Post by Solamon on Aug 18, 2010 20:49:51 GMT
08-01-2010: I collected four Pogonomyrmex Barbatus queens and three Myrmecocystus Mexicanus queens and start the M. mexicanus in glass test tube set up ( water, cotton), as I have done successfully in the past with M. mimicus. The queens appeared healthy, laying eggs and eating honey water. One week later one of the M. mexicanus queen's would not eat, and the next day she had died. I was thinking that maybe she was sick, had a parasite or something. One week after the death of first queen, another M. mexicanus died and same behavior as the other not eating.
Then I really became concerned and did much research on this species, trying to save the last M. mexicanus queen that I had collected. I discovered that unlike M. mimicus, this is a very delicate species and does not do well rearing in a test tube. They thrive better in in small vial packed with moist sand allows the M. mexicanus to burrow and form a natural queen cell.
I have been lucky enough to collect five more M. mexicanus queens (group 2) and provided them with a more natural environment for brood rearing. I still have the last "survivor" from the first group of M. mexicanus. I decided not to disrupt her with brood (eggs ) in test tube. I connected another test tube with moist sand in it, facing the original ( taped together) cotton, water tube. Its been one week since death of second queen and she is still thriving. She ventures from clean tube (cotton, water), where she keeps brood and back to the tube with moist sand, looking comfortable in combined environment. I have had no problems with the four P. barbatus queens.
08-21-2010: All is well so far with queens. The weather here is hot ranging from 77 to 87 degrees and sometime higher. I keep the queens in a closet located on second level of home. Since heat rises and it is always warm their, I feel this is the best location at this time for them. I check on them daily making sure that the soil is moist and sometime giving the Pogo queens a little honey water, which they seem to love.
The M.mexicanus queen "Survivor" may be pre-mature to give her this name but what the heck. She is doing good in double tube, which is experimental for me. I am still very much aware that we are not out of the woods yet. I collected her with the four Pogos, so I'm eager to see whose eggs will hatch first. The other five M.mexicanus queens have tunneled making a nesting chamber, closing the nest entrance and now also have eggs. Cheers!
08-27-2010: The M. mexicanus queen (Survivor) and the four Pogo queens all have larvae (27 day egg incubation) along with newly laid eggs. Survivor has more larvae (6) than the Pogos (1-2) but the Pogo's larva are much larger in size, appearing to grow faster. I continue to provide food for queens, not that this stops the queens from feeding the larvae newly laid eggs. The larvae need protein and the eggs provide this nutrient. I am very happy to see that Survivor and the Pogos queens have made it to the next stage of brood development.
I have to note in Group 2. Four out of five M. mexicanus queens have completely enclosed themselves inside nesting chamber. Prior to them enclosing themselves, I would occasionally provide a drop of honey for them. It would appear that one queen realized this food source and is taking advantage of this by leaving the entrance to her nest open. When I leave a drop of honey for her near the nest entrance and place cap back on container where she is housed. She will smell the honey and venture out to drink all of it, then returning inside her nest to care for eggs, never sealing off the nest entrance. This species is nocturnal and the queens are not known to leave the nest foraging for food. An exception to the rule, one could say.
09-08-2010: One of the larvae of M. mexicanus queen "Survivor" has spun a cocoon ( 13 days from larva to cocoon ). She has 25 larvae of various size along with a few eggs. She placed sand around larva for it to spin cocoon. Survivor appears healthy constantly nursing her brood. The larvae of the P. barbatus queens have not pupated, but I think it will be soon. The P. barbatus queens appear to feed the larvae more of her eggs than the M. mexicanus queen, greatly reducing the size of brood in P. barbatus as compared to M. mexicanus Four to one.
09-16-2010: The larva of one P. barbatus queen has developed into a naked pupa, normal for this species (20 days from larva to pupa). The queens of both species appear healthy and normal attending to their brood. The one M. mexicanus queen still leaves her nesting chamber waiting for me to feed her honey. I wonder will this behavior continue once the first workers start foraging for food. The Survivor brood now has four cocoons, and she is also doing very well tending to brood.
10-01-2010: A callow has hatched from a pupa of the P. barbatus ( 17 days from pupa to callow). She is yellowish orange in color. One day later the callow is caring for the brood with the queen. The brood consist of one pupa, two larvae and a cluster off eggs. I have heard the P. barbatus colony starts very slow, and from viewing the four queens that I have. They are right.
10-03-2010: A callow has hatched from the cocoon of M. mexicanus queen "Survivor" (19 days from cocoon to callow). The workers of this species appears skinny and frail and has large black eyes, I understand why they would be nocturnal. With the yellow coloring and thin body structure the desert sun would fry them or they would become an easy meal to any lizard or most insects. There is such a noticeable difference between the M. mimicus and M. mexicanus workers and they both are desert honey pot species. Two days later another callow has appeared. The M. mexicanus brood has two callows, three cocoons (one naked), ten larvae of various size and a egg cluster of about fifteen.
