I am feeling demotivated

[EEEEEEEEEE]

I got 2 ant colonies both from Camponotus sp. The first one is quite big compared to the younger second colony.

At the beginning of this year, I got a letter from a boarding school so I accepted it. It is the worst mistake I've done in my life. After going to boarding school, I don't have time to take care of my ant colonies. The second colony just died after I got back home. It is quite emotional because it is the first colony I've raised from a single queen and now I am demotivated to take care of the first colony.


what should I do?

[Antloverhuman]

Don't give up one the other colony. Im sure losing your first ever colony must be extremely heartbreaking. Depending on how big the other colony is, you could think of some ways to ease up their maintenance.
As you said they are camponotus, hydrating their nests very often should not be an issue. Just make sure they have a constant water source (like a water test tube) and you shouldn't have to worry about hydration for like a week or more.

The main problem comes from feeding and cleaning. Instead of feeding them often, you can feed them alot every week and that should get you through. You can keep a constant sugar source in their outworld like some good amount of honey or a sugar water test tube and do weekly protein feeding.
Campos are generally messy and won't have a proper waste area in their outworld and they would pile it up in their nest. But because you don't hydrate the best too often, the waste won't break mold and won't pose harm (unless they are in a test tube setup then mold would be a problem)

But then again, antkeeping is supposed to be a chill hobby, and if keeping them causes you alot of stress and problems, and it becomes practically impossible for you to keep them, you should release them in a nice area
If you do plan on releasing them, you could release them near your house so when they establish their colony, you could see them everyday, and maybe sometimes give them food.

Hope this helped