8 replies to this topic

[dethlovesme]

These ants have been a source of a lot of mystery for me because no one has posted anything about them anywhere.

the only sources i have for information on them is the few people who live within my area who keep them. and ant wiki.. beyond that there is nothing on them. atleast not keeping and care wise on the interwebs.

so let me share all the info i have about them before i start my journal entry.

 

first these guys are very small and straight black and they are also escape artists and need a completely sealed everything..

they have multiple queens, queens live for upwards of 2 years and they will produce more queens within the nest and just continue to multiply.

they don't seem to like the warmth and seem to prefer just ambient temperatures. most of what i could find makes me believe they prefer moist environments. because they are found under bark and under rocks. but the colonies i have look as though they much prefer the drier areas of there nest. i have them in a small Tupperware with a silicone gasket to keep them from escaping and i have a test tube stuck into the side of it with teflon tape so they can't squeeze through the crevices. i also put petroleum jelly around where the joints are just  to be sure. they love the small test tube and have moved all brood and queens into them. i have a small test tube with water inside and a cotton stopper with some Styrofoam at the end of it to keep it from rolling. i feed them dead termites. because they seem to prefer being scavengers and don't hunt. this is a weird observation but when they are upset they raise there gaster in the air as if they are trying to spray something. they also are atracted to white light.

i hear that they enjoy eating oily foods. like cheese nips and the like as well.

 

now on to my colonies. i found all 3 of my colonies under some bark along the same downed tree at different times. this log is probably filled completely with these guys. but everytime i go they are there with there brood. so i take a bunch of queens and workers when i go there.

they were found at the Mississippi bar on the American river all at different times of the day.

i made said special habitats for them and they seem to love it. the first colony i have is the smallest only maybe 10 queens. the others have well over a dozen or two!

i feed them termites that i have killed freshly. they are the big termites that my other ants don't like.

but they suck the moisture from these termites, dry it out completely and turn it into duist. they then take the termite dust and pile it up close to and inside there nest.. these ants are very interesting and they have all already started making alates.  there are huge lavae in there brood chamber already.

[klawfran3]

I actually kept them once, we had an infestation in our house and I found a couple queens. I gave up on them because of how good of escape artists they are, mine walked over fluon even. They also smelled pretty bad, do you experience that too?

[Vendayn]

I actually kept them once, we had an infestation in our house and I found a couple queens. I gave up on them because of how good of escape artists they are, mine walked over fluon even. They also smelled pretty bad, do you experience that too?

Yeah, that was my experience with them as well. They could walk over EVERYTHING. They were better escape artists than Solenopsis molesta, which at least can't walk over fluon + olive oil. Monomorium ergatogyna though? Can get through any barrier.

 

Maybe a trick would be having them climb upside down with slippery fluon underneath. But, I personally gave up on keeping them as it was too much work for me.

[drtrmiller]

I have byFormica Fluon applied to the underside lip of an open-top, acrylic foraging area, and they can not escape from it. They do escape out of cracks or holes as small as 0.2 mm, so everything else must be well-sealed.

User experience may vary based on application technique, application surface, environmental conditions, or other factors.

Edited by drtrmiller, May 3 2017 - 10:46 AM.

[Vendayn]

I have byFormica Fluon applied to the underside lip of an open-top, acrylic foraging area, and they can not escape from it. They do escape out of cracks or holes as small as 0.2 mm, so everything else must be well-sealed.

User experience may vary based on application technique, application surface, environmental conditions, or other factors.

I think a big part is "underside lip", which means they'd have to walk upside down to get out. I imagine that would make it impossible for most if not all ants to escape that way, if they had to walk upside down on slippery fluon. If I was to keep Monomorium ergatogyna again, I'd find something or make something where they had to walk upside down on. Otherwise, them having to claim straight up...the fluon has to be applied 100% perfect (but also depends on the container too I think which may also play a big part). 

 

They are an awesome species though, and one of the few native ants in California that can live (and even drive out) Argentine ants. I read that they win 99% of their battles against Argentine ants. Plus they make HUGE colonies that can go up to an entire block in just the length of the colony size.

[klawfran3]

I do very much prefer them to Argentines since they're native, I was glad when I saw they pushed out an L. humile colony from my front yard. I do prefer most other native species though. IMO they pretty much look like smaller argentines, and let's face it, tiny black ants that don't make pupae or do something very special are a little on the boring side. I like having them since they drive out Argentines, but they don't make interesting pets unless you're into absolutely massive colonies.

 

Still, I wish OP luck and I hope they enjoy their new little ninja friends. Just be sure they don't become invasive in your home!

Edited by klawfran3, May 3 2017 - 12:44 PM.

[dethlovesme]

These monomorium by what I've heard just can't walk over slick glass with an even later of olive oil over it. Either they don't like the olive oil or they just can't grip anything on it. I haven't tried it. But a bunch of people have had success with it as long as they re-apply the oil every other day.

[drtrmiller]

...as long as they re-apply the oil every other day.

I'm sure, velociraptors make great pets and never, ever eat their owners, as long as you feed them every other day.

But seriously. Oil has a tendency to coalesce and conglomerate, which is why it is generally unsuitable as a barrier and must, as you describe, be very frequently reapplied.

[dethlovesme]

...as long as they re-apply the oil every other day.

I'm sure, velociraptors make great pets and never, ever eat their owners, as long as you feed them every other day.

But seriously. Oil has a tendency to coalesce and conglomerate, which is why it is generally unsuitable as a barrier and must, as you describe, be very frequently reapplied.

I'm just going off of a few things that I have read. Never tried it myself. Much easier to just completely seal there habitat I think