My journey keeping a Camponotus Pennsylvanicus Colony

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UnrealSparks
Posts: 192
Joined: Wed Jul 11, 2018 1:45 pm
Location: Turin - Italy

Re: My journey keeping a Camponotus Pennsylvanicus Colony

Post: # 65188Post UnrealSparks
Mon Oct 28, 2019 9:53 am

From my experience with different colonies I'd recommend to try again next year, even with stuff the absolutely dislike.
Once there'll be more members they'll be hungrier and will accept any kind of food more easily.

My C. Barbaricus periodically consume:
  • Dubia Roaches
  • Crickets
  • Protein Jelly
  • Spiders (occasionally, but they love them)
But they're not huge fans of mealworms.
Keeping the following colonies:
  • [2x] Camponotus Barbaricus
  • [2x] Lasius Flavus

CANant
Posts: 379
Joined: Tue Jan 29, 2019 1:04 am
Location: Paris, Ontario

Re: My journey keeping a Camponotus Pennsylvanicus Colony

Post: # 65226Post CANant
Wed Oct 30, 2019 6:56 pm

UnrealSparks wrote:
Mon Oct 28, 2019 9:53 am
From my experience with different colonies I'd recommend to try again next year, even with stuff the absolutely dislike.
Once there'll be more members they'll be hungrier and will accept any kind of food more easily.

My C. Barbaricus periodically consume:
  • Dubia Roaches
  • Crickets
  • Protein Jelly
  • Spiders (occasionally, but they love them)
But they're not huge fans of mealworms.
I think you’re right. I will definitely try everything again next year. I still can’t bring myself to have roaches haha. I plan to purchase some wingless fruit flies next year and protein jelly. I have super worms but they aren’t interested in anyway I try preparing them.
Keeper of:
Camponotus Pennsylvanicus

Temnothorax ambiguus/curvispinosus (Acorn ant)

Lasius Interjectus (Larger citronella ant) with host workers: L. Americanus

🐜❤️

CANant
Posts: 379
Joined: Tue Jan 29, 2019 1:04 am
Location: Paris, Ontario

Re: My journey keeping a Camponotus Pennsylvanicus Colony

Post: # 66886Post CANant
Mon Jan 27, 2020 1:30 pm

Just a little update. That last pupae did enclose but she sadly didn’t make it. 1st loss of a worker :(
Anyway on a positive note: my colony is in diapause and has been since November. I slowly dropped their temperature by moving them to a colder part of the house. It was at 14 degrees Celsius pretty consistently and when it started to drop to 12-13 I moved them to a small wine cooler I have. It’s staying between 7-10 degrees Celsius on the warmest setting. They are all doing very well so far and I peak in on them weekly and add water and a drop of nectar as needed. Today I pulled them out to take a quick picture. They started moving antennae or twitching legs and couple of the workers got up. Hopefully it’s cold enough for them but I’m happy to see they are all alive. They are typically piled together. Eggs on the bottom, queen in the middle and all workers are surrounding and on top of her. They seem to be depositing their waste to the right of where they are (tiny brownish liquid drops). I go in with a cotton swab and clean it up if there’s a lot.

Image
Image
Keeper of:
Camponotus Pennsylvanicus

Temnothorax ambiguus/curvispinosus (Acorn ant)

Lasius Interjectus (Larger citronella ant) with host workers: L. Americanus

🐜❤️

JustABitAntsy
Posts: 120
Joined: Fri Sep 27, 2019 4:10 pm
Location: Virginia

Re: My journey keeping a Camponotus Pennsylvanicus Colony

Post: # 66915Post JustABitAntsy
Tue Jan 28, 2020 2:50 pm

CANant wrote:
Mon Jan 27, 2020 1:30 pm
Just a little update. That last pupae did enclose but she sadly didn’t make it. 1st loss of a worker :(
Anyway on a positive note: my colony is in diapause and has been since November. I slowly dropped their temperature by moving them to a colder part of the house. It was at 14 degrees Celsius pretty consistently and when it started to drop to 12-13 I moved them to a small wine cooler I have. It’s staying between 7-10 degrees Celsius on the warmest setting. They are all doing very well so far and I peak in on them weekly and add water and a drop of nectar as needed. Today I pulled them out to take a quick picture. They started moving antennae or twitching legs and couple of the workers got up. Hopefully it’s cold enough for them but I’m happy to see they are all alive. They are typically piled together. Eggs on the bottom, queen in the middle and all workers are surrounding and on top of her. They seem to be depositing their waste to the right of where they are (tiny brownish liquid drops). I go in with a cotton swab and clean it up if there’s a lot.

Image
Image
good to see they are doing well also sorry for your first worker loss
New antkeeper in Virginia currently doesn’t have a colony plan to start next Spring :lol:
Join the Forelius Clan https://forum.AntsCanada.com/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=15975

CANant
Posts: 379
Joined: Tue Jan 29, 2019 1:04 am
Location: Paris, Ontario

Re: My journey keeping a Camponotus Pennsylvanicus Colony

Post: # 66918Post CANant
Tue Jan 28, 2020 5:14 pm

good to see they are doing well also sorry for your first worker loss
Thank you. It was pretty late in the season and I did stress them because I moved them to a clean test tube so I’m sure that was the main reason for it.
Keeper of:
Camponotus Pennsylvanicus

Temnothorax ambiguus/curvispinosus (Acorn ant)

