TEMNOTHORAX COLONIES!!!!!! - Ants New Jersey

Temnothorax longispinosus in an acorn — This is the acorn from which my Temnothorax longispinosus came.

Well, after months and months of searching, on Monday I actually found my first Temnothorax colonies! These species are native to my area. They are commonly called Acorn ants due to their strange nesting habits (they literally create colonies in acorns), which set them apart from most other ants.

This is my Temnothorax longispinosus colony after their move into their test tube nest.

This is a Temnothorax longispinosus worker carrying a larva into their test tube nest.

Temnothorax longispinosus worker shouldering another worker during a move to a new nest — This is a worker carrying another to their new nest.

Temnothorax longispinosus worker shouldering her queen during a move to a new nest — Here is a worker carefully transporting her queen to their new nest.

While this colony was moving, I noticed a worker carrying something large. I took a closer look, and it was the queen! This is a moving behavior that is designed to quickly move a key part of the colony, such as the queen, to a safe area.

Temnothorax longispinosus queen in her colony — Here is the tiny queen (who is in the middle of the photo) of my T. longispinosus colony.

On Tuesday, I looked into this colony’s test tube, and I saw many workers and some brood inside. This meant that the colony had initiated a move, which was great. The ants managed to complete the move later that day, which was surprising because colonies of these species usually max out at <100 workers. The only time colonies are larger is when multiple queens are present in the nest. This colony and its queen need names, so could you please vote?

What should we name the Longispinosus queen?

The Nutty Queen (60%, 6 Votes)
Acorn Princess (30%, 3 Votes)
The Royal Acorn (10%, 1 Votes)

Total Voters: 10

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What should we name the Longispinosus Colony?

The Acorn Empire (50%, 5 Votes)
The Nutty Empire (30%, 3 Votes)
The Oak Gang (20%, 2 Votes)

Total Voters: 10

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VOTING CONTINUES UNTIL THE 27TH!

I also found a Temnothorax curvispinosus colony. These ants are red in color instead of black, but are otherwise closley related to T. longispinosus. This colony took 2 days to move into their new nest, and never let me see their queen until after they had moved. Once they had moved, I saw the queen, and I soon fed them some Sunburst Ant Nectar, which they love. I will later give them other foods to see what they like.

Temnothorax curvispinosus queen in her colony — Here is the little queen of my Temnothorax curvispinosus colony. The queen is the slightly bulkier ant in the center.

One morning, I noticed this colony’s acorn was deserted. I also saw a dark mass in their test tube, so I decided to look, and saw the colony in their test tube nest. I then immediately began to search inside the nest to see if there was a queen. Before long, I saw a slightly larger ant, and that was the queen of this colony. She was super small, which was not surprising because these ants nest in acorns. They are quite easy to house, as I only needed a test tube setup and an outworld. This colony and its queen also need names, so here are the polls for you to vote on.

What should we name the Curvispinosus Queen?