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Ant Journal | Solenopsis Molesta (Thief Ants)

Posted: Wed Nov 01, 2017 7:32 pm
by AntsOntario
Hi,
About a month ago, there was a huge nuptial flight with many species. I managed to catch 13 Solenopsis Molesta queens and turns out they're polygynous. I decided to leave a honey-soaked cotton ball during this entire process, and it seemed to speed things up. It took them about 3 days to lay their first batch of eggs, but it was worth it. They laid a huge batch of eggs. I'd estimate around 40 - 60. They all hatched after about a week and stayed in the larvae stage for an additional 2. Unfortunately, they killed the weakest queen and fed it to their larvae.
Image
Since Friday (Oct 27th), workers have been enclosing at a steady rate, and I'd say they have around 10 workers. So far I've noticed:
- The nanitics are TINY.
- They like honey
- They aren't disturbed by light
- They're TINY.
The queens are only a couple mm's long, but the workers..! They're the size of the queen's antenna haha.
Anyway, any tips on this species would be appreciated. Thanks for reading.

Re: Ant Journal | Solenopsis Molesta (Thief Ants)

Posted: Sat Nov 04, 2017 11:36 am
by PTasker15
OMG This Accedintuly Helped Me!I HAVE A S.MOLESTA COLONY NOT A L.HUMILE THX!Here My Colony Of Them!

Re: Ant Journal | Solenopsis Molesta (Thief Ants)

Posted: Sat Nov 04, 2017 11:41 am
by PTasker15

Re: Ant Journal | Solenopsis Molesta (Thief Ants)

Posted: Sat Nov 04, 2017 4:18 pm
by AntsOntario
PTasker15 wrote:
Sat Nov 04, 2017 11:36 am
OMG This Accedintuly Helped Me!I HAVE A S.MOLESTA COLONY NOT A L.HUMILE THX!Here My Colony Of Them!
Glad I could help! :D

Re: Ant Journal | Solenopsis Molesta (Thief Ants)

Posted: Sat Nov 04, 2017 4:50 pm
by AntsOntario
Since my last update, about 20 workers have enclosed, and the colony only has around 20 larvae left. I fed them some almonds and honey and they've been eating so much. Such a big appetite for such small ants.
I should've hibernated them by now, but they aren't showing any signs of slowing down. I've kept them at around 19 degrees (66.2 Fahrenheit) and they don't seem to mind.
These colonies don't last very long. They normally live in/near homes so temperatures stay consistent over winter. I'm assuming since they grow so fast, they reach colony maturity quite fast, and the queens die off soon after their nuptial flight. The queens in this species are extremely small and fragile. Luckily, since their so polygonus, I'll just add in more queens next year.

Re: Ant Journal | Solenopsis Molesta (Thief Ants)

Posted: Sun Nov 05, 2017 2:23 pm
by antsRlife
there really cool. keep us updated during there time. also over hibernation better start thinking of moving them into a formacarium.

Re: Ant Journal | Solenopsis Molesta (Thief Ants)

Posted: Mon Nov 06, 2017 6:08 pm
by Gavinthesheep1234567
Cool keep us posted

Re: Ant Journal | Solenopsis Molesta (Thief Ants)

Posted: Mon Nov 06, 2017 6:08 pm
by Gavinthesheep1234567
I think I may have a colony of this species not sure though

Re: Ant Journal | Solenopsis Molesta (Thief Ants)

Posted: Tue Nov 07, 2017 12:06 pm
by PTasker15
AntsOntario wrote:
Sat Nov 04, 2017 4:18 pm
PTasker15 wrote:
Sat Nov 04, 2017 11:36 am
OMG This Accedintuly Helped Me!I HAVE A S.MOLESTA COLONY NOT A L.HUMILE THX!Here My Colony Of Them!
Glad I could help! :D
Umm My Workers All Died.The Queen Is Fine.Theres A Worker That Should Expose Tommorow.So..How Do I Get Them To Steal Brood?Also,Can I Use Brood From Solenopsis Invicta?

Re: Ant Journal | Solenopsis Molesta (Thief Ants)

Posted: Tue Nov 07, 2017 4:17 pm
by antsRlife
maybe? just do some testing on different types of eggs and lave