The AntsCanada Ant Forum's

Today I caught an ant colony that I would have never thought I would catch. Ponera pennsylvanica! It is a young colony with a single queen along with 8 of her daughters. Sadly, I failed to collect any brood, but I hope the queen lays eggs soon. Actually, I have heard that Ponera are difficult to raise, so I hope they survive! Mabey the workers will help the queen feel secure, and she'll lay eggs.

So question. What should I name this colony? (I would have named it myself, but I can't think of any names that fit these odd looking ants.)

the tan bullets maybe? They kind of look like bullets . . .

antnest8 wrote: ↑

Wed May 09, 2018 5:19 pm

the tan bullets maybe? They kind of look like bullets . . .

They are actually black, so mabey the Shadow Bullets, like my future Shadow Empire, read it on The Shadow Empire journal. (and yes, they do look like bullets.)

or the ponera pencils!!

AntsDakota wrote: ↑

Tue May 15, 2018 12:28 pm

antnest8 wrote: ↑

Wed May 09, 2018 5:19 pm

the tan bullets maybe? They kind of look like bullets . . .

They are actually black, so mabey the Shadow Bullets, like my future Shadow Empire, read it on The Shadow Empire journal. (and yes, they do look like bullets.)

I've decided that they're the Black Bullets. The queen's name is Queen Bala Real, meaning Royal Bullet in Spanish.

nice name for the queen

antnest8 wrote: ↑

Tue May 22, 2018 5:34 am

nice name for the queen

Thanks!

Speaking of Spanish names, I caught a Camponotus herculeanus queen and named her Fuego Nocturno. (Nighttime Fire, referring to her bright red head and her glossy black abdomen. She is a beautiful queen.)

Back on topic. So I captured 6 more workers from the same colony, so now the Black Bullets are a colony of 14, and still no eggs.

What are you feeding the Ponera?

Also, bright red head? That doesn't sound like C. herculeanus. Maybe you should do an ID request.