Lasius Interjectus (Larger citronella ant) with host workers: L. Americanus

🐜❤️

ArizonanAnts
Posts: 309
Joined: Fri Aug 30, 2019 8:16 pm
Location: Arizona

Re: My journey keeping a Camponotus Pennsylvanicus Colony

Post: # 66937Post ArizonanAnts
Thu Jan 30, 2020 12:50 pm

CANant wrote:
Tue Jan 28, 2020 5:14 pm

Thank you. It was pretty late in the season and I did stress them because I moved them to a clean test tube so I’m sure that was the main reason for it.
How were you able to move them? As in what did you do exactly?
Keeper of

Nothing right now :cry:

CANant
Posts: 379
Joined: Tue Jan 29, 2019 1:04 am
Location: Paris, Ontario

Re: My journey keeping a Camponotus Pennsylvanicus Colony

Post: # 66945Post CANant
Thu Jan 30, 2020 2:56 pm

I use the AC test tube and portal setup right now. I first tried to get them to move to another tube attached to the portal by covering the clean one and exposing the dirty one that they were in to light. That didn’t work. I tried to add a bit of higher heat (closely monitoring them) and they only moved to the other side of the tube. Haha
So I then disconnected both tubes from the portal and taped them together with electrical tape. Covered the clean one and exposed the dirty one to light and voila, all moved within 10 mins. The queen has a hard time moving in the test tube though. It seems too slippery for her to get a grip with her legs. I’m trying to think of ways I can help that. I found a larger test tube I may try to move them into after diapause. I’ll also have to figure out how to attach it to the portal since it is too big and none of the attachments fit it. I’m thinking a small piece of tubing will work if I have the right size.
Keeper of:
Camponotus Pennsylvanicus

Temnothorax ambiguus/curvispinosus (Acorn ant)

Lasius Interjectus (Larger citronella ant) with host workers: L. Americanus

🐜❤️

ArizonanAnts
Posts: 309
Joined: Fri Aug 30, 2019 8:16 pm
Location: Arizona

Re: My journey keeping a Camponotus Pennsylvanicus Colony

Post: # 66967Post ArizonanAnts
Thu Jan 30, 2020 4:33 pm

CANant wrote:
Thu Jan 30, 2020 2:56 pm
I use the AC test tube and portal setup right now. I first tried to get them to move to another tube attached to the portal by covering the clean one and exposing the dirty one that they were in to light. That didn’t work. I tried to add a bit of higher heat (closely monitoring them) and they only moved to the other side of the tube. Haha
So I then disconnected both tubes from the portal and taped them together with electrical tape. Covered the clean one and exposed the dirty one to light and voila, all moved within 10 mins. The queen has a hard time moving in the test tube though. It seems too slippery for her to get a grip with her legs. I’m trying to think of ways I can help that. I found a larger test tube I may try to move them into after diapause. I’ll also have to figure out how to attach it to the portal since it is too big and none of the attachments fit it. I’m thinking a small piece of tubing will work if I have the right size.
I will try that. Thank you :)
Keeper of

Nothing right now :cry:

CANant
Posts: 379
Joined: Tue Jan 29, 2019 1:04 am
Location: Paris, Ontario

Re: My journey keeping a Camponotus Pennsylvanicus Colony

Post: # 66968Post CANant
Thu Jan 30, 2020 5:13 pm

ArizonanAnts wrote:
Thu Jan 30, 2020 4:33 pm
CANant wrote:
Thu Jan 30, 2020 2:56 pm
I use the AC test tube and portal setup right now. I first tried to get them to move to another tube attached to the portal by covering the clean one and exposing the dirty one that they were in to light. That didn’t work. I tried to add a bit of higher heat (closely monitoring them) and they only moved to the other side of the tube. Haha
So I then disconnected both tubes from the portal and taped them together with electrical tape. Covered the clean one and exposed the dirty one to light and voila, all moved within 10 mins. The queen has a hard time moving in the test tube though. It seems too slippery for her to get a grip with her legs. I’m trying to think of ways I can help that. I found a larger test tube I may try to move them into after diapause. I’ll also have to figure out how to attach it to the portal since it is too big and none of the attachments fit it. I’m thinking a small piece of tubing will work if I have the right size.
I will try that. Thank you :)
No problem! If they don’t move with light alone just add heat to the dirty tube. Not too much but enough to make them move away from it. Watch them closely to make sure you don’t cook them in the event they still refuse to move. Otherwise you’ll be fine and shouldn’t have trouble. Good luck! Let me know how it goes.
Keeper of:
Camponotus Pennsylvanicus

Temnothorax ambiguus/curvispinosus (Acorn ant)

Lasius Interjectus (Larger citronella ant) with host workers: L. Americanus

🐜❤️

CANant
Posts: 379
Joined: Tue Jan 29, 2019 1:04 am
Location: Paris, Ontario

Re: My journey keeping a Camponotus Pennsylvanicus Colony

Post: # 67740Post CANant
Thu Feb 27, 2020 6:02 pm

Hi everyone!
I’m happy to report my colony is officially out of diapause! All are alive and doing well..brood included! I’m so happy and relieved.
Here’s a little update with pictures and videos (follow links).

**Please note: Imgur only allows 50 images/videos per folder so I have created a part 1 and a part 2.

To continue from the point after they entered diapause go to Part 1 and scroll down to February 23 and then check out part 2.
If you are new to my journal you can easily catch up from the beginning in Part 1.

Feedback, questions and comments are always welcome! Enjoy!

Part 1:
https://imgur.com/a/2kTk38Y

Part 2:
https://imgur.com/a/zQYRk90
Keeper of:
Camponotus Pennsylvanicus

Temnothorax ambiguus/curvispinosus (Acorn ant)

Lasius Interjectus (Larger citronella ant) with host workers: L. Americanus

🐜❤️

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