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Post by TenebrousNova on Apr 16, 2013 13:47:31 GMT
Resurrecting this thread, I am seriously considering trying again with Camponotus herculeanus. They are such an impressive (And cheap!) species. I did briefly consider another Messor barbarus colony and Pheidole pallidula, but a founding Messor colony is tough for me to keep, and as much as I loved my old Pheidole colony, I have yet to come across any that are under £20. Oh, and I had forgotten to mention that the previous queen died about six months ago. Within the week, I should hopefully be able to order a founding C.herculeanus colony.
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Post by TenebrousNova on Apr 21, 2013 15:28:27 GMT
Okay, just ordered a founding Camponotus herculeanus colony of a queen and her first workers. I have ordered them from King-of-the-ants, who appears to have some excellent reviews. I look forward to receiving this colony, and may they fare better than the other one did!
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Post by Wood~Ant on Apr 21, 2013 16:40:24 GMT
Good luck with your new colony, as a queen with first workers should do better than a founding queen alone.
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Post by UKantz on Apr 21, 2013 17:58:56 GMT
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Post by TenebrousNova on Apr 21, 2013 20:24:31 GMT
Thank you both. I have never heard of universalants.com, so that'll be something for me to consider in future. And next time I get a colony, it will be Pheidole pallidula for sure. And I've bought from AntDealer before, Kevin is definitely a reliable supplier.
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Post by TenebrousNova on Apr 23, 2013 10:27:20 GMT
Ta-da! They have arrived, a nice little colony of a queen, three workers, two large larvae, several tiny larvae and a few eggs. I suspect that the one at the front is a callow, judging by the torn remains of a cocoon at the back and her lighter colour: And here they are, enjoying an aperitif: I'm out of crickets right now, but once I find something suitable I'll try to feed them.
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Post by TenebrousNova on Apr 26, 2013 10:13:52 GMT
They've eaten two very small flies (The only ones I could find) and the biggest larva is almost as long as one of the workers now. Another larva also looks like it'll catch up soon.
They're smaller than I remembered, but this colony seems to be doing alright for the time being.
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Post by Wood~Ant on Apr 26, 2013 17:30:21 GMT
They're smaller than I remembered, but this colony seems to be doing alright for the time being. Remember they are probably her first workers and later generations may grow bigger.
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Post by TenebrousNova on Apr 27, 2013 11:46:40 GMT
The first feeding seems to be a triumph. The two older workers swiftly set to work on this cricket, making little incisions and drinking the leaking bodily fluids. They then brought it over to the queen, who was protectively standing over her brood. This is when she was a millisecond from lunging at it: That should give those larvae a boost. I think I also saw a fourth egg.
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