Having Success With Ants: Pogonomymex occidentalis

[@kadesants4938]

I was able to raise a successful Pogonomymex colony in one of your well made formicarium with no experience with the spices. I was even able to get them through diapause. Awesome video!

[@LightsCameraAnts]

I love the new video! How many worker does your most successful colony have?

[@TarheelantsUSA]

Thank you, Lights, Camera, Ants! The boosted colonies , which I only kept 4 of here, all have around 75-100 workers and are still not in diapause. They do not want to let up, so I will keep them going. The rest are in a couple of tiers, between 10-25 workers. Most of those had diapause and just waking up now.

[@TarheelantsUSA]

Two of these colonies are in 2 brand new formicarium (The Atrium and The Solarium), and I will be posting videos on these formicaria with the colonies in the next 1-2 weeks.

[@LightsCameraAnts]

That’s great to hear! I can’t wait to see it!

[@dr_fish]

Stoked about these guys! Just gearing up to get into the hobby, want to catch my own local queens first but these would be fun to add to the mix down the road. 🐜

[@TarheelantsUSA]

They are very different and will add a lot to your collection in terms of activity, feeding, among other things.

[@mikedebell2242]

It's interesting to see what goes on underground with these in winter. I live out west where they are common. The first ant I had contact with as a child, sometimes unpleasant. I became adept at picking them up without being stung. I love the closeups you do.

[@anthonyturner791]

Great video man covered a lot of important points 👌

[@TarheelantsUSA]

Thank you!

[@zohawn4398]

My tip from experience is be careful, the sting hurts and the bite can draw blood.

[@TarheelantsUSA]

That sums it up! The fact they cannot climb glass or plastic has helped these become the favorites among newcomers to the hobby. I have not been stung yet.

[@camboishawt]

Thx for the video very informative I live in Mesa AZ and im a first timer when it comes to the hobby of ant keeping just this week i found 3 queen alates of this kind of species mine are mostly black with a little reddish tint to them. i currently have these ants in a test tube set up.

[@FrighteningScares]

Hey I just found you website an soon I think I am gonna buy some of these ants! Thanks for the information ☺️

[@FrighteningScares]

Also I subbed

[@thomasschellenberg3818]

Another fantastic video!

[@TarheelantsUSA]

Thank you!

[@NorthernANTs]

Great video i sorry i have not commented yet watch this video a long time ag, very important when starting to keep these ants.

[@FizzleFX]

2:00 err seeds to give lots of energy, like human bread would, but not much in terms of protein. A few crickets will have them go nuts... Also, you want to grind up the first seeds until the colony reaches 30~50ish workers. Just so its easier for the small workers and no plants grow or stuff like that. They too can mold but the ants will try to put it in dry spots ~ and if they have the space they make 1 storage nest and one nest nest :p Just like the most common pet ant: messor barbarus... ~ sturdy and interesting things. 2:05 (my messor like variety but regular grass seeds are welcome. a bio mix does the trick)

[@codysexton2195]

I did what you said couple weeks ago and turn the heat up and dang there moving now!

[@TarheelantsUSA]

I have mine up to 90 now, giving them a week of hot days! Do you have a thermometer on them?

[@codysexton2195]

@@TarheelantsUSA no I dont I need to get one. Are you just laying the thermometer next to the nest. I have a flexible temperature probe I would love to somehow sneak inside the nest to get accurate temperature readings but I keep seeing that end badly. I am working on a little setup right now for something else. When I get it done I'm gonna send you one Mack.

[@TarheelantsUSA]

@@codysexton2195 A thermometer on the desktop next to the formicarium is good with a heated room, but if you use a heat lamp system it should be level with the nest area or just slightly above it. On larger habitats I put it on the lid actually. The probes help! Love to see what you come up with, Cody.

[@codysexton2195]

@@TarheelantsUSA thanks for the info I'm gonna get working on it asap.

[@brotony101]

Great video! Still love my Pogos. I only have 2 workers (her own) as the boosting colony have all died and was thinking about ordering just some workers, chilling them and then warming them up all together to help the queen's production to reboost the colony for this season. Any suggestion on how many workers should be the max? I was thinking a couple dozen to assure time to really help the queen out before their time is up.

