16 replies to this topic

[Air]

Will start this journal soon!

[MrmrGatlin]

You must be excited for this one!!!

[Air]

You have no idea! I just wonder what I feed them haha.

[Air]

Queen is currently feeding on some honey, don't know how much brood she has since the test tube is rather dirty

[Air]

Just ordered some Nyger seeds for her, I need some care sheets, as I'm a noob with Florida species haha.

[Runner12]

Mine won't eat nyjer seed, but they love chia seed and hulled hemp seed. You can pick them up at Wal Mart. I never feed my Queens when they're founding though and they do fine usually.

I wouldn't feed honey either tbh. They're very sensitive To anything unnatural or that they wouldn't have in the wild in their diet. Seeds and insects are best, if you want to give honey I'd mix it with water

Edited by Runner12, July 21 2016 - 5:53 AM.

[Air]

Greatttttttttt, just ordered a lot for them. I thought Pogonomyrmex for semi-claustral?

[Runner12]

Most are but to my knowledge P. badius are fully claustral. All my Queens I've caught this season are getting their first workers and I've never fed them anything nor have they offered to forage.

If you want to try feeding I'd go with the hulled hemp seeds since they are soft and don't need to be husked. Mine go crazy for them.

Edited by Runner12, July 21 2016 - 11:35 AM.

[Air]

Wow, thank you so much runner! I see no more eggs.. And she's chewing at the cotton.. Should I add some substrate?

[Air]

I found her eggs, she made a tiny chamber in the cotton.. Weird.

[Air]

I think she's eating some eggs.. May need to brood boost her, where exactly would I find a colony of them?

[Runner12]

I would move her into a small sand jar. I use bead jars you can get at Wal Mart too in the crafts sections half full of damp sand. I almost never have success in test tube setups with any Pogonomyrmex's. My sand jar Queens always produce more workers and there are fewer duds. How long has she been in the tube set up?

Edited by Runner12, July 21 2016 - 2:09 PM.

[Air]

I'm not sure, I bought her from Lord of Ants. Once they have workers, is there any way to move them into a formicarium?

[Air]

And how visible are they?

[Air]

I do have a THA atom nest, which has a lot of loose substrate. Would that be a good place for her?

[Runner12]

The less moving the better. If she hasn't laid a lot of eggs then I'd say move her now. If you add some damp sand to that THA formicarium it might work. What do you mean by how visible are they?

[Air]

Nevermind, about that. She has a jaw full of eggs currently.