Hey guys, name is Nate
Recently got a Camponotus US-CA02. I knew nothing about them at first but have gathered a lot of information quickly. Got them several days ago. It's been my dream of owning an ant colony ever since I was little.
Got some questions, some I know the answer to but I want to double check with you guys:
1. Do these kinds of carpenter ants hibernate? I heard only some carpenters do.
2. Do you do honey water or pure honey? And I heard someone say to avoid honey while others I hear they say honey is okay, mix messages. Some guy even said he gave his honey and they died off, someone mentioning contamination in his honey and I dunno how to tell if mines is contaminated or not.
3. I made a huge hole at the top of the outhouse (placed the test tube in there). I use this mesh
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08LKRG7RX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Is the holes in it small enough to keep them in there? I looked and I believe most likely.
4. What's the highest temperature I can keep these guys? Someone said they can even handle 90F. I was told they LOVE heat so I'm planning to keep them at 85F to boost speed.
5. I read that ants don't need much ventilation / air as they're burrowers, thoughts on this if u may? I kept tarantulas for a time and thinking the opposite, that ventilation is not very important at all, makes me nervous hahaha. Some tarantulas need A LOT.
6. I got Zoo Med heating cable 11.5 ft. In a rectangular container that's 11.5x4x4, what's the best way to wire it / set it up? Should I tape the cord directly onto the plastic enclosure? The test tube with the queen is in there and right up against the wall, the breathing hole is at the very top lid. I'm thinking half the bottom and right side? Or maybe the back wall where the queen's test tube is up against?
Thanks beforehand.
New to Ant Keeping: Random Questions on Keeping
Moderator: ooper01
Re: New to Ant Keeping: Random Questions on Keeping
Alright so since nobody replied even though there's 60+ topic views 
, I'm going to put down my findings here, mostly for myself and to have notes, but also in case any fellow ant keepers have similar questions. I've been proactively and impatiently seeking the answers myself on different platforms that bring up any useful info on these ants. Some answers will apply specifically to Camponotus CA02, but it MIGHT also apply to other ant species as well, so use at your own discretion and please verify yourself on the accuracy of what's written below (apply your own research). ALSO, if there's a better answer and I'm incorrect somewhere, please do fix and elaborate on why it's wrong.
1. Camponotus CA02, a somewhat newly found species that hasn't been officially named yet, is found in parts of California up in the hills. These ants do NOT hibernate but may see some benefits of lowering the temperature down to 60-62F during November to March to simulate California weather and to give the queen a brief break, which MAY help her longevity and productivity. If unsure, don't hibernate. I'm not entirely sure what I'll do either. I would prefer not to or if anything, only lower it down for like two months?
2. From what I've gathered, do NOT use Raw Honey that is Unprocessed as bee keepers give them a powder that is not harmful to bees nor humans, but it's a poison to ants and, as you can guess it, is there to ward off ants. When unprocessed and raw, the powder is still in the honey and may harm or kill your ants. There's also rare occasions of contaminated honey sources that may kill ants, so make sure it's from a reputable honey supplier / brand. So you want PROCESSED ORGANIC Honey. Personally, I wouldn't do Organic RAW Honey either, the whole 'organic' term could just mean there's fewer tests and regulations put on it, which is worse IMO. I also read that it is probably best to mix it up with some water kinda like how you would with sugar water, but instead put honey. Plain honey can be a possible death trap due to how sticky it is. And as with sugar, honey with water can ferment which isn't good for ants.
3. I believe that the mesh should be able to hold the ants in, though time will tell. Only way to lower the possibility is with adding Fluon around the one large vent hole I made at the very top to prevent ants from even getting up to it. I don't know for sure until the ants really give it a good attempt to squeeze through. Unless I come back to this topic saying otherwise, then all is good.
4. I think I might have misheard the person that sold me the CA02 in terms of temperature. At the time, I was also checking out harvester and honeypot ants. The Harvester ants, especially, can be VERY heat driven, depending on species, I've read some that thrive on 90F+++ heat, which is VERY hot in terms of ant keeping. Honeypots not as much but still love heat. However, for Camponotus / Carpenter ants, unless they're from the desert regions, they tend to like it low. Now there's temperature for the Nest and temperature for the Outworld. From what I've gathered, Nest 20-25C (68-77F), Outworld is 20-28C (68-82F) . If it gets hotter or colder in the outworld, they might be more shy to come out or not come out at all. I am also alerted that it's best not to go over 80F for the nest, someone also said that some ant species (queens) become permanently infertile
if it gets over 86F in the nest, though they didn't specify which.
I do want to know how much cooler or hotter it can get and for how long, especially the nest, until it becomes dangerous. The range mentioned seems to be the conservative, cautious range. I find it best to know the min and max, helps with decision making.
5. Made a 1.5" diameter hole with mesh so I think it should be fine. Will dive into the subject some more in the future when I get more ant soldiers. But they have evolved and adapted to an environment with very limited / low oxygen in order to thrive. My question would be, based on our man made structure, some of which cannot be modified by the ants, how do we know if there's not enough oxygen getting in especially as the colony increases? Other than "Oh, I FEEL like there's not enough oxygen".