[@TarheelantsUSA]

Just give them heat, seeds, and water in spades. My guess is something was missing of the three for you to lose the colony, sorry to hear that. These are the easiest to maintain among the ants I keep, but have less forgiving sides for lack of food or water even for short periods of time. The good news is you can load them up with seeds, keep the heat on them (alternating day and night if you want) and really just focus on making sure they have drinking water at all times. Even the little colony with two workers should make a recovery following that advice in my experience, but it depends also on the type of habitat. I would NOT add other workers to a queen, it has failed time and again as I have tried to work out introductions in a variety of ways. Methods that work with other species do not work with this species at all (chilling in the refrigerator, etc.). Remember they have a sting, and the poison can kill other workers as well. A short conflict with a queen where she has a big target, her gaster, can easily end in her death.

[@Koraaalove]

thanks so much for your help i'm actually going to buy one soon this summer of july

[@TarheelantsUSA]

You're welcome.

[@jakobsande8773]

Very informative. How necessary do you find that nighttime temperature drop? It's cooler where I live, and I worry unplugging a heating cable at night would leave them colder than the recommended 65-70F. More like 58-62f.

[@mickster287]

Great video !!!

[@TarheelantsUSA]

Mickey George Thanks, Mickey!

[@1JASFASFDD]

How do you clean the seeds out?

[@TarheelantsUSA]

Cleaning seeds out of?

[@1JASFASFDD]

@@TarheelantsUSA a mini hearth

[@Stellasadventures616]

i acidently flooded my mini hearth and it is wayyy humid do you have any tips?

[@viewingstorm8930]

Are they able to clime up to the upper area or do they need a side attachment

[@TarheelantsUSA]

They can climb, you can remove the vinyl tube for easier access in addition to using the top foraging

[@nathanswildants5096]

What is the humidity level they need

[@ALECXANDER.]

Would a fortress be too big for a starting colony?

[@TarheelantsUSA]

ALEC. No, not for this species. They only eat seeds so having areas for them to store the various seeds you give them is not a bad thing at all.

[@ALECXANDER.]

TarheelAnts thank you for the quick response I have one more question would this species be considered large or medium?

[@TarheelantsUSA]

ALEC. This is a medium species.

[@josephmorris9133]

I currently have my P. Occidentalis in a test tube setup and I have 8 queens going right now to try to get the best blooming colony out of the bunch to keep. The problem I'm having is that over half the queen's aren't laying much or anything at all for brood and the ones that are laying aren't progressing very quickly. The best queen I have I've had the longest at about just over 2 months now and she only has 1 worker and a handful of larvae and pupi... Is there a reason that they aren't producing or is this fairly normal?

[@hannibaltheanimal9836]

My seeds keep molding any advice?

[@legostopmotion5217]

Hey I just got the colony from your store and I was wondering do I keep the heating Capel all around the Formicium or just on the side like on the bid

[@legostopmotion5217]

Vid*

[@soants5808]

Hey I was wondering if you could do an update video on camponotus americanus, I’m in South Carolina and I managed to catch a queen although I’ve never seen a colony and I was wondering how you colony was doing since I don’t know much about the species

[@TarheelantsUSA]

Just a quick update on the colony I have now. They had just 2 workers over the winter but now are up to 9 with a plenty more larvae and pupae as well. The first small major just eclosed. We have a Facebook group called Tar Heel Ants Interactive Newsletter that you are welcome to join and see the progress. I post updates on them fairly often.

[@mlk08012]

Where in SC? I’m in Goose Creek.

[@Antron_Edition]

What’s the best way to put these ants under diapause when it’s too cold (in Minnesota zone 5 so it gets to -20 to -35 Fahrenheit) is a fridge good because I do not have a wine cooler or is it too cold

[@animeants1569]

Do they still need honey for energy or are seeds the only thing you need to feed them throughout their lives?

[@Rinjii13]

I feed mine all kinds of seeds, chopped up meal worms, fruit (organic pesticides can be fatal) they ate a lemon wedge once, and sometimes I give them sugar water.

