotus pennsylvanicus - 95-100 workers         Pheidole lamia - 4 workers                                                                                                                                 

Dorymyrmex bureni - 3 workers

Formica spp. - 5 workers

Pogonomyrmex occidentalis x2

Neoponera villosa x15

Crematogaster lineolata x5 - 75-100 workers 


#3 Offline AntsGodzilla - Posted September 22 2024 - 10:19 AM

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Thank you for taking your time to make this!


  • AntsTx likes this

 

And many Carnivorous plants such as: Dionea muscipula (fly trap), Sarracenia x 'Fiona' ( American Pitcher plant), Nepenthese ventrata (Tropical Pitcher plant), and Pinguicula agnata x emarginata (Butterwort) (show off your plants here)

Godzilla thread

Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores it's provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. Proverbs 6: 6-8

 


#4 Offline AntsGodzilla - Posted September 22 2024 - 10:25 AM

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Congrats on the workers!


  • AntsTx likes this

 

And many Carnivorous plants such as: Dionea muscipula (fly trap), Sarracenia x 'Fiona' ( American Pitcher plant), Nepenthese ventrata (Tropical Pitcher plant), and Pinguicula agnata x emarginata (Butterwort) (show off your plants here)

Godzilla thread

Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores it's provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. Proverbs 6: 6-8

 


#5 Offline GOCAMPONOTUS - Posted September 22 2024 - 10:36 AM

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No need to make two posts, just edit the first one you made. 

 

Hope they survive!


  • antlover18 and AntsTx like this

Currently keeping: 2 C.vicinus colonies.2 C.sansabeanus. 1 C.leavissimus. 2 C.Ca02. 1 V.pergandei. 4 T.immigrans.1 F.pacifica. 1 C.hyatti

1 M.ergatognya

 

 

 

 

Trying to get my hands on :C.modoc,A.vercicolor, and Any Honeypots

  

 

 


#6 Online RushmoreAnts - Posted September 22 2024 - 11:31 AM

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I miss my colony. Currently thinking about getting another, as I don't want to be stuck with only Tetras over hibernation. Love the attention to detail on this journal!


Edited by RushmoreAnts, September 22 2024 - 11:31 AM.

  • antlover18 and AntsTx like this

"God made..... all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds (including ants). And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:25 NIV version

 

Keeping:

Tetramorium immigrans

Formica cf. pallidefulva, cf. incerta, cf. argentea

Formica cf. aserva, cf. subintegra

Pogonomyrmex occidentalis

Pheidole bicarinata

Myrmica sp.

Lasius neoniger, brevicornis


#7 Offline AntsTx - Posted September 22 2024 - 12:33 PM

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I miss my colony. Currently thinking about getting another, as I don't want to be stuck with only Tetras over hibernation. Love the attention to detail on this journal!

You should get one! They are a very fun species imo


  • RushmoreAnts and antlover18 like this

Currently Keeping:

Camponotus texanus x2                                             Pheidole obtusospinosa - 2 workers

Camponotus vicinus - 15-20 workers                         Solenopsis xyloni x7 - Batch of eggs

Camponotus pennsylvanicus - 95-100 workers         Pheidole lamia - 4 workers                                                                                                                                 

Dorymyrmex bureni - 3 workers

Formica spp. - 5 workers

Pogonomyrmex occidentalis x2

Neoponera villosa x15

Crematogaster lineolata x5 - 75-100 workers 


#8 Online RushmoreAnts - Posted September 22 2024 - 12:38 PM

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I miss my colony. Currently thinking about getting another, as I don't want to be stuck with only Tetras over hibernation. Love the attention to detail on this journal!

You should get one! They are a very fun species imo

 

I agree, I got my first colony to over 200 workers, and my second was murdered by escaping Tetras (not my current ones).


  • antlover18 and AntsTx like this

"God made..... all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds (including ants). And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:25 NIV version

 

Keeping:

Tetramorium immigrans

Formica cf. pallidefulva, cf. incerta, cf. argentea

Formica cf. aserva, cf. subintegra

Pogonomyrmex occidentalis

Pheidole bicarinata

Myrmica sp.

Lasius neoniger, brevicornis


#9 Offline AntsTx - Posted September 23 2024 - 5:34 PM

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I agree, I got my first colony to over 200 workers, and my second was murdered by escaping Tetras (not my current ones).

 

 

I just read your journal and it looks like they had a bit of a seed downpour.  :lol:


Edited by AntsTx, October 7 2024 - 8:39 AM.