6. I have the ants in my room to observe but since the temperature in my room can range from 68 up to 86F, I instead cut up a box to make a 3 sided frame and stuck the heating cable onto the cardboard frame. So I basically made a heating docking station for my 11x4x4 ant enclosure. The heating cable is set on a thermostat that keeps it at 75 - 78.5 F ambient temperature. It's better this way I think because if I stuck the cable onto the enclosure with tape, I can't move it out of my room if it gets too hot. Since my thermostat doesn't have a dimming option to lower the power, I find the best way to maintain a constant median temperature is to avoid direct contact with the cable and move it X distance away. This way, the enclosure doesn't heat up way too fast and the heat can gradually distribute better and stay on longer to avoid too much of a temperature swing. The thermostat probe is pushed into a hole I drilled on the lid and dangled halfway, away from the wall and ground to avoid ants from grabbing it and climbing out. Also put a bit of FLUON in case any ants do. FLUON, btw, is a nontoxic, commonly used and commonly recommended chemical that, for ant keeping purposes, is applied to surfaces to make it near impossible for ants to climb up, but must be reapplied every 3 months or so. Heard it doesn't work so well if it's especially humid. I avoid putting the cable on the ground because the ants are on the ground the most and it might create hot spots. The cable gets to around 120F+ when it's about 75F in my room. Wish the cable came with a dimmer switch of sorts. I had the notion that these cables would run cooler than the more dangerous heat mats.
, I'm going to put down my findings here, mostly for myself and to have notes, but also in case any fellow ant keepers have similar questions. I've been proactively and impatiently seeking the answers myself on different platforms that bring up any useful info on these ants. Some answers will apply specifically to Camponotus CA02, but it MIGHT also apply to other ant species as well, so use at your own discretion and please verify yourself on the accuracy of what's written below (apply your own research). ALSO, if there's a better answer and I'm incorrect somewhere, please do fix and elaborate on why it's wrong.1. Camponotus CA02, a somewhat newly found species that hasn't been officially named yet, is found in parts of California up in the hills. These ants do NOT hibernate but may see some benefits of lowering the temperature down to 60-62F during November to March to simulate California weather and to give the queen a brief break, which MAY help her longevity and productivity. If unsure, don't hibernate. I'm not entirely sure what I'll do either. I would prefer not to or if anything, only lower it down for like two months?
2. From what I've gathered, do NOT use Raw Honey that is Unprocessed as bee keepers give them a powder that is not harmful to bees nor humans, but it's a poison to ants and, as you can guess it, is there to ward off ants. When unprocessed and raw, the powder is still in the honey and may harm or kill your ants. There's also rare occasions of contaminated honey sources that may kill ants, so make sure it's from a reputable honey supplier / brand. So you want PROCESSED ORGANIC Honey. Personally, I wouldn't do Organic RAW Honey either, the whole 'organic' term could just mean there's fewer tests and regulations put on it, which is worse IMO. I also read that it is probably best to mix it up with some water kinda like how you would with sugar water, but instead put honey. Plain honey can be a possible death trap due to how sticky it is. And as with sugar, honey with water can ferment which isn't good for ants.
3. I believe that the mesh should be able to hold the ants in, though time will tell. Only way to lower the possibility is with adding Fluon around the one large vent hole I made at the very top to prevent ants from even getting up to it. I don't know for sure until the ants really give it a good attempt to squeeze through. Unless I come back to this topic saying otherwise, then all is good.
4. I think I might have misheard the person that sold me the CA02 in terms of temperature. At the time, I was also checking out harvester and honeypot ants. The Harvester ants, especially, can be VERY heat driven, depending on species, I've read some that thrive on 90F+++ heat, which is VERY hot in terms of ant keeping. Honeypots not as much but still love heat. However, for Camponotus / Carpenter ants, unless they're from the desert regions, they tend to like it low. Now there's temperature for the Nest and temperature for the Outworld. From what I've gathered, Nest 20-25C (68-77F), Outworld is 20-28C (68-82F) . If it gets hotter or colder in the outworld, they might be more shy to come out or not come out at all. I am also alerted that it's best not to go over 80F for the nest, someone also said that some ant species (queens) become permanently infertile
if it gets over 86F in the nest, though they didn't specify which. I do want to know how much cooler or hotter it can get and for how long, especially the nest, until it becomes dangerous. The range mentioned seems to be the conservative, cautious range. I find it best to know the min and max, helps with decision making.
5. Made a 1.5" diameter hole with mesh so I think it should be fine. Will dive into the subject some more in the future when I get more ant soldiers. But they have evolved and adapted to an environment with very limited / low oxygen in order to thrive. My question would be, based on our man made structure, some of which cannot be modified by the ants, how do we know if there's not enough oxygen getting in especially as the colony increases? Other than "Oh, I FEEL like there's not enough oxygen".
6. I have the ants in my room to observe but since the temperature in my room can range from 68 up to 86F, I instead cut up a box to make a 3 sided frame and stuck the heating cable onto the cardboard frame. So I basically made a heating docking station for my 11x4x4 ant enclosure. The heating cable is set on a thermostat that keeps it at 75 - 78.5 F ambient temperature. It's better this way I think because if I stuck the cable onto the enclosure with tape, I can't move it out of my room if it gets too hot. Since my thermostat doesn't have a dimming option to lower the power, I find the best way to maintain a constant median temperature is to avoid direct contact with the cable and move it X distance away. This way, the enclosure doesn't heat up way too fast and the heat can gradually distribute better and stay on longer to avoid too much of a temperature swing. The thermostat probe is pushed into a hole I drilled on the lid and dangled halfway, away from the wall and ground to avoid ants from grabbing it and climbing out. Also put a bit of FLUON in case any ants do. FLUON, btw, is a nontoxic, commonly used and commonly recommended chemical that, for ant keeping purposes, is applied to surfaces to make it near impossible for ants to climb up, but must be reapplied every 3 months or so. Heard it doesn't work so well if it's especially humid. I avoid putting the cable on the ground because the ants are on the ground the most and it might create hot spots. The cable gets to around 120F+ when it's about 75F in my room. Wish the cable came with a dimmer switch of sorts. I had the notion that these cables would run cooler than the more dangerous heat mats.
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