AntsDakota's Ponera pennsylvanica colony

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AntsDakota
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Location: South Dakota

Re: AntsDakota's Ponera pennsylvanica colony

Post: # 36773Post AntsDakota
Sun Jun 03, 2018 8:36 pm

Batspiderfish wrote:
Sun Jun 03, 2018 7:24 pm
AntsDakota wrote:
Sun Jun 03, 2018 7:14 pm
You're right. They didn't accept it. So I fed them a wax worm, which my Lasius niger colony seemed to enjoy, and hemolymph (if that's what wax worms have for blood) came spilling out when I cut it in half. Wax worms have a very soft exoskeleton compared to meal worms, so do you think they'll eat that?
They might, but I really stand by offering small insects to small ants. Even though moth larvae have softer exoskeletons, they're still pretty tough and rubbery for a tiny Ponera. The natural food of Ponera are tiny springtails and the likes. I maintain that fruit flies are the best commercially available food for small ants and young colonies.
The inside of the wax worm was exposed directly to the ants, since I cut it in half.
"God made every kind of wild beasts and every kind of livestock and every kind of creeping things;" (including ants) "and God saw that it was good." Genesis 1:25

AntsDakota
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Re: AntsDakota's Ponera pennsylvanica colony

Post: # 36774Post AntsDakota
Sun Jun 03, 2018 8:38 pm

About your pm, Ponera is the only genus of ants in SD that has that oblong body shape, and P pennsylvanica is the only Ponera species in SD. And yes, I did get a video of them, yet I don't have an account on imgur.com.
"God made every kind of wild beasts and every kind of livestock and every kind of creeping things;" (including ants) "and God saw that it was good." Genesis 1:25

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Batspiderfish
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Re: AntsDakota's Ponera pennsylvanica colony

Post: # 36787Post Batspiderfish
Sun Jun 03, 2018 10:10 pm

AntsDakota wrote:
Sun Jun 03, 2018 8:38 pm
About your pm, Ponera is the only genus of ants in SD that has that oblong body shape, and P pennsylvanica is the only Ponera species in SD. And yes, I did get a video of them, yet I don't have an account on imgur.com.
Oh, that was about Camponotus! :lol:

Why not get an account? Don't you want to show off pictures of your colonies?
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.

AntsDakota
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Location: South Dakota

Re: AntsDakota's Ponera pennsylvanica colony

Post: # 38271Post AntsDakota
Tue Jun 19, 2018 1:01 pm

I added 2 more queens, so the colony has four queens, yet still no eggs.
"God made every kind of wild beasts and every kind of livestock and every kind of creeping things;" (including ants) "and God saw that it was good." Genesis 1:25

AntsDakota
Posts: 1283
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Location: South Dakota

Re: AntsDakota's Ponera pennsylvanica colony

Post: # 38850Post AntsDakota
Mon Jun 25, 2018 10:58 am

I fed them 10 or 15 fruit files, and they took to them instantly. I haven't got to buying fruit flies until recently, so I haven't had anything to feed them since then. I'll bet that they'll start laying eggs now that they are feasting like queens! :lol:
"God made every kind of wild beasts and every kind of livestock and every kind of creeping things;" (including ants) "and God saw that it was good." Genesis 1:25

AntsDakota
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Location: South Dakota

Re: AntsDakota's Ponera pennsylvanica colony

Post: # 40393Post AntsDakota
Sun Jul 08, 2018 4:06 pm

All workers are dead, probably due to old age. One of the queens I believe was a different species, so she's been gone a long time. I believe Bala Real is also dead, since she already had workers, and now they died. The 2 queens I have left originally didn't have workers. I gave them fruit flies and they adore them. They just can't have enough!
"God made every kind of wild beasts and every kind of livestock and every kind of creeping things;" (including ants) "and God saw that it was good." Genesis 1:25

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antnest8
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Re: AntsDakota's Ponera pennsylvanica colony

Post: # 40683Post antnest8
Wed Jul 11, 2018 10:17 am

im sorry about Bala Real. are you sure that she was a queen because i can hardly tell the difference of looks just from pictures.
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AntsDakota
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Re: AntsDakota's Ponera pennsylvanica colony

Post: # 40869Post AntsDakota
Thu Jul 12, 2018 4:41 pm

antnest8 wrote:
Wed Jul 11, 2018 10:17 am
im sorry about Bala Real. are you sure that she was a queen because i can hardly tell the difference of looks just from pictures.
All queens were about 2 mm larger than the workers, and they had big, fat gasters. I don't think this species is polymorphic, yet there are bigger ants here. They must be queens.
"God made every kind of wild beasts and every kind of livestock and every kind of creeping things;" (including ants) "and God saw that it was good." Genesis 1:25

AntsDakota
Posts: 1283
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Location: South Dakota

Re: AntsDakota's Ponera pennsylvanica colony

Post: # 40990Post AntsDakota
Fri Jul 13, 2018 12:35 pm

Batspiderfish wrote:
Sun Jun 03, 2018 10:10 pm
AntsDakota wrote:
Sun Jun 03, 2018 8:38 pm
About your pm, Ponera is the only genus of ants in SD that has that oblong body shape, and P pennsylvanica is the only Ponera species in SD. And yes, I did get a video of them, yet I don't have an account on imgur.com.
Oh, that was about Camponotus! :lol:

Why not get an account? Don't you want to show off pictures of your colonies?
I found pictures of Camponotus discolor, and they match the ants I'm seeing 100%, both queens, workers, majors, and males. They are recorded in North Dakota, Nebraska, and Iowa, so I am pretty sure that it's possible that they can survive here in SD.
"God made every kind of wild beasts and every kind of livestock and every kind of creeping things;" (including ants) "and God saw that it was good." Genesis 1:25

AntsDakota
Posts: 1283
Joined: Sat Mar 17, 2018 4:22 pm
Location: South Dakota

Re: AntsDakota's Ponera pennsylvanica colony

Post: # 41217Post AntsDakota
Sun Jul 15, 2018 1:54 pm

There is only one queen left, and still no eggs. I fed her a couple of fruit flies.
"God made every kind of wild beasts and every kind of livestock and every kind of creeping things;" (including ants) "and God saw that it was good." Genesis 1:25

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