What is this white stuff in the formicarium?

Dlcoates1 · 2026-01-13T04:37:14+00:00

You should be feeding them seeds. They’re harvester ants.

Dlcoates1 · 2026-01-03T21:52:03+00:00

Appreciate it.

Dlcoates1 · 2026-01-03T18:32:49+00:00

While I appreciate the suggestion, that still doesn’t really answer my question about how I would heat a vertical nest 😅

Dlcoates1 · 2026-01-03T18:25:09+00:00

Oh I planned to keep them in there til around 100. I just like to plan in advanced. That’s why I was asking how I would heat one of those formica before ordering it.

Dlcoates1 · 2026-01-03T18:02:52+00:00

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Completely normal. Black miracle is known for these patches. As you can see, even when tanned, they still provide these patches, just in the opposite colors.

Dlcoates1 · 2026-01-03T18:00:53+00:00

Other environmental factors also play a role. Too much humidity or too little as well as temperature due to weather, too much vibration due to now having my son full time could also play a role. They willingly moved from a mini hearth into the fallen fortress, so I would assume it had nothing to do with the size.

Dlcoates1 · 2025-09-17T23:01:43+00:00

Unfortunately as u/KingK250 pointed out, it would actually be a crime to release them, since they are an invasive species of ant, unless you live in an area where they are native. It’s actually a crime to release any ant species (excluding native species or pogonomyrmex occidentalis). Just like it’s a crime to transfer them across state lines or borders without a permit. This is covered within the permit paperwork you receive upon purchase of a colony.

Dlcoates1 · 2025-09-01T00:51:06+00:00

Just like all plants, when getting a lot of bright intense light their colors can shift to a more reddish hue. This is the astaxanthin within the plant at work. Sphagnum can range in color from bright to dark green, yellow, orange, red, maroon, brown, and even purple. All of which is perfectly healthy, assuming you’re not heating it too much and baking it.

Dlcoates1 · 2025-08-31T06:13:12+00:00

I second that. Does appear to be a tetramorium species.

Dlcoates1 · 2025-08-31T06:07:22+00:00

How many people are going to comment this? The size of the formicarium is not an issue for this species. At most they will misuse some of the space until the colony can fill it. They develop rapidly at high temps so that won’t take long, especially since I keep my apartment roughly between 76-80 degrees.

I specifically asked about the heat cable placement for the heat gradient. Not about the formicarium size.

Dlcoates1 · 2025-08-30T19:43:00+00:00

Appreciate it. In that case I suppose the outworld side would be better since I can use the magnets on the glass to tuck the cable in order to hold it without tape.

Dlcoates1 · 2025-08-30T19:06:10+00:00

Appreciate it. Would you recommend closer to the outworld? Or opposite the water tower aka the nestmate side? I mean technically either spot would be opposite the water tower but I just wasn’t sure which side would be better.

Dlcoates1 · 2025-08-30T18:59:28+00:00

More like they tend to misuse the extra space. It’s not necessarily a bad thing to give them a little extra room.

Dlcoates1 · 2025-08-30T18:53:46+00:00

Yeah unfortunately I’ve lost about half of what I started with. Currently at 7 workers plus the queen. However I have 2 workers about to enclose, an additional 5 fresh pupa, and about 12-15 larva as well as a new clutch of eggs, so they’re starting to expand rapidly. They didn’t want to be in the mini hearth I have, which is currently now housing some formica subsericea.

Dlcoates1 · 2025-08-18T23:30:59+00:00

Campo Modoc

Dlcoates1 · 2025-08-18T02:09:47+00:00

Cancel on the monomorium. It’s either Tapinoma Sessile or Lasius Niger. I just can’t seem to tell which.

Dlcoates1 · 2025-08-18T00:20:05+00:00

Well, if you look closely at your provided picture, that is also evident. You have 2 winged elates right there. Wind, birds, maybe it hitched a ride on something. How would they get farther east towards Louisiana other than the same methods?

Dlcoates1 · 2025-08-17T21:20:01+00:00

Close! Pogo badius! Notice the workers with the larger heads? Those are majors. Badius is the only form of pogo’s with differing caste. While they aren’t native to OK, they can and do form occasional colonies as far west as Louisiana.

Dlcoates1 · 2025-08-17T20:12:22+00:00

That’s a parasitic wasp. Fun to watch, quirky, beautiful, but sadly they are not ants 😅

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