8 replies to this topic

[Antz_Straya]

Hi guys, this is my first Journal here and the only australian one recently on this site as far as I can tell,

I currently don't have many ants but nuptial flight season is kicking off now here in australia and i hope to get a large amount of unique awesome queens to share with you all

I have 3 queens/colonies at the moment (I will add photos here in a few hours).

Myrmecia impaternata - 

My myrmecia impaternata is very stress prone and eat her eggs so often, even more then brevinoda I've kept in the past, she currently might have eggs or maybe she ate them I don't know anymore haha, I've decided to no longer check on her untill I see a worker running around the outworld, she is a beautiful gold colour over most of her body with large gold hairs on her gaster and fine gold colouring over the front half of her body.

camponotus suffusus -

I bought this colony almost a year ago now at the cvric insect expo here in australia, they are an amazing but very slow species only getting to 5 workers before growth stagnated over winter, hoping with the weather finally warming up she finally starts to lay again.

camponotus suffusus bendigensis - 

I caught this single queen in the middle of winter in a small town in the Victorian alps here in australia, she hasnt laid so i recently gave her a larvae from my C. suffusus colony to see if that gets her to start laying but sadly didn't work, hopefuly as it warms she will lay, I personally don't like this sub species as much as the other C. suffusus sub species as C. s. bendigensis is slightly smaller then the standard C. suffusus, I also don't really like the look of black ants with red legs and gold gaster, I don't know why but i just do.

[Antz_Straya]

Here is the as promised photos (hopefully this uploading method works [after a bit of trial and error i got it working])

 

First my Campontous suffusus colony

 

Second my Camponotus suffusus bendigensis queen

she has laid her first egg since i checked on her last 

 

and finally my Myrmecia impaternata queen

Edited by Antz_Straya, September 7 2025 - 10:52 PM.

[Ernteameise]

I love Aussie ants!

Great pictures, too.

Keep them coming! 

[Antz_Straya]

Thank you, I plan to be updating semiregularly even if nothing is happening lol,

With nuptial flight season coming it hopefully won't be like that.

[Antz_Straya]

A small carebara species was flying this morning, forgot to bring anything to collect a few queens, though

I will remember to bring some tomorrow.

[Antz_Straya]

I found 2 Rhytidoponera aspera at school today
However one died before i got home and the other escaped into my room and I can't find it any more 

[MyrmecologyMaven]

Excited for more journal updates! I love the nature of australia. Amazing ants, birds, reptiles, plants. All around a wonderfull place. Love your profile quote. Your a fellow Attenborough fan?

[Antz_Straya]

Excited for more journal updates! I love the nature of australia. Amazing ants, birds, reptiles, plants. All around a wonderfull place. Love your profile quote. Your a fellow Attenborough fan?

Yes, Australia is an amazing country with amazing wildlife, and thank you, yes, I'm a HUGE fan of David Attenborough.

[Antz_Straya]

Ant Update time!!!!!!!!!

Starting with the C. suffusus colony:
The queen has finally laid new eggs (I can count two so far), and one of the larvae from last summer has pupated 

 

Next, the C. s. bendigensis queen, the egg looks like it's just about to hatch, but other than that, no changes 

 

And the M. impaternata has laid eggs again 


Now for some NEW additions 

On sunday I caught a Myrmecia pyriformis queen, this is the first time I've ever kept this species 

 

 

And last friday I recived a small colony of what was listed as Myrmecia pilosula but it isn't and is myrmecia cf crosslandi hard to id to species because pilsoula complex is very difficult to id

 

 

Edited by Antz_Straya, September 22 2025 - 6:20 PM.