The AntsCanada Ant Forum's

oreoisakitty wrote: ↑

Sat May 02, 2020 8:31 pm

Hey all! I don't have any workers and it'll be a few months before I actually feed my colony some protein, but I don't know if I can feed them crickets that have died. I have reptiles and have a supply of crickets and mealworms that die fairly quickly, especially the crickets, they are adults. Would it be okay to feed these feeder insects that died naturally rather than being killed by me?

yes, as long as they're fresh.

would a tub tubes setup be good for carpenter ants i have a nocturnal species (camponotus sansabeanus) and i dont know if that would effect anything since im new to ant keeping

It would be OK for them at first but you would eventually move them into a real nest.

im living with an invasive species that is right outside my house (argentine ants) and im worried that they are able to fit through small gaps, should i be worried that my carpenter ants might get killed? all of the other native ants have been driven out of my area and i dont want the same to my colony

Erickants wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 25, 2021 9:38 pm

im living with an invasive species that is right outside my house (argentine ants) and im worried that they are able to fit through small gaps, should i be worried that my carpenter ants might get killed? all of the other native ants have been driven out of my area and i dont want the same to my colony

Make sure the tubing is secured, and apply baby power/rubbing alcohol mix around the tubes to make sure they don't enter, and no ant can exit. Same thing with the outworld, formicarium, and so on.

Jager89 wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 19, 2021 1:57 pm

Alaydia wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 19, 2021 9:59 am

I had to share my news here because I know literally no one else will care LOL! About a month ago, I came upon a C. discolor queen. It was way early in the year for her species to be flying, but she had no wings, so I got her just in case and popped her into a test tube. A month went by, nothing, but I kept caring for her, keeping her warm and well out of reach of any naughty kitties or curious dogs. Well today, I checked up on her, and guess what? EGGS AND BROOD!! I'm so excited! Happy happy joy joy bounce bounce bounce!

Granted, she could be laying unfertilized males, but I'll take my pleasures in life where I can get them.

lmfao this is the last place i honestly expected to hear a quote from ren and stimpy lol omg i miss that show makes me feel sad for the new generation of kids who will never know the **** of ren and stimpy lol, lol i gotta ask why is Brill-iance censored?

...Wow, I hate to do this to you, but I didn't quote Ren and Stimpy? I know who they were, but not what you're talking about. Sorry.

In Canada today camponotus modoc are having their nuptial flights so all you Canadian ant keepers keep your eyes peeled. I found many of these queens today and so did another user but they will still be walking around tomorrow and a couple days after.

Hi folks!

I'm new around here. I just caught a beautiful Queen Campotonus Pennsylvanicus, and installed her in a test tube setup.

However, she has one small red mite attached to the joint of her hind leg. I'm worried this will become a problem. As far as I can tell, there is only one.

I would like to remove it, but there is no chance of me getting it with tweezers when the queen is running around, and I'm worried about crushing, hurting, or stressing her out.

What do you guys think? Is it ok to leave it there - maybe she'll take care of it herself? Or do I risk this thing laying its own eggs and forming a mite colony where I would prefer an ant colony?

If it must be removed, any tips on how to do so without injuring my new queen?

Here is an image:
https://imgur.com/gallery/cdWfoA4

Thanks so much!

I would suggest looking for a different queen as there is not mush you can do and you should be able to find another one easily.

Ok so I've newly come into the possession of two Camponotus queens (likely pennsylvanicus), both of them lack wings so I'm taking that as a sign that they're both likely mated.
Now my biggest concern is that I don't have adequate means of caring for them while I await for my supplies to arrive (test tubes & test tube portal). I wasn't planning of caring for an ant colony until I stumbled upon a queen in my own house (the second one I found later just outside).

Currently I have both of them in small condiment containers with holes poked into the lid, and a cotton pad soaked in water. They're being kept in a warm room in the house and lightly wrapped in a towel to keep it dark for them.
Is this adequate for a temporary set-up until my supplies arrive? Or is there more I could do?