shane
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Post by shane on Apr 13, 2018 18:11:54 GMT
First Log: 13.04.2018 ===============
Going to give this new colony a try,
Today I got for britishants site a new colony of Camponotus Xiangban that just come thou post today.
Looking up about them as there's not a lot about them out there in keeping them so,
In wild there like to live in deep soil nests or under tree roots with nest been dry or very lightly humid even thought there from a climate like France but in china, So can say wet and dry and warm or around temperatures of 10c to 27c with nest been cool in summer months about 18 to 20c and keeping above 10c in winter months.
Colony numbers from 1500+ at its peek.
There like fruit, honey dew and sweets from nectar flowers, Spend most of there time in wild looking for honey dew or the odd dead sweet insects.
There not a aggressive ant and peaceful, But will defend nest with formic acid, This also means a colony can gas them self's if there nest has no air flow if the hole nest starts using formic acid if something gets in nest as they defended them self's.
Now this makes things tricky what to house them in. As of now I'm still deciding. As I know this specie when it starts to get bigger may gas them self's accidently if a worker starts giving off a false alarm to rest of colony in nest. ======================================================== ========================================================
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shane
Ant Photographer
Ant Species Image Gatherer
Posts: 1,738
Likes: 819
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Post by shane on Apr 14, 2018 17:27:38 GMT
Log: 14.04.2018 ===========
Heres a small video of them ========================================== ==========================================
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shane
Ant Photographer
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Post by shane on Apr 15, 2018 18:37:32 GMT
Log:15.04.2018 ===========
Here's some photo's of Queen and her small colony. ======================================================== ========================================================
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shane
Ant Photographer
Ant Species Image Gatherer
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Post by shane on Apr 15, 2018 21:36:47 GMT
Log: 14.04.2018 ===========
Time to break some rules with this colony I'm keeping as pets, As in I'm not going to feed them any insects or dead insects.
Many colony's of Camponotus seem to die when a worker brings in a dead insect in to nest chamber to queen and then it just rots away been hath eaten or just shells behind left there to rots which puts queen off laying or kills eggs off or larvae.
This has happened more then once in past when I tried with many in 2016 and always almost same.
This colony I'm going to try with only protein jelly's and honey water or some other liquid foods like fruit, None of which any workers can take in to nest.
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shane
Ant Photographer
Ant Species Image Gatherer
Posts: 1,738
Likes: 819
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Post by shane on Apr 16, 2018 18:03:57 GMT
Log: 16.04.2018 ===========
This will be my last log for this month as there doing so well at keeping around room temp or around 12 to 17c. The workers are very active and fast once there start to forage which is around every 5 to 7 hours a worker will come out licking everything and drinking anything sweet like honey water or protean jelly strawberry.
The workers or odd ones that forage seem to be more active at night then in day, Coming out to forage longer at night.
They are 6 workers and 1 Queen and 1 egg.
Here is Part 2 video =========================== ===========================
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shane
Ant Photographer
Ant Species Image Gatherer
Posts: 1,738
Likes: 819
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Post by shane on Apr 17, 2018 23:26:05 GMT
Log:18.04.2018 ===========
More photo's of queen relaxing with workers.
A worker feeding queen.
Workers.
The workers have very small spike like horns on there shoulders like polyrhachis workers which is a bit confusing for Camponotus. Maybe there a on going evolving species of ant but very interesting and even have the same bulging out small round eyes.
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shane
Ant Photographer
Ant Species Image Gatherer
Posts: 1,738
Likes: 819
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Post by shane on Apr 20, 2018 19:26:22 GMT
Log:20.04.2018 ===========
1 worker had died today which put colony workers down to 5. A worker must have taken her out of nest and put her in garbage bit of foraging tank where they put bits of bitten up cotton from test tube.
Number of workers 5 and 1 fat larvae and 3 eggs. Queen seems relaxed with only 1 worker that scouts out for food now then 2.
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shane
Ant Photographer
Ant Species Image Gatherer
Posts: 1,738
Likes: 819
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Post by shane on Apr 26, 2018 11:35:26 GMT
Log: 26.06.2018 ===========
Colony seems to be steadily growing. 1o eggs now 2 larvae 5 workers and Queen.
