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Post by TenebrousNova on Jul 24, 2012 11:01:45 GMT
As I was beginning to wonder when her majesty would get around to laying any eggs, I looked at them today to see a bunch of about twenty eggs. That's a sigh of relief from me. They are still active and eating well. A head count revealed that there's thirteen workers, and two minor pupae that will eclose within the week.
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Post by TenebrousNova on Jul 25, 2012 20:11:27 GMT
There has been a new development today. I caught a mosquito in a half-hearted attempt to entice the Messors into accepting insect prey at last, and as usual, and as has been the custom for my previous colonies, it was ignored. After a few hours I checked again in time to witness two workers leaving the test tube. One ignored the mosquito, whilst the other picked it up and initially carried it away from the test tube before changing her mind and placing it before the rest of the colony. I have seen about three workers suspending it from the ceiling of the test tube and tucking in, and the queen has also partook of this meal. The ants probably think nothing of it, but it's quite an accomplishment for me. The two pupae mentioned in my last entry should both be eclosed by tomorrow afternoon if I'm lucky.
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Post by TenebrousNova on Jul 26, 2012 8:57:37 GMT
Both callows have eclosed overnight, bringing the worker count to fifteen. Apparently, this number is a good sign that a Messor colony will survive.
These callows are the smallest workers in the nest, and both are able to slowly wander around when they're not being licked by their older siblings. I found it funny when one of them attempted to leave the test tube, and was immediately carried back in. ;D
Of the mosquito I fed them last night, nothing can be seen. There's at least eight pupae at the moment, plenty of big larvae, and the eggs mentioned a few posts above.
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Post by Wood~Ant on Jul 26, 2012 9:04:55 GMT
I think we can safely say this colony is over the first hurdle and is heading down the straight and going for gold
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Post by TenebrousNova on Jul 28, 2012 9:29:19 GMT
Judging from a pupa that has changed colour extraordinarily fast during the last few days, worker sixteen will be up and about soon. It must be the warm temperatures we've had recently in England. On the hotter days, I didn't use the heat mat- I don't want to cook them. I'm quite keen on retrying them on insects, but there isn't a mosquito in sight when I need one. ;D The workers look nice when they're in the test tube together: they gleam a polished black/brown.
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Post by TenebrousNova on Jul 28, 2012 11:23:12 GMT
I have just had an amazing reaction from this colony upon offering them a cricket. I chose the smallest cricket and after quickly killing it, put it in front of the test tube. A worker started trying to pull it, but struggled and went back inside to tell the others. An explosion of activity took place as six workers and queen rushed the cricket and immediately started attacking it! They dragged it back to the brood pile immediately. I never thought I'd see the day when my Messors would show such enthusiasm for food. ;D This is very encouraging.
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Post by Wood~Ant on Jul 28, 2012 12:33:14 GMT
I chose the smallest cricket and after quickly killing it, put it in front of the test tube. A worker started trying to pull it, but struggled and went back inside to tell the others. An explosion of activity took place as six workers and queen rushed the cricket and immediately started attacking it! They dragged it back to the brood pile immediately. I never thought I'd see the day when my Messors would show such enthusiasm for food. ;D This is very encouraging. Most encouraging indeed to say the least, as that will certainly help the larvae to grow and develop fast.
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Post by TenebrousNova on Jul 30, 2012 14:51:23 GMT
After a few hours of chewing up that cricket, they dumped it in a corner. It was hardly recognizable. Yesterday I gave them a small garden spider, which they appeared to enjoy a lot more, possibly because the exoskeleton is softer than the chitin of a cricket. A few more large pupae have formed, with one of them being a media almost large enough to be considered a major. But I won't be expecting one of those until there's at least forty workers. On the other end of the size scale, I have seen a tiny pupa a lot smaller than the minors. Perhaps this is the minim caste that Wood has mentioned a few times? Some of the new eggs have started to hatch out already.
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Post by Wood~Ant on Jul 30, 2012 15:34:30 GMT
I edited the picture below to show the different caste sizes in Messor barbs, so you can estimate roughly what the pupae sizes will become as they fully develop and darken. Attachments:
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Post by TenebrousNova on Jul 31, 2012 16:30:49 GMT
Thank you Wood, that's pretty helpful. Photo time! The red object being held by the workers to the right is a fish flake: This one has a bit more emphasis on the brood, most of which are now pupae: Queen sitting atop her throne of brood and seeds: There's two workers that will eclose in the coming days- a minor and the first media, who will be workers 17 and 18 respectively. Or they could be 18 and 19, I'm beginning to lose count of them already. ;D I look forward to seeing them up and about.
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Post by TenebrousNova on Aug 1, 2012 15:14:41 GMT
I gave them a slightly larger cricket today, and the workers beheaded it, to chew up the head inside the test tube. The queen appeared to be unsettled by the cricket's body outside and hurried out of the test tube and into a corner. She soon backtracked and went back inside, where the workers had been roused by her sudden absence. There's a new callow as predicted, she's tiny. About three pupae are changing colour at the moment, the media one is a healthy brown and should eclose within days.
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Post by IceWhyte on Aug 1, 2012 17:04:25 GMT
Good to see your empire is building. Do the crickets live long in captivity?
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Post by TenebrousNova on Aug 1, 2012 17:06:28 GMT
They can live for quite a while if you feed them. The problem with commercially bred crickets is that they're not supplied with food or anything, and will eventually turn on each other due to cannibalism. It's best to feed crickets with things like grapes and oranges. And it's better in the long run for the recipients who will eventually eat the crickets.
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Post by TenebrousNova on Aug 3, 2012 17:01:51 GMT
The colony now has its first media worker, who is the 18th worker to be born. After watching her curled up as a pupa for most of the day, I'm happy to see her ambling around among her sisters. She's the largest worker in the nest at the moment.
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Post by TenebrousNova on Aug 6, 2012 10:01:58 GMT
There's nearly twenty workers now. The media worker hasn't yet left the nest, but she has mostly gained her adult colour. There's plenty of brood, and there's always a darkening pupa, about three at the moment. I estimate that there will be about thirty workers by the time they all eclose. The queen spends much of her time snoozing, and often has a worker perched on her back whilst she's being cleaned. Unless I'm mistaken, the egg ball has grown a bit and tiny larvae are beginning to hatch out.
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