  • RushmoreAnts likes this

Currently Keeping:

Camponotus texanus x2                                             Pheidole obtusospinosa - 2 workers

Camponotus vicinus - 15-20 workers                         Solenopsis xyloni x7 - Batch of eggs

Camponotus pennsylvanicus - 95-100 workers         Pheidole lamia - 4 workers                                                                                                                                 

Dorymyrmex bureni - 3 workers

Formica spp. - 5 workers

Pogonomyrmex occidentalis x2

Neoponera villosa x15

Crematogaster lineolata x5 - 75-100 workers 


#10 Offline AntsTx - Posted October 7 2024 - 3:05 PM

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________________

 

UPDATE TOMORROW 

________________

 

Howdy y'all  :hi:

Thought I would let y'all know that I'm will update this journal tomorrow, but in the meantime I have a couple questions;

 

First one, should I get a Tar Heel Ants Mini Hearth XL or a Fallen Fortress Formicarium? I've been debating on which one to get but I don't know which is best. I will not order these off the Ready-To-Ship Pages so the colonies have time to grow before moving in.

 

Second, should I feed a variety of seeds instead? Currently I only feed them dandelion seeds, but I also heard that Kentucky blue grass seeds are great for them as well.

 

Thanks y'all!


Edited by AntsTx, October 7 2024 - 3:14 PM.

  • RushmoreAnts and antlover18 like this

Currently Keeping:

Camponotus texanus x2                                             Pheidole obtusospinosa - 2 workers

Camponotus vicinus - 15-20 workers                         Solenopsis xyloni x7 - Batch of eggs

Camponotus pennsylvanicus - 95-100 workers         Pheidole lamia - 4 workers                                                                                                                                 

Dorymyrmex bureni - 3 workers

Formica spp. - 5 workers

Pogonomyrmex occidentalis x2

Neoponera villosa x15

Crematogaster lineolata x5 - 75-100 workers 


#11 Offline AntsGodzilla - Posted October 7 2024 - 3:08 PM

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I personally had a great experience with the mini hearth (this was before the great die-off), but one note I would add is my Pogonomyrmex occasionally had trouble climbing the vertical tube to the out world, and always fell when re-entering into the nest section.


Edited by AntsGodzilla, October 7 2024 - 3:09 PM.

  • antlover18 and AntsTx like this

 

And many Carnivorous plants such as: Dionea muscipula (fly trap), Sarracenia x 'Fiona' ( American Pitcher plant), Nepenthese ventrata (Tropical Pitcher plant), and Pinguicula agnata x emarginata (Butterwort) (show off your plants here)

Godzilla thread

Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores it's provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. Proverbs 6: 6-8

 


#12 Offline GOCAMPONOTUS - Posted October 7 2024 - 3:14 PM

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I would go on a fallen fortress just because they can get to the out -world easier and the out -world is bigger in general. 


  • AntsGodzilla, antlover18 and AntsTx like this

Currently keeping: 2 C.vicinus colonies.2 C.sansabeanus. 1 C.leavissimus. 2 C.Ca02. 1 V.pergandei. 4 T.immigrans.1 F.pacifica. 1 C.hyatti

1 M.ergatognya

 

 

 

 

Trying to get my hands on :C.modoc,A.vercicolor, and Any Honeypots

  

 

 


#13 Offline AntsTx - Posted October 8 2024 - 3:29 PM

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_______________

 

UPDATE 10/8/24

_______________

 

Howdy y'all  :hi:

From my previous posts' responses I've decided I'm going to get the Tar Heel Ants Fallen Fortress because as AntsGodzilla and GOCAMPONOTUS said that the ants would struggle to get out of the nest in the Mini Hearth XL because it is vertical, which is not ideal for them to forage. While the Fallen Fortress does have a bigger price tag, I'm assuming that it will take the ants a while to grow out of it.

Anyway, here is the update!

 

Colony A:

 

These guys have been growing a lot (might not be a lot in your eyes but it is a lot in mine) since I last updated! They are thriving at 7 workers and a big pile of brood. I have been trying to feed them almost every day, at least every other so they will grow as fast as possible. I expect them to have 11 workers in 3-5 days from now.

IMG-3117.jpg

Here is a picture of the colony currently.

IMG-3116.jpg

Here is another angle of them.

IMG-3124.jpg

Here is them ravenously eating a mealworm.

 

Colony B:

 

Sadly these guys haven't been doing so well and only have a few eggs and a larvae. Though they still do love to eat! I feed these guys every 2 days. I couldn't get the best pictures of these guys because they have decided to smudge their poop on the test tube.

IMG-3123.jpg

IMG-3120.jpg

Here the queen is guarding their seed pile.

 

 

That's about it for this update. I will order the Fallen Fortress soon, not off the Ready-to-Ship pages so the ants have time to grow before it arrives. 

I will probably update in the next 1-2 weeks or if something interesting happens.


Edited by AntsTx, October 8 2024 - 3:32 PM.

Currently Keeping:

Camponotus texanus x2                                             Pheidole obtusospinosa - 2 workers

Camponotus vicinus - 15-20 workers                         Solenopsis xyloni x7 - Batch of eggs

Camponotus pennsylvanicus - 95-100 workers         Pheidole lamia - 4 workers                                                                                                                                 

Dorymyrmex bureni - 3 workers

Formica spp. - 5 workers

Pogonomyrmex occidentalis x2

Neoponera villosa x15

Crematogaster lineolata x5 - 75-100 workers 






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