Hikari's C. Pennsylvanicus journal

[Hikari]

@ xTNxANTMANx - When I bought that, I didn't mention anything about the species I'd be keeping in it (I forgot to). It just came like that. I guess it works for my Camponotus though, so that's all that matters. I've just started keeping a small, clear red container lid over the formicarium to help make it darker anyways, so she does still have some privacy. Once yours arrives, I'd love to see it, to see how they compare.

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Journal time!

- (6-9-17) Sadly, the L. umbratus queen didn't make it. I had a feeling after last night she wouldn't. I'm sad, but I know even experienced antkeepers have had horrible luck trying to raise those queens, so I know I won't be the first nor the last to fail. At the very least, it was a learning experience.

On a brighter note, Queen 4 laid eggs! That means all my Camponotus queens have brood now. I took pictures of everyone to celebrate.

Here's Maya in her formicarium, looking rather surprised/confused as to why it got all bright all of a sudden:



She keeps such a neat little pile of eggs.

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Meanwhile, I was wondering why Onyxia had been hanging out near the wet cotton so much lately. On closer inspection, now I know why...



I'm just gonna give her the benefit of the doubt that she knows what she's doing though. Also, at this point I've pretty much stopped worrying about her gaster dent. She's been doing fine.

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Queen 3 still won't let me get a decent shot of her brood pile. She's very protective of them, and she's laid more since I've found her. I still haven't thought of a name for her...



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I've named Queen 4 "Terra", because I found her in the dirt (which, even if she is an ant, is odd for her species). It's also the name of a Final Fantasy character I like, so win-win!



5 little eggs so far. I'm sure there'll be more.

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Also, the test tubes I ordered from LCM labs arrived! They arrived really quickly! I realized none of the tubing I have fits the 16mm test tubes though. I wonder what I should do to connect them securely? 16mm is very close to 5/8in, so maybe I'll get some 5/8 ID tubing and use that to connect to the 1/2in ID tubing and use THAT to connect to the 1/2in OD tubing... (that's a lot of tubing, lol). I also ordered 13mm tubes that (luckily) fit into the 1/2in ID tubing perfectly, which will be useful if I pick up any smaller ants again. I think I might try hunting for Pavement ant queens on my next day off. My attempts at keeping the Lasius ants seemed to spark my interest in the smaller ant species, which til now I thought would be too boring cause they're hard to see, but I guess not! I also found some small snap-top containers at Michael's that'll be perfect for taking with me on my ant hunts. I think I might try the park. I can take the dog and walk her while I'm at it, two birds with one stone.

[xTNxANTMANx]

These girls are very pretty! I need to take some more pics of my gals soon as well. And sure thing! I would also like to see how they compare...its also nice to meet another Final Fantasy fan! I'm not sure if you play it too, but I play FFXIV like everyday lol. But keep up the good work...seems your ladies are doing just great! What about Freya as your third queens name?

[Hikari]

I used to play FFXIV, but I've fallen out of love with it for various reasons (a big one being SE charging for extra inventory space, and me being a crafter). That said though, I really like Freya for the 3rd queen's name! It's been a while since I've played FFIX (even though it's my favorite), but I remember her being in my party a lot when I do pick it up. Thanks for the idea!

[xTNxANTMANx]

Well, if you ever decide to come back, let me know first. We could both get rewards b4 hand . FFIX is my fav as well. Vivid is why I ALWAYS choose black mage if I have a choice.

[Cormac]

I like that founding chamber. I may have to try one out in the future. Your journal is very interesting. I like to keep up with other ant keepers who are raising camponotus Penn because I am a newbie too.

[xTNxANTMANx]

Okay so I contacted the guy from TarHeelAnts and was telling him about your problem with not having an overhang and that I would really like that feature in mine. He emailed me back and said that that feature is no longer in the Atom C because it was for "honey pot" ants which were only like .01% of his orders apparently so he took out the overhang. Then went to tell me that it states that in the description. So I went back to his page and read the description from top to bottom again then copy and pasted exactly what the description says and emailed him back basically saying that the overhang feature is supposed to be in the design for all species. Because it helps keep them calm and less stressed out due to light. It does not say anywhere that it was just for honey pot ants. So that is why you did not have an overhang and apparently mine is already made without an overhang as well. I'm waiting to see what he emails me back and I will update you when he does. I told him that I am disappointed because that was one of the main reasons I ordered it. I also told him he needed to go back and change the description before he has any more unsatisfied customers. I just had an email pop up from him so I'm going to check that and I will message what he says.


So he emailed me back and the only thing he said was that he will change the description. That he missed it. I'm kind of upset that he's not offering to make it right or anything and debating on whether or not to email him back and tell him that I'm upset. Had I known the overhang wasn't going to be in it I would not have ordered it. Just being honest is all.

[Hikari]

So, I've been busy these last few days...

