7 replies to this topic

[jdsaunders1390]

8mm, caught on a sidewalk in Arvada, CO early evening.

Edited by jdsaunders1390, June 20 2025 - 4:34 PM.

[jdsaunders1390]

So sorry guys. It has been a few years since I've used this website, and I'm having trouble attaching a picture and/or deleting or editing this post. I'll try again on a desktop when I have a chance!

Edit:
Got it uploaded!

Edited by jdsaunders1390, June 20 2025 - 4:34 PM.

[L.H]

tetramourium immigrans

[RushmoreAnts]

I second Tetramorium immigrans. My journal has more info on the species.

[jdsaunders1390]

I second Tetramorium immigrans. My journal has more info on the species.

After your multi Queen experiment, would you recommend multiple queens in one test tube setup, or single queen tubes? If multiple, what would you say is the ideal number? I have big test tubes (20mm x 150mm).

[RushmoreAnts]

 

I second Tetramorium immigrans. My journal has more info on the species.

After your multi Queen experiment, would you recommend multiple queens in one test tube setup, or single queen tubes? If multiple, what would you say is the ideal number? I have big test tubes (20mm x 150mm).

 

I would only recommend multi-queen setups if you have enough queens for multiple groups. As my journal demonstrates, there is a chance the colony will kill all of its queens, so it's best to have multiple groups to ensure at least one survives.

 

The benefit of founding this way is that they will naturally select the strongest, best, most fertile queen instead of you having to guess by rough-estimating worker and brood counts.

 

I tried setups with 3, 4, 5, and 6 queens. I don't have enough data to come to any definitive conclusion, but in my experience, the 3-queened colony killed itself, so (maybe) 2-3 queens is too few, and having more would be beneficial to ensure one survives. However, the most violent test tubes were the 6-queened test tubes, and having too many queens appears to be risky as well. The colonies that did the best for me (and are still alive right now) had 4 and 5 queens. Again, I would have to repeat that experiment multiple times to confirm that hypothesis, but my very rough guess is that 4-5 queens is the sweet spot.

 

There is nothing wrong with founding them alone, though. There is something wrong, however, with you having dozens of demanding food-tornado Tetra colonies (unless you plan on selling them right away), so grouping them together was how I prevented that. If you only have a few queens, I would found them alone. If you have dozens, found them in groups of 4-5.

Edited by RushmoreAnts, June 21 2025 - 8:49 AM.

[jdsaunders1390]

That's super helpful, thank you. I caught one a few days ago, and 3 last night. I only had one test tube available at the time, so I put 3 together. On Monday I'll have my tubes available again, so I'll split them all up. Thank you for the advice! If you have any other advice or thoughts on Tetra colonies, I would love to hear it! I have not kept colonies for about 5 years, so these 4 queens will be my first reintroduction to the hobby!

[RushmoreAnts]

That's super helpful, thank you. I caught one a few days ago, and 3 last night. I only had one test tube available at the time, so I put 3 together. On Monday I'll have my tubes available again, so I'll split them all up. Thank you for the advice! If you have any other advice or thoughts on Tetra colonies, I would love to hear it! I have not kept colonies for about 5 years, so these 4 queens will be my first reintroduction to the hobby!

Feed them A LOT of protein. Once they get workers, feed them 2-3 times per week, and as they grow keep increasing the food and feeding frequency, testing what they're willing to eat. Also give them constant access to sugars with a liquid feeder. If you slack on food, they will miss their growth potential. If you feed them a ton, they will get well into the thousands in their first year like mine did.

 

Also, they seem to love pistachios for some reason. It's their favorite food besides roaches.

 

Although they're northern ants, they neither need nor want hibernation. Keep them growing year-round.

 

My Tetras were also my re-introduction into the hobby after a year hiatus.