[@DJRickard2010]

dandelion seeds were my first staple, as recommended by Mack at THA. They loved small moths but he cautioned that live bugs can introduce mites and other potentially fatal organisms. Most recently, I've been mixing in some organic chia seeds, which the Pogos go nuts over.

[@coolkid124abc2]

are pogonomyrmex occidentalis a medium size ant?

[@TarheelantsUSA]

yes

[@jadentonkin466]

thx this is rlly helpful

[@jamesgossweiler1349]

I have all kinds of ant equipment but never got a colony. It's deceptively hard to start one. Same problem with the ant farms of half a century ago.

[@TarheelantsUSA]

James Gossweiler These ants, once in full swing, which the colonies I have in my care are now, are definitely a new and refreshing experience for me. They are so active and grow quickly for their size compared to others.

[@jamesgossweiler1349]

How can I get a colony? I have a nice habitat.

[@BattleoftheDays13]

Buying them soon

[@dylantaylor5829]

Do you know if the requirements are similar for P. badius? That is my local species and I would like the keep them.

[@TarheelantsUSA]

Dylan Taylor should be very similar , yes.

[@dylantaylor5829]

@@TarheelantsUSA Thank you. Hard to find info on them specifically.

[@nurelljucida962]

Just ordered a Badius queen last night so was also curious. Also, with Badius being one of the largest pogonomyrmex species atleast to my knowledge, do you think the mini hearth and fortress type II would hold them during their early stages comfortably Mack?

[@dylantaylor5829]

@@nurelljucida962 Oh, where did you get yours? Id love to buy one. I work in an area with an abundance of nests but have yet to find a queen.

[@nurelljucida962]

@@dylantaylor5829 I have a buddy i met online who was fine with selling me one but sadly I think I got the last one from him

[@samrockwallgunship]

I love tar heel ants and your nests work for all my ants, even my atta queen can fit in a mini hearth (i dont keep her in it she has wakooshi pod i put her in for the funny)

[@XB.DarkKrog]

I've heard that these pogo ants don't need diapause.

[@lesliegordon1649]

Why put them through diapause?

[@cucumberboy1446]

Epic!

[@Saphire_Throated_Carpenter_Ant]

I wish I could have some :( Maybe when I leave CA and move to the United States...

[@TarheelantsUSA]

Where do you live?

[@Saphire_Throated_Carpenter_Ant]

@@TarheelantsUSA I live in California. Last I heard we had to jump through some hoops to be able to have these. Did they ever change that? I leave the hoop jumping to circus animals.

[@anthonyturner791]

@@Saphire_Throated_Carpenter_Ant pretty sure it's a simple application and boom you can get a colony

[@Saphire_Throated_Carpenter_Ant]

@@anthonyturner791 Well I'll have to look into it. I had someone in one of my classes who got a colony not long back and mentioned it was a pain in the rear. Maybe he was exaggerating.

[@Saphire_Throated_Carpenter_Ant]

Didn't take long... I tried wording it as many different ways as I could think of on google and I can't even find where to start the application process for the permit. That definitely seems like the start of a 'pain in the rear' to me but I'll keep looking. Any pointers would be greatly appreciated.

[@sadcowboycat1995]

the music is so blaring loud

[@travisb5358]

I wish i had a colony of pogos :-(

[@ColossalSwordFormAndTechnique]

So these water towers are just for humidity? Ahhh… Okay 👍 So you’ll still need water feeders and test tubes

[@TarheelantsUSA]

Nestmates are part of each nest. They go hand in hand.

[@nightninja1219]

very good i have harvester ants (Messor Barbarus)

[@credecarter8429]

Idk know when I should bring my ants out of my fridge

[@TarheelantsUSA]

When did you put them in? What kind of ants?

[@credecarter8429]

TarheelAnts mostl tetmorium and Formica colony I put them in November

[@TarheelantsUSA]

@@credecarter8429 That is plenty of time, 3 -4 months is all you need. They will be spending time before that slowing down and will wake up slowly as well.

[@credecarter8429]

TarheelAnts also I took my pogo colony out and the queen has a brown dot at the end of her abdomen

[@nutoris]

your voice is so low and the cut is so loud almost made me leave the video keep sound no higher then your talking voice just a tip