Pristomyrmex punctatus.

[shane]

Log: 15.05.2019

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This colony just came in post today after almost 10 days from when I ordered them from "mierwinkel" site.

Pristomyrmex punctatus are just around same size as Lasius niger ants, Nothing much is known about them apart from the queen

is same size as her works and also her works can lay eggs, So if queen dies one of her works will be a queen,

Colony has another same called immortal as colony may never die out, I hope with set up there in and room temp been around the 20c

mark will be fine.

So back to colony.

When I let them lose in there new foraging base. they don't seem to fast in moving, I gave them a cricket's head which there most that was out

swarmed to it then after a hour they all left it with odd ones dragging it then give up cos its big.

Heres a time laps of them.

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[shane]

Log: 18.05.2019

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Colony seems settled. They some how dragged the cricket head in to test tube nest to egg and larvae chamber bit where workers are feasting on any scraps and feeding larvae.

I can't seem to find who the queen in colony is with the mass of workers with eggs and larvae on drinking cotton at bottom base of test tube nest.

They don't seem interested yet with moving out of there old home and don't seem to mind the light going thrthrough there test tube home.

The workers seem to be slow with wandering around there new set up even if there food in they don't seem to rush to it.

They can sense when you open top lid, And slowly any wonwandering workers will make there way to top and wander out if not careful 

Colony are around 50+ strong and seem to eat anything, They seem to be love cooked chicken as well.

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[shane]

Log: 24.05.2019

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There could be more then 2 or 3 queens or even more in this colony. There is about 2 big cluster of eggs and I know with there small body's

gasters they cannot lay that many in small amount of time if there's only 1 queen as there definitely are more.

 There's around over 100 eggs, About 62 in cluster in video and another 50+

on cotton with rest of larvae.

Colony only seems to like to eat insects of any sort or cooked chicken.

I tried them with sweet stuff like sugar water - honey and they just leave it  and I thought they liked sugar things.

Colony are about 70+ strong and growing kind of faster then I thought.

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[shane]

Log: 03.06.2019

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Feeding time, Time laps. a dead fly.

There always eating.

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[shane]

Log: 10.06.2019

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Going to have to rename this colony small piranhas, There strip down every bit of flesh to husk shells of any insect there eat.

I've not seen any colony of ants do that with leaving behind any left over foods.  Punctatus seem to eat anything and not leave anything thin

behind but husk shells.

There still living in there test tube home and using there well I hope there new nest but there using it as a tip or garbage zone

If there keep doing that I'll have to move them to a glass tank and use more test tubes for there nest.

Each of the foraging workers at some point was a happy young laying type of queen but as there age there turn to workers as there retire.

I cannot fully work out how long there life cycle is from new ant to old age. But it maybe around 3 months with around first month

been 1 of many cluster queens.

I hope when colony grows, There will keep a seiten number like my Messors do, From what I read colony at some point can slip in to 2 parts

when colony gets to big, But have to see.

Colony numbers at around 50+ and around 17 seem to never go out and always around eggs and larvae which I think are queens

of colony.

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[shane]

Log: 22.07.2019

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This colony time to time seem to be slow growing but always hungry for foods.

Colony numbers has grown slow to around 60+ workers and about 12 has died.

Nothing new to report apart from its getting hard when its feeding time as when lids off top all the workers try and rush out

or get very excited when foods about to be deployed in to foraging arena.

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[shane]

Log: 01.09.2019

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Very interesting specie, I find it hard to know there life cycle, I find the odd dead worker in foraging tanks bin zone

but seem to take over a month in larvae form before there pupae that's long for such a small species.

There worker size seem about same, No change, If theres any food in foraging tank, they will soon swarm to it.

There also seem to swarm to gecko protein powder drinks as I put a drip of it in foraging tank along with a dead fly.

There in a glass foraging tank now as there was just using there last set up as a huge garbage zone in there was new nest.

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[shane]

Log: 13.11.2019

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Hard to tell if this colony is growing or keeping at same size.

One interesting trade make this colony does is like a flock of sheep as soon as you put any food in foraging tank, It only takes one,

Then rest follow like a small slow marching force, There not fast and can be slow but there do swarm to food.

Colony numbers seem same, There could be more then 80 but others don't seem to come out of nest.

Colony seem active but slow, Never seem to leave nest unless I take lid off foraging box and put new food in then they swam out slow.

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[shane]

Log: 08.01.2020

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Over xmas, This colony has grown a bit in size, they do seem to eat anything then seeds.

Always group feasting on dead fly's, Always hungry for small ants.

colony size is around 100 and still counting. At this rate I'll need to make them a bigger test tube nest.

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[shane]

Log: 22.02.2020

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Nothing new to report. Colony numbers seem same,

There still come out of nest to feast on dead flys, I tried them with other foods but there seem to leave it.

There can be messy with there bin zone, Hard to clean foraging tank cos there that small its easy to mistake ants as trash in there bin zone cos

there that small .

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[shane]

Log: 05.04.2020

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For a small colony with no queens or every new born is a queen for a week or 2 seem to make this colony double in size every

3 to 4 months,

For a small ant there larvae seem to take a month to form to a ant, Its hard to tell how long they live for but its well over 2 months.

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[shane]

Log: 22.05.2020

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Colony's growing fast. When feeding colony some always seem to get out now colony's more adventurous.

Numbers hard to count. But around 200 strong.

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[shane]

Log: 01.07.2020

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Trying this mini colony on just protean pots, Colony seem to be growing slow and around 100 strong.

Hard to understand this colony as every new born ant is a queen for 3 to 4 months before there retire to workers.

nothing new to report apart from the numbers are growing slow.

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[shane]

Log: 11.08.2020

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A lot of the old workers have died off but the nest seems fine. Had to clean out there dead but colony seem around 80 strong

even with about 30+ dead of old workers.

Nothing new apart from there changed test tubes there nesting in from old to new.

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[shane]

Log: 20.11.2020

More workers have died off but there seems to be more new larvae on way. Colony size are reaching around 70.


Colony seem to grow at a size then they number off around 80 to 100 as old workers die off then they seem to keep at around

60 to 70 as there numbers grow again.


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