Trachymyrmex septentrionalisSpecies Introduction
Semi-claustral. Founding chamber must be very humid to accommodate the fungus. After digging their founding chamber in the wild, the queen regurgitates her fungal pellet from her infrabuccal pouch. She then forages for plant detritus and caterpillar frass, using it to grow her pellet into a tiny garden that can sustain her and the nanitics she is simultaneously rearing.
Native to the eastern United States. Prefers sandy, well-draining soils to dig their nest in. Mature colonies reach thousands of workers. Most often active from dusk throughout dawn in the summer while being active during daytime in the winter in the warmer-climate populations. Most populations, found in the colder climates, diapause in the winter and are active during the daytime while not diapausing.
Easy-going. They need high humidity for themselves and their fungus, but outside of that, they are some of the easiest ants to rear.
Formicarium
Substrate nests or petri-dish style nests.
Water & Humidity
High humidity that is consistently high. These are fungus-farmers. While the ants may be more capable of tolerating dry conditions, their fungus is not. It will quickly perish if humidity drops too low.
TJL PVA sponges highly recommended. We do not suggest founding T. septentrionalis in test tubes using cotton for the water reservoirs.
Water-only liquid feeder in outworld highly recommended.
Plant Material
These ants get all of their nutrition from whatever plant material they are able to scavenge.
These ants will cut leaves if necessary, but especially when the colony is small, they prefer to gather small pieces of plant material that they don't need to cut. If you're not sure where to start, we suggest our TJL Fungus-Farmer diet.
Primarily use sliced, organic apple or orange (outer peel removed).
Once per week
Maintenance
Week 1: Extremely humid nest, foraging area provided, regular feeding.
Weeks 4–8: First workers appear. Continue feeding regularly while increasing portions.
Months 2+: Your colony is continuing to grow their garden and all is well. Keep their nest hydrated and provide ample food in the foraging area!
T. septentrionalis populations from Florida do not diapause. That is where TJL sources our colonies and as such our colonies do not diapause. All other populations of T. septentrionalis do diapause. If you have a colony that will need to diapause, pay attention to their behavior. They will begin to shrink the fungus garden down into 1-4 small pellets and cease brood production as they prepare for diapause. Once they have finished shrinking the fungus garden, and no longer have any brood, diapause them at ~55F for ~3 months.
Care Summary
- Extremely humid nest
- Give plant detritus or dried leaves once a week
- Moderate temps 68-84°F