Batspiderfish's ants

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Batspiderfish
Posts: 3315
Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2016 3:47 pm
Location: Maine

Re: Batspiderfish's ants

Post: # 11052Post Batspiderfish
Tue Sep 13, 2016 7:14 am

nightxwolf88 wrote:Is that just a little soil in there with them?
Yeah, more like some pebbles, which wasn't my intention. Also a lot of seeds -- I put some Eragrostis tef seeds in their foraging arena after the first workers started eclosing, thinking that they might grab a couple, but one little Tetramorium worker gathered every last piece almost immediately. I think that pile of brood has largely been fed on this hoard of seeds, ***** with sugars and insect protein. :D

The rest is coconut fiber, which is turning out to be a very useful substrate for all my ants.

My camera battery died before I could photograph my other ants. Those will come sometime in the future, hopefully after my Formica neogagates queen gets her first and only worker for the year.
If you enjoy my expertise and identifications, please do not put wild populations at risk of disease by releasing pet colonies. We are responsible to give our pets the best care we can manage for the rest of their lives.

nightxwolf88

Re: Batspiderfish's ants

Post: # 11056Post nightxwolf88
Tue Sep 13, 2016 8:43 am

That's amazing, I knew tetramorium would eat grain too but to hoard all those seeds wow haha. I think I'm gonna try some seeds for mine instead of just crickets and honey water.

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Batspiderfish
Posts: 3315
Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2016 3:47 pm
Location: Maine

Re: Batspiderfish's ants

Post: # 11060Post Batspiderfish
Tue Sep 13, 2016 9:33 am

nightxwolf88 wrote:That's amazing, I knew tetramorium would eat grain too but to hoard all those seeds wow haha. I think I'm gonna try some seeds for mine instead of just crickets and honey water.
Teff is supposedly the worlds smallest agricultural grain. I'm not sure what its availability is like, but Bob's Red Mill sells bags of it. Chia might work well too.
If you enjoy my expertise and identifications, please do not put wild populations at risk of disease by releasing pet colonies. We are responsible to give our pets the best care we can manage for the rest of their lives.

nightxwolf88

Re: Batspiderfish's ants

Post: # 11061Post nightxwolf88
Tue Sep 13, 2016 9:39 am

Thank you for the tips as usual :) . I'll see if the chai will work for them

martinnate

Re: Batspiderfish's ants

Post: # 11066Post martinnate
Tue Sep 13, 2016 11:32 am

Batspiderfish wrote:Tetramorium sp. E

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What are the gray clumps?

martinnate

Re: Batspiderfish's ants

Post: # 11068Post martinnate
Tue Sep 13, 2016 11:35 am

Never mind lol I guess I should read all post before posting questions lol

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Batspiderfish
Posts: 3315
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Location: Maine

Re: Batspiderfish's ants

Post: # 13460Post Batspiderfish
Sun Oct 09, 2016 5:31 pm

Myrmica sp. "1"

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Myrmica sp. "2"

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Lasius latipes

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Formica neogagates

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If you enjoy my expertise and identifications, please do not put wild populations at risk of disease by releasing pet colonies. We are responsible to give our pets the best care we can manage for the rest of their lives.

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Batspiderfish
Posts: 3315
Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2016 3:47 pm
Location: Maine

Re: Batspiderfish's ants

Post: # 19225Post Batspiderfish
Mon Apr 10, 2017 10:29 pm

Lasius latipes (and mites)
The host workers are from the flavus group, either Lasius flavus or L. nearcticus.

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Lasius alienus
The queen did not make it through hibernation. These orphans will serve nicely as a host colony -- if they are still queenless by July, then I will give Lasius subumbratus another shot.

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If you enjoy my expertise and identifications, please do not put wild populations at risk of disease by releasing pet colonies. We are responsible to give our pets the best care we can manage for the rest of their lives.

xTNxANTMANx
Posts: 416
Joined: Tue Oct 04, 2016 9:03 am
Location: Western Tennessee

Re: Batspiderfish's ants

Post: # 19295Post xTNxANTMANx
Wed Apr 12, 2017 2:25 am

I have to say, I envy your collection! :D I know I'll get there though. One of my Camponotus subbarbatus has her first cocoons for the year! One of them is bigger than the other 2 so maybe I'm in for a surprise... Or just a bigger worker as she only has 6-7. I need to do a count really. Love your Camponotus pennsylvanicus pictures the most BTW! I will have that species before the year is up...I hope :P
Keeping:
Camponotus subbarbatus
Formica pallidefulva x2
Formica subsericea x4
Lasius sp
Tetramorium immigrans x2
Dorymyrmex bureni

Founding:
Formica pallidefulva
Unknown sp x2

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Batspiderfish
Posts: 3315
Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2016 3:47 pm
Location: Maine

Re: Batspiderfish's ants

Post: # 19448Post Batspiderfish
Sat Apr 15, 2017 8:48 am

xTNxANTMANx wrote:
Wed Apr 12, 2017 2:25 am
I have to say, I envy your collection! :D I know I'll get there though. One of my Camponotus subbarbatus has her first cocoons for the year! One of them is bigger than the other 2 so maybe I'm in for a surprise... Or just a bigger worker as she only has 6-7. I need to do a count really. Love your Camponotus pennsylvanicus pictures the most BTW! I will have that species before the year is up...I hope :P
Thanks! :D
Camponotus subbarbatus is so pretty! C. pennsylvanicus are large and monochromatic, but I kind of like them for those reasons. My colony has a lot of potential to grow bigger than I can handle, which I am a little concerned about.

I've been keeping ants for quite a few years now, so recently I curb my impulses to catch queens so that I have a better chance at unique species. I have a few too many ants right now -- it's better to only have a few that you can take good care of. I'm going to eventually have to build formicariums for all of these ants. :roll:

I'm working on a whole-formicarium design that can be 3d-printed, but then cast in cement so that I can make a lot of them cheaply. It will be at a 20 degree angle instead of vertical/horizontal, for better viewing/photography.
If you enjoy my expertise and identifications, please do not put wild populations at risk of disease by releasing pet colonies. We are responsible to give our pets the best care we can manage for the rest of their lives.

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