Can see the group of 10 eggs on this photo and just misted Queen laying an egg with camera. A worker carrying 2 larvae around some how. Photo of Queen.
Colony do have a habit of blocking test tube entrance with bits of paper and unblocks it when a worker goes out to forage for bits.
Colony seem fine at room temp and queen seems to be laying an egg every day at around 10am. ============================= =============================
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shane
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Post by shane on Apr 27, 2018 20:24:08 GMT
Log: 27.04.2018 ===========
This colony can sleep even with a light on them , I did a video of them and they never moved till near end of video which I had to edit shorten cos it was long.
All colony seem to be in like a mini hibernation, Even though the room is warm, So it maybe their way of serving energy.
Still there's 10 eggs which seem to be hidden under Queen at times with a worker on them, The larvae don't seem to be eating much but seem fine. ============================================ ============================================
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shane
Ant Photographer
Ant Species Image Gatherer
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Post by shane on May 4, 2018 19:22:30 GMT
Log: 04.05.2018 ===========
Thought I'd leave this colony for a bit and as soon as my backs turned the workers decided to eat there larvae but on the other hand there cluster of eggs the workers carry around are around 20, I just hope the workers don't turn on them once there in there larvae state.
Also one of the old workers seem to have been kicked out of the nest and only scouting around foraging arena, I tried to put her back in to rest but a worker keeps throwing her out, But she keeps grad at entrance but its funny to see her getting carried out if she patrols to fare in to nest.
I decided to just have test tube in foraging box so its not as fare for the scout worker to get food.
See how this goes.
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shane
Ant Photographer
Ant Species Image Gatherer
Posts: 1,738
Likes: 819
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Post by shane on May 6, 2018 18:22:12 GMT
Log: 06.05.2018 ===========
This colony confuses me. There egg cluster seems about same of around 10 to 12 eggs but I fear that the workers could be eating the new larvae as soon as there hatch which makes me think that the eggs are never hatching as the queen keeps laying.
The worker that got kicked out of nest has been excepted back in today, I don't know why but I'm happy that there together.
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Post by Wood~Ant on May 7, 2018 7:11:10 GMT
I have had the same problem, the larva was eaten but the eggs are still there and cared for by 2 workers.
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shane
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Post by shane on May 7, 2018 14:55:59 GMT
I have had the same problem, the larva was eaten but the eggs are still there and cared for by 2 workers. There definitely eating the larvae the worker or one of them. I read up that this colony is a cluster colony which means the queen are heavily dependent on workers to feed her, This may mean that one of workers constantly feeding her could be feeding her there own larvae the worker is feeding on for protean. The queen is well feed and her gaster is swollen so she's 100% laying more eggs.
I may have to try them on different foods.
Also I sprayed a worker by accident this morning misting a bit of there foraging arena and it turns out the hairs on there bodies make them water proof.
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shane
Ant Photographer
Ant Species Image Gatherer
Posts: 1,738
Likes: 819
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Post by shane on May 10, 2018 17:49:43 GMT
Log: 10.05.2018 ===========
Short update.
I decided to put another test tube connected to old one so there could move out of old in to new as there old test tube had some mold growing that's not good for colony or queen that seems to sleep near it so I did the old leave the old exposed to light and the new coverd in darkness.
It taken about 7 hours for colony to fully move with queen been last and very lazy.
After move I put the new test tube in foraging tank still covered and removed the old test tube, things seem ok and the ball of eggs seem fine too.
When its warm always check for mold in there old test tube.
Oh yes I had a small smell of the old test tube home and it dose smell of flowers or a mix of formic acid and flowers to be precise.
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shane
Ant Photographer
Ant Species Image Gatherer
Posts: 1,738
Likes: 819
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Post by shane on May 15, 2018 12:44:39 GMT
Log: 15.05.2018 ===========
The new test tube seems to have done trick . Even thought there's now only 4 workers as the one that kept getting booted out of nest had died.
There defiantly do seem to do well on only sweet stuff, Any dead insects seem to up set them if you try and feed them to colony.
Its best to give them a option of many sweets to try from in foraging tank and honey water on a cotton that has to be refreshed daily or it can mould.
Oh yes theres now larvae in nest.
I see around 9 larvae. so hope this time colony don't eat them. I'm only feeding them honey water and one of them protean pots and a small splodge of strawberry jam.
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