Welcome to the Camponotus Crew!

[Camponotus]

Here C. Vagus is also rare so i might buy a queen but it's quite expensive 1€ is 7.30HRK

[Camponotus]

I don't have any colony

[CANant]

I don't have any colony

You will again soon!

[CabboAntsGuy]

I don't have any colony

Sorry Camponotus, didn't mean to say it like that.

Also CANant, how did you get the thing to work that shows what you're keeping?

[CabboAntsGuy]

Never-mind, I think I figured it out.

[CANant]

haha, that doesn't sound pleasant. And, I just meant name them by species and how many of each.

Oh I thought you meant name them like Mikey does. Hahaha I’m killing myself thinking “This one looks like a Christina, and this one Alice” hahaha

[Dreadant]

Update on the "lazy" C. Penn. ants. Bought a 4v small heating mat and a thermometer from the pet store and provided them with a tube of fresh sugar water. Almost every single ant has a full gaster and I have seen a forager in the out world.

Since I was using a heating pad made for humans before and the heating mat puts out steady heat they have been self regulating by moving away from the heat in the test tube set up. I keep moving the heat away they seem to like it about 70-73f.

The are still being very chill but I caught the queen laying an egg today so I am feeling pretty good about the set up now.

[CabboAntsGuy]

Sounds like a promising colony. How many workers does it have?

An also CANant, one thing I like doing that I got from Mikey, is giving Spanish names to my queens. Estrella,(My longest resident camponotus pennsylvanicus queen) means "Star" in Spanish. Just look up normal words like "happy" or "pretty", whatever you think the queen is.

[CANant]

Sounds like a promising colony. How many workers does it have?

An also CANant, one thing I like doing that I got from Mikey, is giving Spanish names to my queens. Estrella,(My longest resident camponotus pennsylvanicus queen) means "Star" in Spanish. Just look up normal words like "happy" or "pretty", whatever you think the queen is.

Yes naming Queens! Why not?! Love Estrella.

Dreadant-I have been looking at heating cables for the AC formicarium I have. 4V is pretty good for a heating mat. I will probably have to order something online very soon. Also looking for some long tweezers and glass test tubes. There is nothing available locally that I’ve found. Looks like Amazon will be my friend. Any ant supply stores that ship to Canada (that doesn’t charge a fortune) that you know of please send me the link. I was going to order some of that sunburst nectar but it’s out of stock.

[CANant]

Check this article out.
This might explain why the queen sometimes eat her eggs.
“The larvae are the most demanding of the three. They need nutrition to grow into ants. And to feed these tiny ant babies, that actually possess mouths, the queen needs protein. Fortunately, she can produce protein herself through the laying of ”trophic” eggs, generated from the energy of her wing muscles. These eggs can not develop and are only used as food. This way she can keep the larvae happy and make sure they develop into healthy pupae. When the first ants, called nanitics, finally comes alive they will open up the nest and go out to gather food for their starving mother.”

Also this might be the outcome and why some queens tolerate other queens at first...

“Lastly, the ergonomic stage is where surplus queens are eliminated. For example, the yellow meadow ant (Lasius flavus) founds colonies together with other queens. This way they get a boost in the founding stage because of the many egglayers, producing a lot of offspring. Eventually, when the workers are born, the game of thrones begins with the queens fighting and eliminating each other until only one is left.”

For the full article follow link:
https://www.antkeepers.com/facts/ant-colony/lifecycle-ant-colony/