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Tetramorium Journal
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2018 12:58 pm
by Austheboss
Hey guys!
Last month, on July 11th, I caught one tetramorium queen. Now, almost exactly a month later, her first workers are about to eclose! I have had this species before, but sadly they did not make it to their first spring. I'm giving it another go, and documenting this time. Here's some photos:
FYI the two darkened ants have not moved yet, very close!
https://photos.app.goo.gl/MWoejKqSrL4jmsr89
I plan to use a better camera for the next post, this was on my phone
As you can (very blurrily see) she has quite a few pupae and actually one or two new eggs.
Re: Tetramorium Journal
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2018 1:12 pm
by AntsDakota
Austheboss wrote: ↑Tue Aug 07, 2018 12:58 pm
Hey guys!
Last month, on July 11th, I caught one tetramorium queen. Now, almost exactly a month later, her first workers are about to eclose! I have had this species before, but sadly they did not make it to their first spring. I'm giving it another go, and documenting this time. Here's some photos:
FYI the two darkened ants have not moved yet, very close!
https://photos.app.goo.gl/MWoejKqSrL4jmsr89
I plan to use a better camera for the next post, this was on my phone
As you can (very blurrily see) she has quite a few pupae and actually one or two new eggs.
Good luck! My Tetramorium colony has about 15 workers, and the 3 queens have been getting along. (This is just a fluke. Don't try it at home, as it usually results in the queens killing each other.)
Re: Tetramorium Journal
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2018 1:17 pm
by Austheboss
AntsDakota wrote: ↑Tue Aug 07, 2018 1:12 pm
Good luck! My Tetramorium colony has about 15 workers, and the 3 queens have been getting along. (This is just a fluke. Don't try it at home, as it usually results in the queens killing each other.)
Thanks! That sounds like an interesting experiment.
Small question. Did you feed the ants inside the test tube for their first feeding with honey and protein, or just honey, or did you give them an outworld for them to forage in immediately? I was thinking that maybe since they are pretty small (both colony and workers) maybe for the first few feedings I'll pop it into the test tube.
Re: Tetramorium Journal
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2018 1:21 pm
by AntsDakota
Austheboss wrote: ↑Tue Aug 07, 2018 1:17 pm
AntsDakota wrote: ↑Tue Aug 07, 2018 1:12 pm
Good luck! My Tetramorium colony has about 15 workers, and the 3 queens have been getting along. (This is just a fluke. Don't try it at home, as it usually results in the queens killing each other.)
Thanks! That sounds like an interesting experiment.
Small question. Did you feed the ants inside the test tube for their first feeding with honey and protein, or just honey, or did you give them an outworld for them to forage in immediately? I was thinking that maybe since they are pretty small (both colony and workers) maybe for the first few feedings I'll pop it into the test tube.
I gave them both honey and protein and an outworld, but they weren't using it very frequently so I decided to just test tube feed them. It doesn't really matter, as they don't need an outworld right away, but I would recommend an outworld when they reach maybe 20 workers or so, but not later. You're their keeper. You decide what you want to do with them.
Re: Tetramorium Journal
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2018 1:23 pm
by Austheboss
AntsDakota wrote: ↑Tue Aug 07, 2018 1:21 pm
I gave them both honey and protein and an outworld, but they weren't using it very frequently so I decided to just test tube feed them. It doesn't really matter, as they don't need an outworld right away, but I would recommend an outworld when they reach maybe 20 workers or so, but not later. You're their keeper. You decide what you want to do with them.
lol okay cool, thanks
Re: Tetramorium Journal
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2018 1:25 pm
by AntsDakota
Austheboss wrote: ↑Tue Aug 07, 2018 1:23 pm
AntsDakota wrote: ↑Tue Aug 07, 2018 1:21 pm
I gave them both honey and protein and an outworld, but they weren't using it very frequently so I decided to just test tube feed them. It doesn't really matter, as they don't need an outworld right away, but I would recommend an outworld when they reach maybe 20 workers or so, but not later. You're their keeper. You decide what you want to do with them.
lol okay cool, thanks
Glad to help.
Re: Tetramorium Journal
Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2018 7:44 am
by Austheboss
Hey everybody!
Here's a quick update. I'm leaving on vacation for two weeks, so I've left them in the care of a friend. He's just gonna put things right in front of their test tube, inside a small outworld. The first workers are here, with many more on the way! I've given them some honey, I saw the queen take a few sips. They seem to be doing well, here's the added photos:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/MWoejKqSrL4jmsr89
Might be some time before I can upload again.
Re: Tetramorium Journal
Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2018 12:08 pm
by Austheboss
Hey guys! I came back from vacation a few days ago and checked up on the ants. They seem to have gained a few workers! Their test tube was extremely moldy from a cricket leg, so I quickly moved them out with a strong led light. It took them an afternoon (and me connecting the two test tube in their outworlds with a little bit of pink sticky note so they'd find it right away lol) for them to move in, and I left them a few seeds and spider legs in the outworld, which they dragged in eagerly. You should be able to them in the photos. Fyi the toilet paper is just there to make it easier for them to climb out of their test tube, since the tinfoil cover creates a large gap between the ground which they are not able to scale.
The photos get older as you scroll down, the added ones are later. In the last video, you can see a worker and the queen performing trophallaxis.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/MWoejKqSrL4jmsr89
Re: Tetramorium Journal
Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2018 3:12 pm
by antnest8
Austheboss wrote: ↑Wed Aug 29, 2018 12:08 pm
Hey guys! I came back from vacation a few days ago and checked up on the ants. They seem to have gained a few workers! Their test tube was extremely moldy from a cricket leg, so I quickly moved them out with a strong led light. It took them an afternoon (and me connecting the two test tube in their outworlds with a little bit of pink sticky note so they'd find it right away lol) for them to move in, and I left them a few seeds and spider legs in the outworld, which they dragged in eagerly. You should be able to them in the photos. Fyi the toilet paper is just there to make it easier for them to climb out of their test tube, since the tinfoil cover creates a large gap between the ground which they are not able to scale.
The photos get older as you scroll down, the added ones are later. In the last video, you can see a worker and the queen performing trophallaxis.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/MWoejKqSrL4jmsr89
Did the tetremorium like the seeds?
Re: Tetramorium Journal
Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2018 8:28 pm
by Austheboss
antnest8 wrote: ↑Wed Aug 29, 2018 3:12 pm
Did the tetremorium like the seeds?
Yea I think so, I crushed up some sesame and chia seeds and they brought in 2 sesames and one chia
I heard they liked them so I gave it a shot and it worked out nicely.