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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2011 17:07:50 GMT 1
the one on the left is the queen
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2011 17:32:55 GMT 1
The only way to tell for definite is to look for slightly larger thoraxes.
I have no experience with Alpha Ants, but I have two Antstore starter kits, the oldest one being at least two years old, and they show no signs of deterioration.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2011 17:34:12 GMT 1
the one on the left is the queen Is the one in the middle a worker? If so then yes I think I can ID the 2 queens I have. They are slightly larger than workers.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2011 17:36:10 GMT 1
Size varies a lot in Myrmica rubra workers. The best way to tell for sure is to look at the size of the thorax, the section between the head and the abdomen.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2011 17:47:52 GMT 1
Size varies a lot in Myrmica rubra workers. The best way to tell for sure is to look at the size of the thorax, the section between the head and the abdomen. Thanks Billy. I think I located the 2 of them. They both have larger thorax than the workers but they are tiny compared to the lasius niger queen I have. Being new to this I just assumed all queens were roughly the size of a niger queen, take it I am wrong! All I need now is a farm.
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Post by Myrm on Feb 22, 2011 18:31:41 GMT 1
Hi Jaay
The difference in size between workers and queens can be vary different dependent on species. The Atta queen is ginagourous compared to the smallest of her workers. In other species the difference is hard to spot.
At first, spotting a queen Myrmica can be quite difficult if you have never really seen mauch of them.
The things to look out for in Myrmica;
Look at the thorax; Billy Bin Lid has given you some vary sound advice there (thanks Billy <exalt>); in the queen the thorax is generally wider than the head. You can also see two dark spots where the wings were. The abdomen is slightly larger and often a little rounder looking. The body tends to be slightly longer than the workers too.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2011 21:06:29 GMT 1
Thank you everyone. I bought a slim line ant farm and a tank and I will connect both up. Got both queens and all the workers in the slim ant farm with some of the soil they arrived in. They have lots of eggs too which is nice to see. Just trying to bore a hole in the tank for their out world and put some moss, twigs and such in there. Any tips for what I should do for their 1st time in a new home? I don't think they are best pleased with me
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Post by Myrm on Feb 22, 2011 21:15:59 GMT 1
Any tips for what I should do for their 1st time in a new home? I don't think they are best pleased with me The biggest bit of advice I can give you at this stage is that once you put the ants into their new home, allow them plenty of time to settle in at their own pace. In other words; leave them alone to do things how they want at their own pace.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2011 21:34:40 GMT 1
Any tips for what I should do for their 1st time in a new home? I don't think they are best pleased with me The biggest bit of advice I can give you at this stage is that once you put the ants into their new home, allow them plenty of time to settle in at their own pace. In other words; leave them alone to do things how they want at their own pace. thank you, also, if i put a layer of vaseline around the top of the tank this will stop them getting out yeah?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2011 21:39:32 GMT 1
In my experience it all depends on the species and sometimes the colony on whether Vaseline works. I have had species walk right over it, mainly Cremagastor species. Whereas the large Camponotus species in my area will not cross it all. They do try to place things on it to allow them to cross.
I have heard that a 50/50 mix of vinegar and olive oil is supposed to be effective against most species. I still prefer using a lid though.
Flavus
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Post by animal123 on Feb 22, 2011 22:13:12 GMT 1
Vaseline did not work for my L.Niger they just walked passed it like nothing happened.
Myrmica rubra tried passing it and eventually did by placeing some small granules of sand on the vaseline thus creating a ''bridge''
I use a mixture of talcum powder and alcohol and it works great!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2011 22:18:34 GMT 1
The thing is, both vinegar and alcohol are stinky. I think you can mix talcum powder with water, paint a strip of the mix on the walls of the tank, and wait for it to dry. When it has, bits fall off when the ants try to climb. I have not tried this, so I don't know whether or not it works.
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Post by animal123 on Feb 22, 2011 22:20:45 GMT 1
I have never tried that out Billy. But for me its not really to smelly having the talcum powder and alcohol mix.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2011 22:22:54 GMT 1
yfrog.com/h2o09mtjSorry not sure how to post a photo but this is the set up I have! Feel free to comment!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2011 22:32:01 GMT 1
As your ant colony gets bigger, it will quickly outgrow your antworld. You will have to buy more of them when the time comes and add them to your setup.
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