Hello forum members,
I'm new to this hobby. I consider myself a geek and with the raising of my daughter have rekindled my relationship with nature and all things creepy crawly. If only i had Google when i was a boy!
I have an omni nest on the way but I'm saving that for Tetramorium. In the meantime i have recently caught three Camponotus queens. They're all in test tubes and in the dark of my drawers. Just some questions for a new hobbyist. Hopefully some of you can help. I haven't raised queens so I'm not sure what to expect.
#1) All my queens have eggs now. However the eggs are a yellowish color. Is this to be expected? Like I said, I've never raised queens with they're young.
#2) All queens have about 8-9 eggs in a period of a week. I think this is good news?
#3) The queens have all piled their eggs and seem to hover over them. At times they will actually be fondling them gently in their mandibles. Seem normal? I would think so, but again, not sure.
#4) Is this not the most interesting hobby you've ever taken part in?
i live in Nova Scotia, Canada. I used to breed fish and shrimp in my aquarium. I have raised frogs from eggs and now this. i would like to thank Mikey for his passion. I came across his videos in the past 3 weeks. I would also like to thanks all of you forum members for being passionate and helpful as well. I will get a Camponotus hybrid nest for my current queens but there is no rush as they are slow growing. I will most likely have more questions in the future.
Thanks.
PS: Not sure of the exact species of camponotus but definitely camponotus.
New Camponotus
Moderator: ooper01
- Aquaexploder
- Posts: 226
- Joined: Mon Oct 17, 2016 5:55 am
- Location: Rhode Island
Re: New Camponotus
1) This is normal for most camponotus.
2) Also normal.
3) Completely normal.
4) One of the most unique and interesting, yes.
Congrats on catching those Camponotus queens! If you want to you could take pictures of them and submit and ID request for them here: http://forum.AntsCanada.com/viewforum.php?f=48
2) Also normal.
3) Completely normal.
4) One of the most unique and interesting, yes.
Congrats on catching those Camponotus queens! If you want to you could take pictures of them and submit and ID request for them here: http://forum.AntsCanada.com/viewforum.php?f=48
Founding:
Crematogaster (2X)
Lasius Neoniger (2X)
Crematogaster (2X)
Lasius Neoniger (2X)
Re: New Camponotus
Thanks for the prompt response Aqua. I can barely contain my enthusiasm.
- Aquaexploder
- Posts: 226
- Joined: Mon Oct 17, 2016 5:55 am
- Location: Rhode Island
Re: New Camponotus
Don't worry, your Camponotus will not need a formicarium for at least a year.Canadant wrote: ↑Mon Jun 19, 2017 8:01 amI have an omni nest on the way but I'm saving that for Tetramorium. In the meantime i have recently caught three Camponotus queens. They're all in test tubes and in the dark of my drawers. Just some questions for a new hobbyist. Hopefully some of you can help. I haven't raised queens so I'm not sure what to expect.
I do recommend to invest into some acrylic/plastic containers though and just put the test tube in there. Push a big straw through between the cotton plug and the glass so the ants can leave the tube - that makes feeding much much easier. Don't forget to apply a barrier. If you want you can add substrate like sand or some tiny pebbles so the ants can reduce the entrance to what they need (this also helps to reduce evaporation, so the test tube's water reservoir lasts longer).
My Camponotus have been living in a 30x200mm test tube for 9 months now (they moved in when they had 4 workers) and the water will probably still last for another 2 months.
Yellow eggs are normal for certain Camponotus species (like herculeanus for example).
It's good. Note that they may take up to three months to become workers. Larger Camponotus develop really slow.
Yes, that's fine. Camponotus like to carry their eggs and small larvae around a lot (these two are also nearly indistinguishable). They essentially puke hormon-filled liquids on them to control their growth, like my Camponotus have a large bunch of eggs but seem to only develop a certain amount of larvae at a time while the other eggs remain more or less dormant.
In regard of pets definitely. You won't find any pets that is more social and employs more teamwork than ants do. You'd also have a hard time finding pets that develop as much over the course of the years than ants do - just wait until you get your first majors.
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- Posts: 416
- Joined: Tue Oct 04, 2016 9:03 am
- Location: Western Tennessee
Re: New Camponotus
My Camponotus subbarbatus colony has recently acquired their first majors! They are a lovely species. I caught the queen right after her first cpl nanitics we exposed and now up to 30+ workers. They are a medium size species though too so they develop kinda fast.
Keeping:
Camponotus subbarbatus
Formica pallidefulva x2
Formica subsericea x4
Lasius sp
Tetramorium immigrans x2
Dorymyrmex bureni
Founding:
Formica pallidefulva
Unknown sp x2
Camponotus subbarbatus
Formica pallidefulva x2
Formica subsericea x4
Lasius sp
Tetramorium immigrans x2
Dorymyrmex bureni
Founding:
Formica pallidefulva
Unknown sp x2
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