W1Z25's Ant journal
Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2016 11:11 pm
Stardate 1013.2016
Welcome to the new journal of all my lovely ladies. For starters im going to list off the queens and how many eggs/workers they have and the nickname ill be referring them by.
Queen #1
Species: camponotus pennsylvanicus
Location: Bought by from a GAN farmer on 9/27/2016
Nickname: White Queen
Workers: 5
Nanitics: 1
Eggs: 3
Queen #2
Species: camponotus pennsylvanicus
Location: Found in a log next to my swamp behind my house on 9/28/2016
Nickname: Lazy
Workers: 0
Nanitics: 5
Eggs: ~25
Queen #3
Species: camponotus noveboracensis
Found in a log next to my swamp behind my house on 10/11/2016
Nickname: Nova
Workers: 2
Nanitics: 23
Eggs: ~100
Now that introductions are out of the way Here's whats happened since i ended my last journal. If you want to read that then go here: viewtopic.php?f=26&t=1917 or http://www.formiculture.com/topic/3653- ... st-colony/
Pics of whats happened: http://imgur.com/a/zAzOb
Since my last entry I have moved all 3 colonies into real nests. I even built a homemade outworld! My nest seller/friend even sent me a couple spare smaller nests so that way when the colonies grow i have more room for them.
The First thing to do once i got my new nests was to move the queens in so i could prepare to hibernate them. I think moves went alright. Moving White Queen was first up. i did alright i think for my first time. i learned that you have to put them in the freezer, not the fridge for 3 minutes. all the fridge did was slow them for about 10 seconds. I also learned that to pick up loose eggs use a WET ear cleaner, not a dry one! That move i found out that the White Queen had more eggs that i thought. she had 5 total. however, i smashed 2 with the dry ear cleaner. i still put them in with her in case i was wrong. but i wont know until spring.
Next up was the Lazy queen. Her move was perfect. all of the ants and eggs went into the new nest without a hitch. After those 2 settled in i had to do the Novas, whom had more than double the workers and 4x the eggs of the 2 Camp penn queens COMBINED!
So as i did with the camp penn queens, i put the Novas into the freezer for 3 minutes. Howver when i opened the freezer and looked in i still saw some workers and even the queen still moving alittle. i thought i could still move them. i was wrong. i got the queen and 3 workers and the eggs into the nest, before they woke up and tried to escape! i quickly covered the syringe. the rest of the colony was in with my thumb and closed up the nest that had the queen, eggs, and workers. CRAP CRAP CRAP!! i thought. then i had an idea. i grab some tubing and check, the tube would fit into syringe.... and it does!! i then grab some cotton and quickly block the opening of the syringe where my thumb was. and throw them back into the freezer for 3 more minutes. this time when i took them out they were sleeping. i gently connected the tube to the syringe and knocked them into the tube. and then connected the tube into the nest.
And then the novas started to derp and decided "hey there is a tube connected to the nest with sleeping workers.. lets move all the eggs into there!!" i saw that and started laughing. they almost barricaded the tube with all the eggs, but they sorted it out within a couple minutes.
Then i saw something else i've never seen before. The Nova queen was still in the nest gathering her bearings and most workers were busily moving the eggs into the tube. when all of a sudden a worker came up to the queen and then laid a trail to the tube. and the queen followed it!! it was amazing to see!
Part 1/2
Welcome to the new journal of all my lovely ladies. For starters im going to list off the queens and how many eggs/workers they have and the nickname ill be referring them by.
Queen #1
Species: camponotus pennsylvanicus
Location: Bought by from a GAN farmer on 9/27/2016
Nickname: White Queen
Workers: 5
Nanitics: 1
Eggs: 3
Queen #2
Species: camponotus pennsylvanicus
Location: Found in a log next to my swamp behind my house on 9/28/2016
Nickname: Lazy
Workers: 0
Nanitics: 5
Eggs: ~25
Queen #3
Species: camponotus noveboracensis
Found in a log next to my swamp behind my house on 10/11/2016
Nickname: Nova
Workers: 2
Nanitics: 23
Eggs: ~100
Now that introductions are out of the way Here's whats happened since i ended my last journal. If you want to read that then go here: viewtopic.php?f=26&t=1917 or http://www.formiculture.com/topic/3653- ... st-colony/
Pics of whats happened: http://imgur.com/a/zAzOb
Since my last entry I have moved all 3 colonies into real nests. I even built a homemade outworld! My nest seller/friend even sent me a couple spare smaller nests so that way when the colonies grow i have more room for them.
The First thing to do once i got my new nests was to move the queens in so i could prepare to hibernate them. I think moves went alright. Moving White Queen was first up. i did alright i think for my first time. i learned that you have to put them in the freezer, not the fridge for 3 minutes. all the fridge did was slow them for about 10 seconds. I also learned that to pick up loose eggs use a WET ear cleaner, not a dry one! That move i found out that the White Queen had more eggs that i thought. she had 5 total. however, i smashed 2 with the dry ear cleaner. i still put them in with her in case i was wrong. but i wont know until spring.
Next up was the Lazy queen. Her move was perfect. all of the ants and eggs went into the new nest without a hitch. After those 2 settled in i had to do the Novas, whom had more than double the workers and 4x the eggs of the 2 Camp penn queens COMBINED!
So as i did with the camp penn queens, i put the Novas into the freezer for 3 minutes. Howver when i opened the freezer and looked in i still saw some workers and even the queen still moving alittle. i thought i could still move them. i was wrong. i got the queen and 3 workers and the eggs into the nest, before they woke up and tried to escape! i quickly covered the syringe. the rest of the colony was in with my thumb and closed up the nest that had the queen, eggs, and workers. CRAP CRAP CRAP!! i thought. then i had an idea. i grab some tubing and check, the tube would fit into syringe.... and it does!! i then grab some cotton and quickly block the opening of the syringe where my thumb was. and throw them back into the freezer for 3 more minutes. this time when i took them out they were sleeping. i gently connected the tube to the syringe and knocked them into the tube. and then connected the tube into the nest.
And then the novas started to derp and decided "hey there is a tube connected to the nest with sleeping workers.. lets move all the eggs into there!!" i saw that and started laughing. they almost barricaded the tube with all the eggs, but they sorted it out within a couple minutes.
Then i saw something else i've never seen before. The Nova queen was still in the nest gathering her bearings and most workers were busily moving the eggs into the tube. when all of a sudden a worker came up to the queen and then laid a trail to the tube. and the queen followed it!! it was amazing to see!
Part 1/2