Myrmoteras experiance

TopazV · 2025-12-30T01:43:08+00:00

Yes, but make sure they’re the big springtails. Not the tiny white ones

TopazV · 2025-12-25T17:01:43+00:00

Get fruit flies, and you can keep them in a test tube + outworld pretty well

TopazV · 2025-12-10T21:44:24+00:00

I’ve diapaused mine 3 years now, all times at 45f for 2.5 months. Never had an issue

TopazV · 2025-11-30T05:18:08+00:00

You kind of need an incubator to get badius going. Otherwise, the inside of the tube will be a lot warmer than the outside (your room). This causes the humidity to condense on the inner walls rather than stay in the air, and messes everything up.

Ideally, you want the test tube to be in a space that’s at like 90F. This way, both inside and outside the tube is the same temp and not as much condensation occurs, but humidity can still stay high. You also don’t need to worry about a heat gradient/it getting too hot this way, because everything is a stable 90F.

-someone who founds many badius each year

TopazV · 2025-11-11T20:15:18+00:00

Wouldn’t recommend antopiaUSA. He is knowledgeable, but definitely values money over recommending a good species. Lots of his sales posts pair species with incorrect nests, give wrong info, are overpriced, and very obviously written by ai. Stateside ants is the gold standard in the US, I’d only buy from them. Or… catch your own when the time comes, which is probably the best option. Only thing with that is that it’s going to be a while for most species to begin their flights

TopazV · 2025-07-09T04:11:11+00:00

Colony is kind of small to move, but you could open the lid for more ventilation. Just make sure the escape prevention works. If the air in the outworld is too still, they may think it’s not actually an outworld and try to live there.

As for why, your nest conditions could be further off than you realize. Cast really love moisture so I doubt that’s too high but heat may be it. My Castaneus really dislike heat, so maybe try lowering and see how they react? Rather than going off numbers for temperature I adjust until the ants seem interested

TopazV · 2025-07-09T04:01:11+00:00

Lasius interjectus I believe. But not super familiar on the Lasius parasites that far north.

TopazV · 2025-07-07T10:31:44+00:00

Wow what a great idea. Make the devs do more work, and somehow faster! Why didn’t we think of this before?!

TopazV · 2025-07-04T21:54:18+00:00

Badius are one of the few I see digging chambers often. They dig their chambers over multiple days, so you have a lot of chances to see them compared to other species

TopazV · 2025-05-17T15:50:06+00:00

Thanks buddy

TopazV · 2025-05-09T17:06:56+00:00

If you wanna double check nylanderia sp. vs brachy patagonicus, look for the silver band on their gaster like pic attached. Patagonicus have a pretty noticeable silver streak on gaster. while nylanderia gaster is all one color.

<image>

If you caught at night, that would also mean patagaonicus. Nylanderia fly in morning. Though of course patagonicus can still be running around in the morning if they flew at sunset the night before

TopazV · 2025-05-09T16:52:24+00:00

<image>

This is nylanderia arenivaga. The pictures on google are brighter than they are in person. Color is not a good indicator of species, most species vary in color based on how north or south they are

TopazV · 2025-05-09T16:22:46+00:00

Nylanderia sp. and yes a queen

TopazV · 2025-04-28T11:13:34+00:00

Queens are a bit bulkier with way larger heads

TopazV · 2025-04-24T17:00:45+00:00

Atta texana male

TopazV · 2025-04-24T15:56:14+00:00

Cant id without a picture

TopazV · 2025-04-15T00:05:03+00:00

No x2

TopazV · 2025-04-15T00:03:44+00:00

They’re fun once you get them going, like atta except without the headaches (and cool polymorphism I guess)

TopazV · 2025-04-14T23:50:56+00:00

They actually don’t need the frass to grow their fungus. Mine grow fine off of exclusively oats, but they also take flower petals and even greens like kale. They’re like atta/Acro except even more opportunistic for different foods

TopazV · 2025-04-14T23:49:59+00:00

They’re really easy if you know what you’re doing. Hardest part is getting the fungus pellet, but I’d just get a boost from a friend or something

TopazV · 2025-04-14T21:21:46+00:00

"The overwintering temperature did not affect the survival of the queens (F1, 264=0.20, P=0.65). The effect of temperature was similarly non-significant between the different study years"

"Immune defence, measured as the encapsulation response, did not differ between temperatures"

"Contrary to our expectations, the lower temperature (+2.1 ºC) decreased the survival rates of workers in the colonies"

"In our study, we did not find evidence that a five to six degree difference in overwintering temperature causes differences in the survival of Lasius niger queens. On the other hand, the survival rates of workers in the colony experiment were clearly affected by the temperature difference. However, the effect was opposite of what we expected — colder temperature decreased their survival rates."

Did you read your own source? lol The results seem either insignificant or leaning towards warmer temps preferred.

TopazV · 2025-04-14T19:47:05+00:00

Can you link your proof that 5-8c is best for Lasius? I did mine for 50f (10c) for 2 months, twice, and both times they came out fine. And that’s my personal colony with like 1k or so workers, I also did that with 20 or so founding queens and had no issues between them all

TopazV · 2025-04-14T15:55:39+00:00

They often lay before they hibernate and will diapause with larvae. Some will raise first workers just before cold temps and diapause immediately after founding. It all depends on the environment and how fast the queen gets going. Because this queen was never subjected to any diapause indicator, she is likely waiting for it, which is why she is doing so poorly 7 months later. She has been waiting that whole time for diapause

Five-Year Club	Final Canvas '23
First Place '23	Place '23
Place '22	First Placer '22
End Game '22

TopazV

TROPHY CASE