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Post by messorlee on Jun 3, 2020 19:48:06 GMT
30/05/20... Kindly gifted ants from our own greame (big thumbs up) all be wanted was price of postage. Thankyou. While waiting I made a formicarium for them a picture on here somewhere. 01/06/20... Camponotus barbaricus arrived in post, checked to see what I had... 3 workers and the queen unfortunately no eggs 😞. Amazed at the size of these ants. Put them in the tank in the test tube and left them for 2 days. 03/06/20... Finally put a straw in their test tube so they can get in and out and forage if they want to. If they wander enough they will find the nest entrance to the y-tong nest. Have made some sugar water and honey water and put it by their entrance along with a dead fly. Happy days... I just hope these gals do as well as my messor barbarus colony. Updates to follow hopefully. One ant out having a deserved drink... I.imgur.com/f2sJgk8.jpg
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Post by messorlee on Jun 4, 2020 10:51:44 GMT
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Post by messorlee on Jun 5, 2020 18:31:28 GMT
05/06/20...Just noticed a worker carrying the first egg... Happy days
ML
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Post by messorlee on Jun 7, 2020 11:58:39 GMT
07/06/20... They have left the test tube and inhabited the y-tong nest and there appears to be 2 eggs.
Haven't seen them take on any insects (protein) yet but is this because the queen is claustral?
And only 3 workers and 2 eggs?
A couple have been out on the nectar and water but not seen them on the wakooshi feeder yet.
Will try to get a couple a pics later.
ML
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Post by messorlee on Jun 13, 2020 8:35:32 GMT
13/06/20... Sad to see one worker died in the week, but the other 2 seem fine gasters always seem to be full of nectar. Queen is a strange one she likes to be upside down on the nest ceiling a lot.
Keeping them at around 23*c so they may be a little slow developing.
One worker is always with the egg pile which maybe as many as 8 now with a couple of larger ones. Then the other worker is always out in the foraging arena.
They have been taking some insects in the form of mosquitos they seem to love them.
I put a piece of bogwood from an old fish tank in with them and one worker is in there the whole time, maybe trying to excavate it but not sure.
These are looking like a very clean ant that tidies everything or maybe they just know about the Covid 19 outbreak... Lol
Here's to the next week
ML
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Post by messorlee on Jun 21, 2020 12:08:45 GMT
21/06/20... Glad to say they have been feeding well on only mozzies and honey water and super nectar. Still have their brood pile of 7/8 eggs that are changing... These ants make cocoons so do I need to put any special substrate in for them (they have sand only).
A lovely lanky ant to watch roaming around the foraging arena.
ML
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Post by Wood~Ant on Jun 21, 2020 12:29:10 GMT
21/06/20... Glad to say they have been feeding well on only mozzies and honey water and super nectar. Still have their brood pile of 7/8 eggs that are changing... These ants make cocoons so do I need to put any special substrate in for them (they have sand only). A lovely lanky ant to watch roaming around the foraging arena. ML Not totally necessary as all my own Camponotus make cocoons in a bare acrylic nest.
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Post by messorlee on Jun 29, 2020 6:10:30 GMT
29/06/20... Not much to report, eggs are turning/turned into larvae about 7 of them.
Still happy as I lost one of the 3 workers early on and thought it was doomed but fingers crossed they bring some new workers on soon.
ML
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Post by messorlee on Jul 5, 2020 11:25:56 GMT
05/07/20... Sad to see another worker died this week, but the one left appears to be doing well looking after the brood, which hopefully will not be long before hatching out as they need some workers quickly.
Don't want to see this colony die off.
ML
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Post by Wood~Ant on Jul 5, 2020 16:35:25 GMT
05/07/20... Sad to see another worker died this week, but the one left appears to be doing well looking after the brood, which hopefully will not be long before hatching out as they need some workers quickly. Don't want to see this colony die off. ML Same thing happened with my colony, then the queen died a few days after the last worker.
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Post by messorlee on Jul 5, 2020 17:34:56 GMT
Don't say that...
ML
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Post by Wood~Ant on Jul 6, 2020 8:06:34 GMT
Sorry, but it's just what happened with my colony. With luck it may not happen to you.
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Post by messorlee on Jul 14, 2020 7:31:43 GMT
14/07/20... Queen and single worker are still managing, 7 cacooned and a new batch of around 8 eggs, so hopefully this week will have some new workers hatching out.
ML
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Post by messorlee on Jul 14, 2020 18:56:57 GMT
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Post by messorlee on Jul 25, 2020 8:44:15 GMT
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