15 replies to this topic

[JohnTX]

I caught these three Monomorium minimum queens last summer and threw them in an inception chamber from THA. 

 

I think they have done very well for just 9 months.  This Spring their brood pile has exploded.  I''m trying to figure out what to put them in next because they will obviously be outgrowing this setup quickly.  I tried letting them explore a THA Fortress and a Chinese made acrylic setup by connecting to them to the outworld, but these 1-2mm workers were able to escape anything I have tried.  

 

Suggestions welcome on how to contain these.

 

Thought people might enjoy the pictures.

 

Edited by JohnTX, April 27 2018 - 7:24 AM.

[VoidElecent]

Wow, I adore Monomorium. Thank you for sharing, I will be following this journal!

[StayLoki]

Sweeeeettt!!!
Is that an atom?
They are beautiful ants and they're certainly massing an army lol
^O sorry I didn't read it completely; I got stunned by the photos 😎

[AntsAreUs]

That's not a brood pile, it's a brood mountain!

[drtrmiller]

I have a colony of either M. minimum or M. trageri with over a dozen queens, and I see a couple alate larvae among my brood.  A constant supply of frozen insects (currently houseflies or bottle flies), Sunburst Ant Nectar, and fresh water allows them to grow very quickly. 

[sericultivist]

My Monomorium colony has done the same thing! The brood pile is easily 6-8x the mass of the workers, and they have a big pile of alate larva.

[Mettcollsuss]

Monomorium is one of my dream species. Got any tips on finding Monomorium queens?

[JohnTX]

Monomorium is one of my dream species. Got any tips on finding Monomorium queens?

 

 

I literally walked into them last July one afternoon.  Walked out onto my back patio and into a swarm of them, some still in the act of mating.    

 

Here is my original post:

 

http://www.formicult...nuptial-flight/

 

and here is my ID thread with a bit more info:

 

http://www.formicult...-tx-24-july-17/

 

 

Edited by JohnTX, April 28 2018 - 9:24 AM.

[VenomousBeast]

Does anyone know the best way to keep them from escaping?? I found a colony and m 100% sure I can get queen, I just need to make sure I can keep it without escapies. What do you guys use?

[sericultivist]

Monomorium is one of my dream species. Got any tips on finding Monomorium queens?

 

Where I find Monomorium colonies here they generally aren't more than 1cm deep, and can have as many as 13 queens in the colony. I recently took 2 queens out of one with a small brood pile and some workers and they are doing extremely well.

[Waganga]

I really like your formicarium/outworld setup! Did you get it somewhere, or did you make it yourself?

[JohnTX]

I really like your formicarium/outworld setup! Did you get it somewhere, or did you make it yourself?

 

 

It's an "Inception Chamber" (3")  from Tar Heel Ants.  Very tight fitting lid that contains them well.

[Nanos]

I'm starting a colony from scratch so i have a few questions. Does anyone here know whether the queen is semi or fully claustral? Also any idea on the life cycle and does the queen really only live a year as I've read? Also i just bought the inception formicarium from THA glad to know it works. 

[TennesseeAnts]

I found a Monomorium minimum colony of roughly 200 workers and one queen under a stone. Sadly, the queen slipped away into their nest.

[Enderz]

What form of protein do these ants accept / what for of sugar?

[JohnTX]

What form of protein do these ants accept / what for of sugar?

 

I feed them silk worms which they seem to love.  (see below)   

For sugar, I have been using Sunburst Ant Nectar by byFormica (thought I am now out  ) and they always drain the feeder quickly.

I have found they will eat almost anything.  They are like tiny black piranhas that swarm whatever I put in the dish.

 

 

 

I'm starting a colony from scratch so i have a few questions. Does anyone here know whether the queen is semi or fully claustral? Also any idea on the life cycle and does the queen really only live a year as I've read? Also i just bought the inception formicarium from THA glad to know it works. 

 

I treated them as fully claustral and everything went well.  They are at a year now and still going strong.  So much so that I had to migrate them to a new formacarium (THA Nucleus III - see below)