Solenopsis Invicta

[UKantz]

Attempt number 2- no accidents this time!

They've just been ordered, but will not arrive til Easter Sunday is past us and the postal service is working normally again, so I imagine the queen will arrive next Wednesday. She will reside in her test tube, half on top of a heat mat, until her first workers arrive.. then I can let the slight anxiety and fear kick in.

Over the next few weeks I'll be making a few Ytong nests, and so will really have to do some future planning (and escape proofing) for this particular species, as it will not be long before they outgrow nest after nest..

I hope these endeavours will also entertain TenebrousNova, also ^.^. Wish me luck! - lets see if they're still my dream ant species after a few months.

[UKantz]

The queen arrived today at 11;30, she seems healthy and even has a small cluster of 3-5 eggs which she attends to frequently which is excellent to see. I have high hopes for this Queen to begin a great empire!

[UKantz]

It seems the cluster of eggs has grown to around 10, though they're so small its hard to tell. Here are some pictures featuring Camponotus Japanonicus

[UKantz]

The egg pile this morning was around triple in size in comparison to yesterday, so I guestimate there is anywhere from 20-30 eggs there now

[TenebrousNova]

Apr 11, 2018 9:25:59 GMT UKantz said:

The egg pile this morning was around triple in size in comparison to yesterday, so I guestimate there is anywhere from 20-30 eggs there now

There will be more than that.

"Within 24 hours of mating, the queen will have laid between 10 to 15 eggs, which will hatch in eight to 10 days. By the time the first group of eggs hatch, the queen will have laid from 75 to 125 more eggs. The larval stage typically lasts six to 12 days and the pupal stage for nine to 16 days."

[UKantz]

Considering I'll be away for a month after the 21st of April to finish exams, I think I'll have to prepare a suitable outworld and use a "tubs and tubes" method of keeping them while I prepare a suitable formicarium.

[UKantz]

More pictures 

[UKantz]

Still no larvae it seems, hopefully it should only be a matter of days now, though they are long overdue.

[UKantz]

Unfortunately this queen was found dead when I arrived back home. She still had her water supply, though there was no brood, workers or anything. Maybe the founding stages of this species is harder than I imagined. However, this won't deter me from trying again in the future, only I'll be keeping an eye out for a queen with her first workers.

[TenebrousNova]

Sorry to hear that, UKantz.
Better luck next time?

[UKantz]

Hopefully, maybe its just bad luck? Nothing I've read online indicates this species should be hard to keep..