What is happening

[AntsRule]

Maybe stress, camponotus can be very finicky for some reason and die offs are very common with small colony's. It happened to me, your not doing anything wrong as far as i can tell. Just make sure you check on them as little as possible, like once a week.

[KSkuroooari]

That test tube is not even that bad. As long as they have water and the cotton is not like completely black and spreading onto the brood and queen its fine. I suggest connecting them to a small out-world to forage.

So what's happening to the workers? They're being fed enough of protein and sugars...

Someone had stated somewhere on the forum that the ants may not like having their food put directly into their test tube. I think it may have been Jadeninja9 or Serafine. I think by putting their food directly inside, it stresses them out. Maybe that might have caused them to attack their own siblings? As Antsrule suggested, maybe giving them an outworld to forage might be a good idea.

Good luck!

[Jadeninja9]

I wonder if they are getting enough food. There was someone else who only fed his colony of 25 workers, 1-3 fruit flies a week. I was like you gotta feed them way more than that lol.

[AntOblivion]

I wonder if they are getting enough food. There was someone else who only fed his colony of 25 workers, 1-3 fruit flies a week. I was like you gotta feed them way more than that lol.

Well they reject food alot, i gave them a cricket leg after they haven't been fed for awhile and they tossed it in the trash...

[Jadeninja9]

I wonder if they are getting enough food. There was someone else who only fed his colony of 25 workers, 1-3 fruit flies a week. I was like you gotta feed them way more than that lol.

Well they reject food alot, i gave them a cricket leg after they haven't been fed for awhile and they tossed it in the trash...

Interesting. you should try other foods. Mealworms and spiders. My Camponotus colony only eats mealworms lol. They also used to eat moths

[AntsRule]

Yeah connect them to an out-world and try different foods in the out-world.