Welcome to the Camponotus Crew!

[EmberMan]

Hello!

I am new to ant keeping and I have caught 4 queens which I believe are Camponotus pennsylvanicus. I’ve had them in test tube setups for about 5 weeks now, and 3 of them have eggs. I’ve only checked on them about once a week, but I have not really noticed a change in size of the eggs. They may be slightly more oval than when they started though. Wondering if this is normal or if the change in size at this point should be more noticeable. Any help would be appreciated!

Thank you:)

How long have the eggs been laid?

I noticed them the first time I checked on them which would've been about a week after I caught the queens. So they've had eggs for 4-5 weeks at this point.

[TomvANTol]

So I was wondering about using the small frozen bloodworms you feed fish as a protein source for my ants?
If you don't know they're like mosquito larvae.

[QJH2023]

So I was wondering about using the small frozen bloodworms you feed fish as a protein source for my ants?
If you don't know they're like mosquito larvae.

don't see why not

[SYUTEO]

Are too many springtails in an ant tank harmful for my ants? (Apologize if it is a stupid question, I never seen thousands of springtails in an ant tank before)

No they're not. The ants might actually hunt them, or try to chase them away if they find them a nuisance, but they're actually a benefical addition. As long as your ants can get to any prey animals before the springtails do, you've got nothing to worry about.

Thanks for the help

[TomvANTol]

Thought it was a pennsylvanicus but maybe not? Plz help with ID

[Hawkeye]

Thanks hawkeye. To all the keepers of pennslyanicus, what size test tubes do you use if you do? I am most likely going to order some 20mm diameter 150mm length, but I was wondering if that is too small, as they are quite large?

Those are fine

[Hawkeye]

So I was wondering about using the small frozen bloodworms you feed fish as a protein source for my ants?
If you don't know they're like mosquito larvae.

You might need to rehydrate them first

[Hawkeye]

Thought it was a pennsylvanicus but maybe not? Plz help with ID

Why do you think it wouldn't be?

[ridgewalker]

Thought it was a pennsylvanicus but maybe not? Plz help with ID

Looks identical to mine

[ridgewalker]

Thought it was a pennsylvanicus but maybe not? Plz help with ID

Here a picture of my queen. She has a huge pile of egg/larva plus 9 workers. They are hungry little guys. I gave them a grasshopper leg. They need to be fed sometime almost every day