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KB's Novomessor Cockerelli Journal - Discontinued

novomessor cockerelli journal

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#41 Offline nurbs - Posted January 7 2019 - 6:38 PM

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Secret is: heat, darkness, crickets, and sunflower seeds.


That’s all you did to get 1000+ workers!!?
 
And patience.

Yes of course.... only 7ish months. It’s not that much ;)

 

 

Keep in mind they slow down during the Winter, too.


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#42 Offline Rstheant - Posted January 8 2019 - 2:38 PM

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Secret is: heat, darkness, crickets, and sunflower seeds.


That’s all you did to get 1000+ workers!!?
 
And patience.

Yes of course.... only 7ish months. It’s not that much ;)
 
Keep in mind they slow down during the Winter, too.

My queen is still pumping out eggs, and they develop pretty fast ;)

#43 Offline Rstheant - Posted February 1 2019 - 4:53 PM

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Update?

They might be at 2000 workers? B) So jealous. ;)

#44 Offline sirjordanncurtis - Posted February 2 2019 - 2:36 PM

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Do you have a heat pad on the back?


Or are they heated via cable



#45 Offline nurbs - Posted February 2 2019 - 3:23 PM

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Keep in mind they slow down during the Winter, too.

My queen is still pumping out eggs, and they develop pretty fast ;)

 

 

You want to replicate what happens in nature. I don't know how they would do over the long term if you're constantly heating them. Even though they don't hibernate you want to give them a respite like they get out in the desert. I purposely do not heat them over the Winter months.

 

So when Summer comes, and your Novomessor all of a sudden stops laying a lot less eggs, that may be the cause. There hasn't been any study on the biological clock of desert ants, so I can't say one way or the other what will happen.


Edited by nurbs, February 2 2019 - 3:28 PM.

Instagram:
nurbsants
 
YouTube
 
California Ants for Sale

 

Unidentified Myrmecocystus

https://www.formicul...ls-near-desert/

 

Undescribed "Modoc"

https://www.formicul...mp-ca-5-4-2017/

 

Camponotus or Colobopsis yogi:

https://www.formicul...a-ca-1-28-2018/

 
Camponotus us-ca02
https://www.formicul...onotus-us-ca02/

 

Unidentified Formica

https://www.formicul...l-ca-6-27-2020/

 
Pencil Case and Test Tube Formicariums
https://www.formicul...m-and-outworld/
 
Bloodworm Soup
https://www.formicul...bloodworm-soup/


#46 Offline anttics - Posted February 3 2019 - 10:27 AM

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Keep in mind they slow down during the Winter, too.

My queen is still pumping out eggs, and they develop pretty fast ;)

You want to replicate what happens in nature. I don't know how they would do over the long term if you're constantly heating them. Even though they don't hibernate you want to give them a respite like they get out in the desert. I purposely do not heat them over the Winter months.

So when Summer comes, and your Novomessor all of a sudden stops laying a lot less eggs, that may be the cause. There hasn't been any study on the biological clock of desert ants, so I can't say one way or the other what will happen.

There is no evidence. Which means it could have an effect on longevity of the queen. Which is why I give them a heat up nest. Conected to a nest with out any heat. I do find the queen in the cold nest once in a while. Yet she mostly choses to be at the warm nest. I do agree with nurbs its unnatural to have heat all year round. Which is why once they grow I will not heat them up next winter. At least 3 to 4 months with out any heat should replicate the desert. How many ants KB. Mine are at 200 workers with 100 pupa.

#47 Offline Rstheant - Posted February 4 2019 - 3:28 PM

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Mine have finally reached the 50+ worker mark! :yahoo:
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#48 Offline anttics - Posted February 5 2019 - 6:42 PM

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Mine have finally reached the 50+ worker mark! :yahoo:


Nice if all goes ok. You should be at 200 in 1 or 2 months. When i had 50. Thwybhad at least 50 pupa. When they reached 100. They had 100 pupa. Now at 200. I just can not count how many pupa are there. I expect to reach 500 in 2 months. If they continue this growth

#49 Offline Rstheant - Posted February 6 2019 - 6:51 PM

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They have a good amount of pupa, about one chamber full of pupa.

#50 Offline KBant - Posted February 8 2019 - 1:41 PM

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Sorry for not being as active. Just busy with life. As far as the colony is concerned I haven't been feeding them as often as the beginning. I'm trying to not create a problem of uncontrollable growth. I haven't even purchased crickets in a couple months at least. I feed them sunflower seeds i blend in my nutribullet, it becomes almost a powder, the consistency of the parmesan cheese you put on pizza. I also feed them chicken, white meat, when I eat it myself and just tossed in a few pieces i clean under water first.

 

I know the growth has increased but probably not by much had i fed them more. They are nice enough to keep their trash and dead in the outworld so that their nest is always super clean, and based on the dead workers they are not dying from starvation. Perhaps in the spring i will increase how much i feed them and attach the second nucleus III I have laying around. 

 

I am happy with how they are progressing. The only thing I hate about these ants is that they are such great climbers. I have to be patient to take out their water reservoirs usually at a time when all of them are inside the nest due to my room being so cold.  i guess you can't have everything haha. 

 

As far as heating them goes, I do keep them always warm via a heating cable. I know in the desert, the temperature plummet to near freezing but oh well. Perhaps, keeping them at this temperature is shortening their lives but only time will tell. So far we are A-OK!



#51 Offline Rstheant - Posted February 9 2019 - 8:52 AM

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kB, your colony is growing ‘too fast’. Good on you! B)

#52 Offline sirjordanncurtis - Posted February 9 2019 - 8:58 AM

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kB, your colony is growing ‘too fast’. Good on you! B)

 

This actually seems like normal growth for wild conditions. Usually they can get to 1k within the first year.



#53 Offline Rstheant - Posted February 9 2019 - 4:06 PM

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Its crazy!

kB, your colony is growing ‘too fast’. Good on you! B)

 
This actually seems like normal growth for wild conditions. Usually they can get to 1k within the first year.


#54 Offline KBant - Posted December 30 2019 - 3:52 PM

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discontinued. 


Edited by KBant, December 30 2019 - 3:53 PM.


#55 Offline JenC - Posted December 30 2019 - 6:40 PM

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What happened to them?
Current Colonies:
1x Camponotus Vicinus (3 Workers)

Single Queens:
3x Camponotus Clarithorax
4x Camponotus Maritimus
5x Camponotus Ca02
7x Camponotus Sansabeanus
1x Myrmecocustus Testaceus
3x Prenolepis Imparis

#56 Offline KBant - Posted December 30 2019 - 6:55 PM

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What happened to them?


Released into their natural environment. The colony got way too big to manage.
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