- (6-13-17) Spent my afternoon digging up a small ant colony I found under a log destined for our burn pile. They weren't in the wood, but directly under it in the dirt. I was so hyped when I saw the queen. I wanna say they're a Formica species based on what I could find online, but I'll probably get an ID check just to make sure. Trying my best to learn how to tell the differences myself, but it's hard when they're so tiny. Anyways, I managed to snag as many of the workers as I could manage (they were FAST, omg), and any brood I could find. There wasn't a whole lot, TBH. Must be a newer colony. Anyways, it was totally worth dealing with 90°F temps and the humidity (a rarity for Ohio it seems, lol).

I took some pics while I had the queen mostly separated from the other workers while I caught the rest of them:





Anyways, I'm working on a bigger outworld with a bit of sand on the base, but in the meantime, I have them in this:



Not the prettiest thing, but it'll work. Two tubes have plain water, one's honey water, and the other sugar water. I gave them a mealworm as a welcoming gift. The colony is all pretty much concentrated in the tube covered in tin foil. It's crowded, but they don't seem to mind:



You can just make out the queen's gaster poking out near the cotton, lol.

Another thing I've noticed is they actually seem to hate the heating pad, so I've been keeping them off of it. I guess since they live in dirt, they probably like the cooler temps (unlike my Camponotus who LOVE the heating pad).

Oh yeah, I guess I have another queen to name, lol. I plan on keeping my maybe-Formica ants, so I want to pick something I like.

- (6-14-17) Started work on a new outworld and liquid feeders. I was busy taking care of my corn snake more of the day, so the ant stuff got started later. I'll hopefully get it finished soon.

I checked on the Camponotus today, and I saw larvae!



Maya here has the most, and she's taking good care of them. I also spied one in Onyxia's tube, which was tricky since she's also scattered her eggs all over again... Freya and Terra will probably take a bit more time, which is fine. They were caught more recently.

[AntzNaTube]

She seems to be enjoying the THA atom. Get ready, because things really start to pick up steam once she has workers helping. I think queen 1 from my journal is up to 6 workers already and well on the way to 4 or 5 more with a pile of brood! I'll do an update later today so you can check her out and see what you are in for.

[Hikari]

She seems to be enjoying the THA atom. Get ready, because things really start to pick up steam once she has workers helping. I think queen 1 from my journal is up to 6 workers already and well on the way to 4 or 5 more with a pile of brood! I'll do an update later today so you can check her out and see what you are in for.

She really does seem to love it. I guess that at least makes it worth getting it for her. I've noticed unlike the other queens, I can check up on her and she'll barely flinch, while the queens in the tubes are like ??!!! when I take the red cover off. And I look forward to things picking up! I've been having fun getting my Formica sp. situated. Speaking of which...
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Update time!

- (6-15-17) I ditched the crappy mini-outworld in favor of a new outworld made out of an old betta bowl thing I had lying around. The mini-outworld actually cracked when I was taking out the test tubes, so I'll have to find something else for my Camponotus when the time comes. Luckily, I have plans.





Nothing fancy, just put some holes along the bottom for tubing, and placed the nest tube on the side. I also made some container waterers since they take up much less space than the test tubes. They have normal, honey, and sugar water in them. Right now a handful of workers are checking it out. One made a small attempt to dig in the aquarium sand I lined the bottom with, but it's not very deep, so she didn't get very far. Anyways, this will be their final set-up for the foreseeable future. I think it should last them quite a while. One thing I do probably need to consider is getting fluon at some point, but right now the olive oil+lid is doing the job. I don't think the oil will cut it once the Camponotus start needing outworlds though, so it's probably only a matter of time before I get some.

[Hikari]

Okay so I contacted the guy from TarHeelAnts and was telling him about your problem with not having an overhang and that I would really like that feature in mine. He emailed me back and said that that feature is no longer in the Atom C because it was for "honey pot" ants which were only like .01% of his orders apparently so he took out the overhang. Then went to tell me that it states that in the description. So I went back to his page and read the description from top to bottom again then copy and pasted exactly what the description says and emailed him back basically saying that the overhang feature is supposed to be in the design for all species. Because it helps keep them calm and less stressed out due to light. It does not say anywhere that it was just for honey pot ants. So that is why you did not have an overhang and apparently mine is already made without an overhang as well. I'm waiting to see what he emails me back and I will update you when he does. I told him that I am disappointed because that was one of the main reasons I ordered it. I also told him he needed to go back and change the description before he has any more unsatisfied customers. I just had an email pop up from him so I'm going to check that and I will message what he says.


So he emailed me back and the only thing he said was that he will change the description. That he missed it. I'm kind of upset that he's not offering to make it right or anything and debating on whether or not to email him back and tell him that I'm upset. Had I known the overhang wasn't going to be in it I would not have ordered it. Just being honest is all.

Sorry I missed this, I was wanting to know what ended up happening. So, basically, we were screwed over and he had no plans on making it right. Guess that settles it for me, I'm not ordering from THA again. I literally ordered that formicarium for that feature, and they couldn't be bothered to make sure their product page was up-to-date? Then they don't even offer anything to compensate? So unprofessional. Pity that AntsCanada's formicarium start at the $50 range. I would love something from them, but I just don't have that kind of money right now. I'm not too worried about the other Camponotus queens, they don't seem to mind the test tubes, but I am wanting something else for my Formica ants. Half tempted just to give them a jar of dirt and call it a day...