132 replies to this topic

[sgheaton]

Fantastic! Thank you.  Totally going to make a set up like this. Trying to decide on how to alter the watering/hydration though. 

[PappyOPhyllum]

Just caught five P. californicus (concolor) queens the other day, and am planning on trying your dirt-jar setup, from the beginning of the thread, for those three queens. I have read your results, is there anything, other than less hydrostone, that you would have changed/done differently. As always, any help/info would be greatly appreciated.

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[dspdrew]

I actually did do something differently. I did this (https://www.formicul...ated-2-25-2016/).
 
If I did something different with any of these setups, I would use glass jars if possible.

[Mickeyt]

Great posts. Are the Pogonomyrmex queens fully claustral? I cannot seem to find that info.

[dspdrew]

This species is not fully claustral.

[KaptainKibs]

Update?

[dspdrew]

Update 2-27-2017
 
I think by now the Pogonomyrmex tenuispinus I had in one of my vase setups is clearly dead, so I decided to move my Pogonomyrmex californicus colony into it. It'll be very hard to get them out of the giant ant farm I have them in now, so I just hooked some tubing up to it, and plan to let it dry out until they move themselves.
 

 

 
 
They immediately started exploring.
 

 
 
It didn't take long at all for them to make it all the way up the tube and into the vase.
 

 

 
 
They also started customizing the tube right away by bringing sand in.
 

 
 
They're probably going to just bring all their trash up to the surface of the vase setup for now until their nest gets so dry that they have to move. This colony is pretty big, so we'll see what they've done by the time I get home from work tomorrow.

[sgheaton]

All of my "cylinder ants" died. Sure, it was a flooding-watering mishap but meh....Here's hoping that yours turn out better! 

Why are you wanting to remove the (I call it this) "window pane"  Pogonomyrmex californicus into this set up? How are things in the "window" set up?

Was going to ask "How do you get them to move from the window to the cylinder" but caught myself. Would you do us all an experiment and take care of both set ups so instead of moving they do a remote colonization? 

[dspdrew]

Update 2-28-2017
 
Well... to my surprise, this morning I found some of the P. californicus workers attacking the P. tenuispinus queen that I assumed was dead. They invaded the founding nest and pulled the queen out.
 
By the time i got home from work, they had dug a tunnel almost all the way around the vase about 3/4 inch below the surface.
 

 
 
They also moved a lot of sand into the tube where it's attached to the ant farm.
 

[sgheaton]

And what has it been? Less than 48 hours and they are already tunnelin' away at the new set up?!

[dspdrew]

And what has it been? Less than 48 hours and they are already tunnelin' away at the new set up?!

 

Yeah, they love to dig.

[sgheaton]

They, being diggers, are still my favorite. I can't help but put human feelings, emotions, you know.. anthropomorphize with them. They'd rather...trek up a long winding snake tube simply to get to the new fresh dirt to dig?! Silly ants you've got all the dirt in the current set up! What kind of excitement pheromones were laid to that trail?!? I can only imagine the entire colony calling the first discoverer crazy...though that probably happens anytime something new is discovered.

Well....with them already excavating and laying the foundation for their next home....Give them...a week and you'll have a completely dug up cylinder? Your "fish tank" set up had pictures of you removing big ole scoops of dirt.  I really liked PTs cylinders, have bigger upgrade parts...but...there are complications with them I think. Do please try and keep pictures coming. I really enjoy them, and I'm sure others do as well, when they are posted correctly

[dspdrew]

I think they just want to explore a little further from their nest. They probably think they've gone about six feet from the nest entrance walking up all that tube. Oh and the Pogonomyrmex that dug out those massive amounts of dirt are my p. rugosus. These guys don't dig as much as them.

[sgheaton]

that's where I wasn't getting to into it. I don't remember exactly which Pogonomyrmex were which. I think the P. Rugosus were your "fish tank" set up. That was the type that I gathered a bunch of males from last year... Pretty sure that the library didn't do much to get rid of them. Call up my "spot the Pogonomyrmex nest pictures". 

 

Good to know the Rugosus are the super diggers. Noted for future gathering this year. 

[dspdrew]

Update 3-8-2017
 
It's only been a couple of days, and they've already dug this much.
 

 

 

[sgheaton]

Gonna be a silly question...

Do the ants dig in a pattern? Do they have... an order to how they dig, or do they dig simply to dig because dirts in front of them and they've got the diggin' dirt blues? 
....

About asked "how far down do they typically dig before setting up chambers" but remembered all the posts about digging up founding chambers to find queens. I guess what I'm saying is what happens when those ants get to the bottom of the cylinder? They've....reached the bottom! They won! Looking at your Pogonomyrmex. rugosus in the fish tank, those girls just went to town power digging upwards, downwards, and all throughout every bit of dirt you gave them. 

[dspdrew]

Do the ants dig in a pattern? Do they have... an order to how they dig, or do they dig simply to dig because dirts in front of them and they've got the diggin' dirt blues?

 

Probably the latter.

 

 

I guess what I'm saying is what happens when those ants get to the bottom of the cylinder? They've....reached the bottom! They won! Looking at your pogo. rugosus in the fish tank, those girls just went to town power digging upwards, downwards, and all throughout every bit of dirt you gave them. 

 

Yeah, they just keep digging.

[sgheaton]

Power hungry mega diggers. Ok!

[xTNxANTMANx]

Wow, was really kool to see your collection on the Live AntsCanada YouTube channel today!!! If I have it my way, I'll have a room just the same lol...dedicated to AntLove! You have done an amazing job dspdrew! If only I lived in Cali, I bet we would become good friends but TN I'm stuck in.

[dspdrew]

Thanks.