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Kaelwizard's Myrmica spp. Journal.

Started By Kaelwizard , Sep 16 2018 7:08 AM

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41 replies to this topic

#21 Offline Kaelwizard - Posted April 25 2019 - 2:25 AM

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I made a tunnel going straight down in the corner of her container of sand. She has been at work digging and perfecting it. Do you think I should feed her yet? Should I wait tell she is more settled?

#22 Offline Kaelwizard - Posted April 25 2019 - 12:39 PM

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I left a cricket in her feeding dish. I will get some honey maybe.


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#23 Offline Kaelwizard - Posted April 25 2019 - 1:12 PM

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I actually don’t have honey so I gave her sugar water. Her size matches up with M. incompleta.


Edited by Kaelwizard, April 25 2019 - 5:11 PM.

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#24 Offline Kaelwizard - Posted April 25 2019 - 5:11 PM

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Myrmica

She made a chamber! Hopefully this means she is nice and settled.


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#25 Offline Kaelwizard - Posted April 26 2019 - 2:07 PM

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Her burrow collapsed and I safely got her into a sauce cup with a lid and sand in it. I started a tunnel and after running around a bit she ran inside of it.


#26 Offline Karma - Posted April 26 2019 - 4:03 PM

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Do you not have any test tubes to do the regular test tube setup?

 

Also I would place food close to the nest as soon as she settles.

 

My M. incompleta queen is completely black and I have not seen any color variation like your queen has yet but that could be my area.

 

Very hard to tell with Myrmica until they get workers, even then it can be challenging but much easier than just worker.


#27 Offline Kaelwizard - Posted April 26 2019 - 6:03 PM

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Oh I didn’t realize the queens were dark like that. I have not heard of black Myrmica but I have seen pictures of only red and very dark red. I don’t have test tubes.

#28 Offline Karma - Posted April 27 2019 - 12:17 AM

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I posted a pic on the first page in this journal of my black Myrmica incompleta queen. (https://imgur.com/a/TDYkKyQ)

 

It should be fine if you do not have test tubes, as long as you provide them with enough food and keep the moisture of the sand high you have a decent chance.


Edited by Karma, April 27 2019 - 12:18 AM.

#29 Offline Kaelwizard - Posted April 27 2019 - 5:58 AM

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I posted a pic on the first page in this journal of my black Myrmica incompleta queen. (https://imgur.com/a/TDYkKyQ)

It should be fine if you do not have test tubes, as long as you provide them with enough food and keep the moisture of the sand high you have a decent chance.

Ok. She is very beautiful. My queen already has dug a chamber in her new setup. It will be easier to take pics in this one.

Edited by Kaelwizard, May 1 2019 - 1:19 PM.

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#30 Offline Kaelwizard - Posted May 1 2019 - 1:18 PM

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My queen has dug so much. I didn’t know a queen was capable of this. I will get pics later so you can see.
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#31 Offline Kaelwizard - Posted May 13 2019 - 11:17 AM

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She sadly died

#32 Offline Acutus - Posted May 13 2019 - 11:46 AM

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Sorry. :(


Billy

 

Currently keeping:

Camponotus chromaiodes

Camponotus castaneus

Formica subsericea

#33 Offline Kaelwizard - Posted May 13 2019 - 11:58 AM

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It's okay. I can get one next year. They are all over the place. At least my Prenolepis imparis queen is doing great.


#34 Offline Kaelwizard - Posted June 11 2019 - 3:33 PM

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I caught a new queen! Hooray! Didn’t have enough cotton to make a test tube setup though.
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#35 Offline CatsnAnts - Posted June 11 2019 - 4:33 PM

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Congrats! :D

Spoiler

#36 Offline Kaelwizard - Posted June 11 2019 - 5:18 PM

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I gave her some sugar water and a dead cricket. I saw her drinking the sugar too! I have her in a little plastic container with a moist cotton ball. Before I caught her I saw the biggest Myrmica worker I have ever seen! It was like the size of her! Then I just walked like 10 feet and found her.


#37 Offline Kaelwizard - Posted June 12 2019 - 12:19 PM

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She is doing incredibly well today. She is very fat and may have a pile of eggs. If they are eggs, she doesn’t care for them anymore. She seemed to do something with them yesterday though.

#38 Offline Kaelwizard - Posted June 12 2019 - 12:21 PM

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Also, she seems to be the same species as the last queen.

#39 Offline NickAnter - Posted June 13 2019 - 6:10 AM

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Good job!  Hopefully third time is the charm!


Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 

#40 Offline Kaelwizard - Posted June 14 2019 - 7:28 AM

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She seems to be doing well. I need to replace her food, though.
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