10 replies to this topic

[Stubyvast]

Hello folks! I captured this queen just a few minutes ago, and thought to get an ID on her before continuing. I'm thinking she's parasitic, based on her size, specifically the size of her gaster. If I'm correct, I know a big mound of Formica obscuripes that lives nearby, which I can attempt to raid for brood and callows. I've never done this before, so any advice would be welcome. And, of course, an ID would be great. Thanks!

 

 

 

Edited by Stubyvast, August 24 2025 - 5:45 PM.

[Stubyvast]

Ok, assuming it's a parasitic Formica, (hopefully not a slave-maker) should I begin collecting brood now, or wait until after hibernation? I'm worried that due to BC's longer winter season, my queen may not survive alone all winter, even with me giving her carbs. 

Thanks guys!

[Nare]

I'm a bit rusty on my Formica ID'ing but I figure it's either integra- or sanguinea-group. We'd need to see if there's a clypeal notch or not to tell which is which. See if you can get a picture like the ones on this page: Getting to know thatching ants: a general guide for the Pacific Northwest - Nature Talk - iNaturalist Community Forum. You'd need pupae in any case but if it's integra-group you'd need nanitics as well, as the queen won't open pupae on her own. I think there's a couple other tricks folks have tried re: integra-group founding but I'm not sure what's been successful and what hasn't. I'd definitely start working on getting her some hosts before winter though.

[Stubyvast]

Ok, thanks Nare! So I tried getting the best picture I possibly could, what with a cheap macro lens on an iPhone. From personal observation, she definitely has a clypeal notch there, which I think the photos kind of show. I'll definitely have to invest in a proper camera sometime soon though. Apologies for the quality.

And so, if she has a clypeal notch, what group does that put her in?

 

 

 

 

[Nare]

She'd be sanguinea-group I believe. Something like F. aserva maybe. You can just give her pupae and she'll figure out the rest.

[Stubyvast]

Excellent. Found some ​Formica neorofibarbis pupae, (and a worker) which I will give to my queen soon! 

[Stubyvast]

Man guys I'm so excited, I have successfully begun the process of creating a successful Formica aserva colony! Apologies once more for the image quality, the test tube is actually super scratched from my attempts to clean it. The pictured callows are Formica neorufibarbis, with parasite, slave-maker Formica aserva. I did some research, and this species doesn't necessarily require slaves after the founding stage, so luckily for me I don't have to find many more host colonies for these guys. Any tips after this stage?

 

 

 

[Stubyvast]

We're up to five workers! I'm thinking of giving them some sort of outworld, see if they're up for foraging.

[Stubyvast]

Ok, got a pretty basic outworld now. Sterilized some pine needles, and gave the ants plenty of room to forage and move stuff around. The colony now has six workers, and I think it will continue to accelerate rapidly as the first workers begin to open pupae alongside the queen. The socks are covering their dry test tube, where the majority of the colony is, and the wet test tube, where the moisture comes in from the standard cotton-water test tube. 

I will attempt to feed them tomorrow! 

 

 

 

 

[Stubyvast]

I've decided to just go ahead and turn this thread into a journal. So, here's an update!

 

About half of the pupae have opened, giving me about 10 to 15 workers so far. They have also become much braver, and instead of simply sticking by the queen, more are venturing out towards the other test tube and one into the outworld. Clearly, they've also been pulling pine needles into the nest, as most ant species do if given the right materials. I've fed them sugar water only so far, and so I will now begin feeding them some proper meats.

The aserva queen is looking good! But no eggs so far. I'm not too worried, as I've heard this species likes to overwinter before laying eggs, which makes sense. 

I am a bit worried, however, about their nesting choices. I have two test-tubes hooked up end-to-end, connected with a makeshift T-connector attached to the outworld. No ants have yet ventured into the wet test-tube, where most of the moisture is. I suspect that enough moisture is flowing into the dry test-tube to be adequate, but I'm not certain. If anyone else has an idea, please let me know!

 

 

 

[Stubyvast]

Oct. 8, 2025

 

A quick update!

The colony's been doing well. Workers have been consistently drinking from their sugar-water test tube, and I've witnessed them cleaning the queen, so I take it as a sign that so far, at least, all is well! All of their gasters are full to the brim, which indicates to me that they will soon be ready for hibernation. And then, we can look forward to eggs and some actual aserva workers!