Camponotus Queen

[KingAnt]

Caught her in Winnipeg, Manitoba - Canada - Caught her at 21:00 hours on July 5th.

Laid her first eggs after two and a half weeks in her AntsCanada Vertical ( Small ) Formicarium on July 22nd.

I didn't have any test tubes on hand so I put her in my Formicarium thinking the test tubes would arrive shortly after. They haven't and she's adapted well. I keep her in my computer room, I have tapped off the vents so the AC doesn't blast in cold air. The temperature stays between 78-80 degrees ( Depends on how much I go in & out of the room ).

I only opened up the lower two levels of the Formicarium, I didn't want her to get too high up and be over whelmed or get lost. She has stayed on the 2nd level in the middle chamber. I haven't fed her anything. I use a coffee stir straw to put water mixed with some pure honey every two days. In order for the water to get as close to her as possible I have to remove one of the inserts to block off the upper level because the water seeps through the cracks and drips into the chamber next to her. This way I don't risk it getting in her egg chamber.

Once the water has been put in her antennae start to move all over the place, like she can sense the water. She'll walk over to it, stick her head in and drink some. Then she'll walk back to the egg chamber and remain there. I cover the Formicarium back up and don't disturb it for another two days.

** You will have a higher rate of success with the test tube set up like AntsCanada Youtube channel recommends. I only did this out because I did not have any other choice. Please follow the guide that AntsCanada has here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfzUILyCz8o

I ordered my test tubes here:

http://tarheelants.com/collections/supp ... m-x-150-mm

Here's a video of me giving water to my queen:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQrmniVTWw4

** It's important to note that once she has workers I will no longer open the Formicarium to put the straw in any more. I will have an auto-feeder that her worker ants can draw water from and bring to her. It's important that the colony doesn't rely on me to water them directly like I do for the queen.

Liquid Feeder I will be using:

http://www.amazon.com/LIGHTYEAR-Liquid- ... B010Q2TCMI

Once her first worker has awaken from its egg I will post about it, giving me a timeline for how long her eggs in the future should take to awaken.

[ooper01]

Very cool! I am excited to track the progress with you of this colony in the Omni Vertical!

[antscanada]

Love it! Large ants in the Omni Nest vertical are impressive. Looking forward to following this journal.