Then I really became concerned and did much research on this species, trying to save the last M. mexicanus queen that I had collected. I discovered that unlike M. mimicus, this is a very delicate species and does not do well rearing in a test tube. They thrive better in in small vial packed with moist sand allows the M. mexicanus to burrow and form a natural queen cell.
I have been lucky enough to collect five more M. mexicanus queens (group 2) and provided them with a more natural environment for brood rearing. I still have the last "survivor" from the first group of M. mexicanus. I decided not to disrupt her with brood (eggs ) in test tube. I connected another test tube with moist sand in it, facing the original ( taped together) cotton, water tube. Its been one week since death of second queen and she is still thriving. She ventures from clean tube (cotton, water), where she keeps brood and back to the tube with moist sand, looking comfortable in combined environment. I have had no problems with the four P. barbatus queens.
08-21-2010: All is well so far with queens. The weather here is hot ranging from 77 to 87 degrees and sometime higher. I keep the queens in a closet located on second level of home. Since heat rises and it is always warm their, I feel this is the best location at this time for them. I check on them daily making sure that the soil is moist and sometime giving the Pogo queens a little honey water, which they seem to love.
The M.mexicanus queen "Survivor" may be pre-mature to give her this name but what the heck. She is doing good in double tube, which is experimental for me. I am still very much aware that we are not out of the woods yet. I collected her with the four Pogos, so I'm eager to see whose eggs will hatch first. The other five M.mexicanus queens have tunneled making a nesting chamber, closing the nest entrance and now also have eggs. Cheers!
08-27-2010: The M. mexicanus queen (Survivor) and the four Pogo queens all have larvae (27 day egg incubation) along with newly laid eggs. Survivor has more larvae (6) than the Pogos (1-2) but the Pogo's larva are much larger in size, appearing to grow faster. I continue to provide food for queens, not that this stops the queens from feeding the larvae newly laid eggs. The larvae need protein and the eggs provide this nutrient. I am very happy to see that Survivor and the Pogos queens have made it to the next stage of brood development.
I have to note in Group 2. Four out of five M. mexicanus queens have completely enclosed themselves inside nesting chamber. Prior to them enclosing themselves, I would occasionally provide a drop of honey for them. It would appear that one queen realized this food source and is taking advantage of this by leaving the entrance to her nest open. When I leave a drop of honey for her near the nest entrance and place cap back on container where she is housed. She will smell the honey and venture out to drink all of it, then returning inside her nest to care for eggs, never sealing off the nest entrance. This species is nocturnal and the queens are not known to leave the nest foraging for food. An exception to the rule, one could say.
09-08-2010: One of the larvae of M. mexicanus queen "Survivor" has spun a cocoon ( 13 days from larva to cocoon ). She has 25 larvae of various size along with a few eggs. She placed sand around larva for it to spin cocoon. Survivor appears healthy constantly nursing her brood. The larvae of the P. barbatus queens have not pupated, but I think it will be soon. The P. barbatus queens appear to feed the larvae more of her eggs than the M. mexicanus queen, greatly reducing the size of brood in P. barbatus as compared to M. mexicanus Four to one.
09-16-2010: The larva of one P. barbatus queen has developed into a naked pupa, normal for this species (20 days from larva to pupa). The queens of both species appear healthy and normal attending to their brood. The one M. mexicanus queen still leaves her nesting chamber waiting for me to feed her honey. I wonder will this behavior continue once the first workers start foraging for food. The Survivor brood now has four cocoons, and she is also doing very well tending to brood.
10-01-2010: A callow has hatched from a pupa of the P. barbatus ( 17 days from pupa to callow). She is yellowish orange in color. One day later the callow is caring for the brood with the queen. The brood consist of one pupa, two larvae and a cluster off eggs. I have heard the P. barbatus colony starts very slow, and from viewing the four queens that I have. They are right.
10-03-2010: A callow has hatched from the cocoon of M. mexicanus queen "Survivor" (19 days from cocoon to callow). The workers of this species appears skinny and frail and has large black eyes, I understand why they would be nocturnal. With the yellow coloring and thin body structure the desert sun would fry them or they would become an easy meal to any lizard or most insects. There is such a noticeable difference between the M. mimicus and M. mexicanus workers and they both are desert honey pot species. Two days later another callow has appeared. The M. mexicanus brood has two callows, three cocoons (one naked), ten larvae of various size and a egg cluster of about fifteen.
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