AAU's Journals
Posted: Wed May 16, 2018 7:00 pm
Ponera pennsylvanica:
I have been attempting keeping Ponera pennsylvanica over several years. This year I have 6 queen all with eggs, a pile of 8 eggs being the most. I also caught a small colony of 5 queens and some workers.
Aphaenogaster rudis:
I have caught a small colony of Aphaenogaster rudis in April. I can find tons of starting and mature colonies of Aphaenogaster under stones and logs in wooded areas. Right now they have a fair amount of workers and tons of brood.
Aphaenogaster tennesseensis:
These in case anyone doesn't know are parasitic Aphaenogaster. Right now the queen is sitting with 5 A. rudis workers with some pupa and she has recently laid some eggs. They also made some neat tunnels with pulled cotton.
Formica incerta:
Caught a small colony of these under a stone coming out of hibernation at the beginning of April. They have a batch of eggs going.
Temnothorax schaumii:
Caught these under some bark of a maple tree in March. They have laid quite a few eggs by now.
Myrmica sp.
This is the smaller of the 2 species I have. They were pretty active when I first put them into their setup, but they settled down shortly after I fed them.
Myrmica sp.
This is the larger of the 2 species I have. They were also very active until I fed them. I have 2 queens so far both with eggs.
Camponotus chromaiodes:
My favorite Camponotus in my area. They are huge and decently colorful. I have caught 2 queens recently with no eggs.
Strumigenys sp.
Saved best for last! I don't have high expectations for them but I sure would love to get these going. I have only fed them springtails so far which I have seen them hunt and kill. Found a small colony of them under a stone.
Note - this picture was taken before modifications were made in order to see them somewhat clearly as they are only 1.5 mm long.
The top one is the queen.
Feel free to ask any questions!
I have been attempting keeping Ponera pennsylvanica over several years. This year I have 6 queen all with eggs, a pile of 8 eggs being the most. I also caught a small colony of 5 queens and some workers.
Aphaenogaster rudis:
I have caught a small colony of Aphaenogaster rudis in April. I can find tons of starting and mature colonies of Aphaenogaster under stones and logs in wooded areas. Right now they have a fair amount of workers and tons of brood.
Aphaenogaster tennesseensis:
These in case anyone doesn't know are parasitic Aphaenogaster. Right now the queen is sitting with 5 A. rudis workers with some pupa and she has recently laid some eggs. They also made some neat tunnels with pulled cotton.
Formica incerta:
Caught a small colony of these under a stone coming out of hibernation at the beginning of April. They have a batch of eggs going.
Temnothorax schaumii:
Caught these under some bark of a maple tree in March. They have laid quite a few eggs by now.
Myrmica sp.
This is the smaller of the 2 species I have. They were pretty active when I first put them into their setup, but they settled down shortly after I fed them.
Myrmica sp.
This is the larger of the 2 species I have. They were also very active until I fed them. I have 2 queens so far both with eggs.
Camponotus chromaiodes:
My favorite Camponotus in my area. They are huge and decently colorful. I have caught 2 queens recently with no eggs.
Strumigenys sp.
Saved best for last! I don't have high expectations for them but I sure would love to get these going. I have only fed them springtails so far which I have seen them hunt and kill. Found a small colony of them under a stone.
Note - this picture was taken before modifications were made in order to see them somewhat clearly as they are only 1.5 mm long.
The top one is the queen.
Feel free to ask any questions!