Newly Adopted Camponotus Penn. through GAN
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Newly Adopted Camponotus Penn. through GAN
I was finally able to adopt a Camponotus pennsylvanicus queen yesterday; I'm ecstatic. She has 8 workers and a modest brood pile, and came in a test tube setup connected to a narrow tube so the workers could get out and forage, but not the queen. The end was blocked off by cotton. By the time I got them home, the workers had moved the brood into the tube as far away from the wet cotton as possible; the queen was all alone in the test tube while all her nanitics were in the smaller tube tending the brood.
I separated the vinyl tube from the test tube and put it in my setup's outworld along with a water feeder, a few drops of honey water, and a piece each of superworm and cricket thigh (I got the canned variety to see how that would work. I'm expecting live fruit flies today.)
I left them alone for a few hours. When I returned, the queen was in the nest area with the brood and most of her workers. One worker was just standing in the outworld area and one was drinking honey. When she left, I noticed the honey was finished. So I replaced it with 3 more drops of honey water and left them alone for a few more hours. I also placed red film on nest viewing area to keep the queen in darkness and hopefully reduce her stress and get her situated in her new home. It's really hard not to keep looking in there and shining lights to see her.
A few hours later there was still the watcher ant, and one ant now on a superworm. The honey was gone again. I was told that this colony likes bananas, so I put a 1/4inch slice of banana in the feeding dish instead of honey before I went to bed so as to ensure they didn't run out of sugars since they seemed to be consuming a lot. I went to bed and had ants dancing in my dreams all night. When I woke up the ant standing in the outworld was no longer standing around, but one was dragging the cricket piece towards the nest. When I turned on the light, she dropped it and ran into the nest. Not wanting any mold issues, I removed the pieces and replaced them with much larger pieces that wouldn't fit into the nest hole but with the soft bits exposed for easy consumption. Now I'm at work counting the minutes until I get home.
I separated the vinyl tube from the test tube and put it in my setup's outworld along with a water feeder, a few drops of honey water, and a piece each of superworm and cricket thigh (I got the canned variety to see how that would work. I'm expecting live fruit flies today.)
I left them alone for a few hours. When I returned, the queen was in the nest area with the brood and most of her workers. One worker was just standing in the outworld area and one was drinking honey. When she left, I noticed the honey was finished. So I replaced it with 3 more drops of honey water and left them alone for a few more hours. I also placed red film on nest viewing area to keep the queen in darkness and hopefully reduce her stress and get her situated in her new home. It's really hard not to keep looking in there and shining lights to see her.
A few hours later there was still the watcher ant, and one ant now on a superworm. The honey was gone again. I was told that this colony likes bananas, so I put a 1/4inch slice of banana in the feeding dish instead of honey before I went to bed so as to ensure they didn't run out of sugars since they seemed to be consuming a lot. I went to bed and had ants dancing in my dreams all night. When I woke up the ant standing in the outworld was no longer standing around, but one was dragging the cricket piece towards the nest. When I turned on the light, she dropped it and ran into the nest. Not wanting any mold issues, I removed the pieces and replaced them with much larger pieces that wouldn't fit into the nest hole but with the soft bits exposed for easy consumption. Now I'm at work counting the minutes until I get home.
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Re: Newly Adopted Camponotus Penn. through GAN
This is great! Excited for you and this new colony. Thanks for starting this journal. We look forward to your updates and as we trace your progress.
Thanks for being a GAN host in the GAN Project, as well.
Thanks for being a GAN host in the GAN Project, as well.
Ant Love Forever.
Re: Newly Adopted Camponotus Penn. through GAN
When I got home today, these ladies hadn't had any of their honey water. It didn't look like they took any of the cricket i left them either. But when I looked into the nest, I counted two additional ants. I was able to see nanitics feeding larvae and the queen. That was pretty exciting to see.
Re: Newly Adopted Camponotus Penn. through GAN
I counted one more worker today for a total of 11 (from 8) which makes 3 new ants in 6 days. They are now foraging more actively with 2 to 3 workers going into the out world at a time, instead of a single ant cautiously coming out and going back into the nest.
