#antkeeping

[havesomewater]

it’s been awhile since an ant update, but something exciting happened. I found my second C. pennsylvanicus queen about 10 months after finding my first! but this time I was prepared and was able to set her up in a founding test tube almost immediately. maybe she won’t be as intense and spicy as my first queen since she got a comfy home immediately

you can really easily see where she tore off her nuptial wings which i find really interesting. like seems as though there may even be bits leftover. she must have just left home. my first queen, her scarring was much more subdued.

i’ll have to post pics and an update of my first colony too, they are just starting to have the infamous camponotus population boom.

[dollyabsurd]

SEE MY PET ANTS. they're lovely,,,, this colony is just starting :)))

[pigeon-feet]

girlthings

[adragonsoulants]

I recently made a mini formicarium... Well... More like 2 weeks ago now. I was waiting for the grout to cure and off-gas (took longer than usual for it to harden), and also for some stuff I ordered to arrive.

It definitely has it's rough edges but it'll work quite well! Definitely easier than trying to just mold one this small.

Now I was originally planning on moving my struggling C. Subbarbatus colony into this one, but now I'm not sure as their mold issue is actually clearing up and I have no clue how to get them out of the chambered tube they're in without breaking it.

So maybe I'll just leave them be and instead put the Formica colony from this year into it at some point.

Many thoughts to be had.

[adragonsoulants]

Gave the Tetramorium colony their first protein as well, the queen was actually the first one to approach!

[adragonsoulants]

Gave the Formica colony their first protein today, a little cricket leg!

The queen had to join in on this one!

[adragonsoulants]

The Formica queen has workers!! I was not expecting so many so fast haha! I think she's out numbering the tetramorium queen already!

What an achiever.

[adragonsoulants]

Took a peek at the ants today and...

My oldest P. imparis colony has a few drones!? Their queen is still alive and well, so it's not that. Could still be workers doing this 🤷

I've never had a species produce alates in captivity but it's not unheard of either, at this point I'm gonna take it to mean that the colony is doing well and is healthy I guess.