ANTSTORE World of Ants

[mpir]

I just want to show off to be honest. I got this Messor sp. queen who changed a couple of experienced owners before it ended up in my hands. It was collected in September last year I think, on island Corse. Guys before me did not have much luck with her and gave up on her.

I could say that thanks to my superior skills she managed to raise her first worker and a few more are on the way - but I won't. I'll just stay modest and give all credit to the queen. Ahh what a heck, I'm the best!!

Photo of the new colony is below.

For now she is Messor sp. but I recon she must be Messor wasmanni or Messor capitatus. I will know when the worker is fully colored.

[SteveUK28]

Great stuff mpir, nothing like rasing a messor queen from scratch and you must have added pleasure Well Done to you !!!

[charles17]

YOU GO MPIR!!! GO BRATISLAVAAAA!!!!!!!!

[Skippy]

yeah yeah Bratislava rulezzz

[The_Paranoid]

YEAH !! Thanks to your superior skills !

Maybe you would like to tell us mortals out here, what you did right and the other owners did wrong so everybody can learn something in this post?

[mpir]

Maybe you would like to tell us mortals out here, what you did right and the other owners did wrong so everybody can learn something in this post?

Yeah, I guess I could do that. That is what this forums are all about, right? To learn from one another.

Well it's actually no big secret. It has been told over and over again on this forum that Messor queens should be left alone and not bothered when they are starting a colony. I guess the other guys were just checking on her too much. What I did different is that I've left her alone. To check my diary, I've wraped up the tube with the queen in some black clothe back on 30.3.2008. First time I checked on her was on 19.6.2008 and then again on 8.7.2008, few days ago, when I noticed the first worker. I know that many guys would not be able to do this. Now I'm slowly unwraping the tube so that the colony will be used to light. But that is all I guess. Just leave the queen alone and give her a chance. It worked for me.

[Messorus]

I have one M. muticus queen and she layed some eggs in February and she had about 10 larvaes then, in April, but she had ate 6 of them... Than she ate 2 and now she have 2 larvaes which are not growing So Messor colonies are hard to keep from queens, for beginers like me

,,So I´m rendering you my tribute"

[JimmyVe]

Really great job on this one Mpir !!! Congratulations.

Yes it is true, the queens need to be left alone.

[SteveUK28]

i do agree.. i did the same as mpir with mine.. wrapped her up and stuck her in my cupboard for a few months.. i think i might have to start that all over again as she just dont want to know right now

[mpir]

Small update: a second worker hatched today. The third one will follow shortly as as you can see on the photo one more pupae is turning dark.

@steve
She doesn't want to know what???