I've tried a bunch of different sugar sources so far. Before I received them, the GAN farmer let me know that they had been eating bananas. I've given them canned cricket, canned superworm, peach, donut peach, honey, and three different varieties of red apple. So far I've seen them feeding on everything except the peach (though that doesn't mean they hadn't had any when I wasn't looking.)
Even with so few workers, it is cool to see some with swollen gasters, and others will small ones getting fed through trophallaxis.
I've noticed there is usually a single ant that is separated from the rest of the colony who stands near the entrance on the inside.
I've tried a bunch of different sugar sources so far. Before I received them, the GAN farmer let me know that they had been eating bananas. I've given them canned cricket, canned superworm, peach, donut peach, honey, and three different varieties of red apple. So far I've seen them feeding on everything except the peach (though that doesn't mean they hadn't had any when I wasn't looking.)
Even with so few workers, it is cool to see some with swollen gasters, and others will small ones getting fed through trophallaxis.
I've noticed there is usually a single ant that is separated from the rest of the colony who stands near the entrance on the inside.
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Re: Newly Adopted Camponotus Penn. through GAN
The colony has grown to 13 workers. I've added two small foraging areas to the main out world. I used 1inch polytubing with a Y-joint to split the path. I keep protein in one and sugar in the other, while keeping fresh water in the main foraging area. I've also added substrate to the main foraging area. The ants have fully and partially blocked off their nest entrance a few times with it.
One worker has died, and the colony has moved it outside into the main foraging area and placed substrate around it. I noticed the ant before it died and it was moving around with an odd motion. Also, it stood apart from the others in the nesting area. They would come up to it and touch it with their antennae, but would not exchange food with it. I noticed its gaster was very small compared to other workers. Not sure if this is because it was newly eclosed, or if it wasn't eating food for some reason.
When adding the additional foraging areas I had an escapee. Unfortunately, I only know that because in counting my colony, there are now only 11 workers, not because I saw her escape; I was unable to rescue her.
I've also tried new fruits as sugar sources. Green apple, and green and redish pear. When I woke up this morning I saw three ants on the red pear. That's the most I've ever seen and wonder if it means they like it more than other sugar sources or I just lucked out in seeing more ants foraging than normal.
One worker has died, and the colony has moved it outside into the main foraging area and placed substrate around it. I noticed the ant before it died and it was moving around with an odd motion. Also, it stood apart from the others in the nesting area. They would come up to it and touch it with their antennae, but would not exchange food with it. I noticed its gaster was very small compared to other workers. Not sure if this is because it was newly eclosed, or if it wasn't eating food for some reason.
When adding the additional foraging areas I had an escapee. Unfortunately, I only know that because in counting my colony, there are now only 11 workers, not because I saw her escape; I was unable to rescue her.
I've also tried new fruits as sugar sources. Green apple, and green and redish pear. When I woke up this morning I saw three ants on the red pear. That's the most I've ever seen and wonder if it means they like it more than other sugar sources or I just lucked out in seeing more ants foraging than normal.
Re: Newly Adopted Camponotus Penn. through GAN
Day 36 of this adopted colony. It's grown to 21 workers; two of which are noticeably larger than the others but I don't think they're majors. In testing different fruits, I've found their favorite fruit is red delicious apple, and they like fruit flies a lot. I've getting some live super worms to see if my ladies have any interest. i added a satellite nest with red film on it, and shone an LED flashlight onto the old nest. It took under 4 hours to move all the brood and within 5 hours the queen was dragged until she was convinced to go too. This will give me a chance to clean out the old nest, and then add it back as a possible satellite. I've been pretty entertained and amazed by this colony so far.
Re: Newly Adopted Camponotus Penn. through GAN
The colony is adjusting well to the new formicarium, and every once in a while a few ants go to the old formicarium which I have re-attached, but do not show any intention of moving. I'd given the colony a few different melon types and an apple. They have a definite preference for red delicious apple. I sprinkled some sugar on it to provide some sucrose, and to pull some of the moisture out of the apple to make it easier for them to feed on it.
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