Welcome back to the Camponotus Crew! (New topic, old one got too long)

[RespectforAnts]

Yikes, majors as nanitics. That queen must've nearly died of hunger to feed those larva lol.

[SolenopsisKeeper]

Still waiting for Camponotus Americanus flights. Anybody caught any queens yet or do they typically fly in fall?

[Tanks19]

My Camponotus Hyatti queen got her first worker! It was super pale and didn't do much but now it's not as pale and helps the queen with the brood.

[SolenopsisKeeper]

My Camponotus Hyatti queen got her first worker! It was super pale and didn't do much but now it's not as pale and helps the queen with the brood.

Congrats! It’s really an exciting moment when a queens first biological worker ecloses!

[herculeanus64]

So I have some questions. I found about a month ago two herculeanus(I believe) queens. I originally had them in water bottles till my test tubes came. Then the queens ripped at the cotton non stop. So I put two test tubes end to end for the one and both in complete darkness to relax them. A week later the one with the larger set up laid eggs and they were completely scattered. The other in the single test tube was still pulling. I fed both a drop of honey and expanded the one queen to a double test tube. Now my queen with eggs. Has them all clutched together and is taking care of them. So my questions are,

1. Should I leave them in the bigger set up or should I move the one queen into a standard setup now that's she has relaxed?
2. The other queen has yet to lay eggs should I give her more time or is she likely sterile?
3. What are just good tips for keeping these queens?
4. I'm going to try to make my own formicariums and setups. Is there a good place for some ideas?

[SYUTEO]

So I have some questions. I found about a month ago two herculeanus(I believe) queens. I originally had them in water bottles till my test tubes came. Then the queens ripped at the cotton non stop. So I put two test tubes end to end for the one and both in complete darkness to relax them. A week later the one with the larger set up laid eggs and they were completely scattered. The other in the single test tube was still pulling. I fed both a drop of honey and expanded the one queen to a double test tube. Now my queen with eggs. Has them all clutched together and is taking care of them. So my questions are,

1. Should I leave them in the bigger set up or should I move the one queen into a standard setup now that's she has relaxed?
2. The other queen has yet to lay eggs should I give her more time or is she likely sterile?
3. What are just good tips for keeping these queens?
4. I'm going to try to make my own formicariums and setups. Is there a good place for some ideas?

No need to move them to a bigger setup as long as she's comfortable.

Give her more time, try feeding her a small drop of honey or sugar water, if she's still doing this for weeks then she's probably sterile.

I don't keep C. herculeanus so I don't know much about about their care, behaviours, preferance of food etc. You may have to ask someone who keeps or has kept C. herculeanus but it's likely that their care is similar to most Camponotus species.

They usually nest in rotten logs and tree stumps in the wild so you can make a wood nest for them but do beware that the nest may mold easily. Here are some videos about making formicariums: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtS9BO2PRLM&t=1272s, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Agp8E1w-6Vo, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJ1ee_ayR5k, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iceahERV8DU

[AntChuck]

Finally managed to capture 2 seperate species of camponotus queens. Both have laid eggs although it took them longer than I would have liked lol.

[Tanks19]

My Camponotus hyatti colony already got another worker!

[SYUTEO]

My Camponotus hyatti colony already got another worker!

Congrats!

[Tanks19]

Wow, a few days ago my Camponotus hyatti colony already got their third worker! My modoc colony has a bit of catching up to do but they have three cacoons so when those hatch they'll have 5 workers!