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aka ant: Re: Aka's ants (30. Sep 2008 01:55)

I have better pic's for the Ponera.
pon1-1.jpg
Queen? She is larger than any other worker and looks slightly different
pon2-1.jpg
My formica colony munching on food. Notice to the right some black and tan spots, I have been seeing them pop up all over the nest.
Any idea what they are, maybe ant crap?
for1.jpg

JimmyVe: Re: Aka's ants (30. Sep 2008 18:30)

Nice pictures, could be ant crap or leftovers from the insects you are giving.

Messorus: Re: Aka's ants (5. Okt 2008 15:21)

Yes, this on your photo is Ponera queen. A bit bigger and more robust than a worker... Nice, but Ponera in the test- tube isn´t best idea... They need humus soil :grin:

aka ant: Re: Aka's ants (6. Okt 2008 03:23)

I may move them into a small tank but not untill spring. Any tips on food they may like to eat? I have been giving them spiders and crickets.

SteveUK28: Re: Aka's ants (6. Okt 2008 09:16)

Just try them with everything aka.. Mine have just about everything from garden peas to steak!! :D

Messorus: Re: Aka's ants (10. Okt 2008 18:55)

Just try them with everything aka.. Mine have just about everything from garden peas to steak!! :D

Hmm... Steve, this is Ponera, primitive Ponerinae, no Formicinae like your Camponotus, which can eat everything! :grin: I had tasted apple slices or slices of other fruit on my Diacammas, they can realy eat everything.. But this is Diacamma, higher Ponerinae, not small Ponera

Ponera is eating small soil Collembola animals, white worms of Enchytraeus genus and Drosophila flyies. They need much proteins and they can drink honeywatter too, but just in really small parts and they can´t get honeywatter like head type of their food culture in formicarium. Some of my queens are eating heads of normal flyies easily, but I m portioning it, before the feeding... I´m forward that your Ponera is eating spiders, but when is Ponera already in colony, feeding is easyier I think...

aka ant: Re: Aka's ants (11. Okt 2008 03:38)

I have had a hard time with a single Ponera queen. Small colony seems to be doing well and easier care for.

Messorus: Re: Aka's ants (12. Okt 2008 17:01)

I have had a hard time with a single Ponera queen. Small colony seems to be doing well and easier care for.


I have it too. I have few Ponera queens, their keeping isn´t very easy.... But I´ve caught other 3 queens and gived them one worker(also from nature) and they behave better than single queens...

JimmyVe: Re: Aka's ants (13. Okt 2008 17:07)

It is always easier if you can start from a small colony. ;)

Messorus: Re: Aka's ants (16. Nov 2008 18:45)

Hey ya Jimmy, you have experience with Ponera´s?
When you put one puppae to young queen of Lasius for example, you didn´t won with the keeping of young colony from the queen....
But when you do it with Ponera, it´s more possible that you will keep a colony from them, than if you do with some Formicinae..... :grin:
I think you know this.... it´s just about social mentality of the species and things.... :D
But really, Ponera with queen is doing better than single queen.. I will try to get some Ponera brood from nature and I will give it to some of mine queens.. I also don´t know how Ponera´s mated queens keeps their first brood, if they have cell like other ant species have, where they are coming with hunted food to feed them and brood, or if they moves their brood... Cause Ponera lives in small ecosytseme of soil... but I think it is also too big for them, that they can lost their pheromone tray..... I don´t know, I m not myrmecologiest, just amateur myrmecologiest.. but Ponera is really interesting for me....


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