Shane's Camponotus cruentatus: Comments

[shane]

Can comment about this colony here:

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[Deleted]

From what I have observed both in the wild and captivity, they will lay a small batch of eggs and as the develop they will eat a few no matter what. They also like to hide brood in the cotton wool.

[Wood~Ant]

Your new video and photos are fabulous nest mate. I wish you lived closer to me as I would love to see exactly how you achieve such fantastic results filming your ants.

[deansie]

Nice journal Shane, look forward to following it-great photos

[shane]

Aug 29, 2014 7:59:26 GMT Wood~Ant said:

Your new video and photos are fabulous nest mate. I wish you lived closer to me as I would love to see exactly how you achieve such fantastic results filming your ants.

Thanks Woody.

Ants for a start need tobe relaxed and by doing that I let them settle for 5 mins if I move them,

Then I can forces cam at right points as if ants are stress's and move a lot its like trying to take

cars passing on M1 motorway close up  

Queens also don't like strong UVA light so she in all cannot be stressed at all as colony will stress around her 

so UVA been strong after so long she hates, Like morning to midday for some reason she hates, But 

weak like when suns not as high in sky, but going down in afternoon which the 3'th eye on there head must be used for

to sense right levels.

they don't seem to mind low light and if its at a angle like night lights you have on in house or desk top light that resembles

moonlight could cold light queens don't mind.

 

I found this out with having so many queens  for a start my Red Messor queen hates day light but seems fine with night

light at night or late afternoon so taking photos or filming then seems better and no stress, then with other queens I worked

but its not just the light but UVA that affects them

if its strong.  So one night I may experiment with my red Messor colony with cold light shining in nest and see if it stresses them

after so long, If it don't then I may have found out how to film nest with out stressing queen or colony.

I can film Camponotus cruentatus for hours now at night with no stress to queen or workers. I hope to film her laying a egg

one night but have a feeling she will lay them in day  

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[shane]

Aug 29, 2014 8:18:25 GMT deansie said:

Nice journal Shane, look forward to following it-great photos

Thanks. Will be interesting to see how they hunt for pray once majors start to form in this colony

[Deleted]

I don't know if it will work for your Colony or not but with my colony I tried everything you could think of as a barrier and they crossed them all. Then I decided to trash the idea of using a barrier and now I have less workers trying to escape Just thought I'd share with you what has worked for me.

If not then try fluen? or whatever it's called.

[Deleted]

Really enjoyed reading your C. cruentatus  journal shane, it has given me a lot of insights of how to raise this species myself.

Did you decide on what type of nest your going to move them into? I'd be interested to know what type and size you go for.

Perhaps you can take some more of your fantastic photographs so we can see.

[shane]

Apr 3, 2015 22:08:48 GMT @trueviper said:

Really enjoyed reading your C. cruentatus  journal shane, it has given me a lot of insights of how to raise this species myself.

Did you decide on what type of nest your going to move them into? I'd be interested to know what type and size you go for.

Perhaps you can take some more of your fantastic photographs so we can see.

I may try them in a worm wold set up moded to a ant world with a tube to foraging box.

I will have to always keep the lid on box for this species of ants cos feeding them well... cannot keep lid off for long, they are very nippy runners when it comes to

feeding time and up and out of box in seconds, they seem to have no fear and always sensing with they antennas over 7 times before deciding friend or foo or food. 

[Deleted]

Apr 3, 2015 22:56:01 GMT shane said:

Apr 3, 2015 22:08:48 GMT @trueviper said:

Really enjoyed reading your C. cruentatus  journal shane, it has given me a lot of insights of how to raise this species myself.

Did you decide on what type of nest your going to move them into? I'd be interested to know what type and size you go for.

Perhaps you can take some more of your fantastic photographs so we can see.

I may try them in a worm wold set up moded to a ant world with a tube to foraging box.

I will have to always keep the lid on box for this species of ants cos feeding them well... cannot keep lid off for long, they are very nippy runners when it comes to

feeding time and up and out of box in seconds, they seem to have no fear and always sensing with they antennas over 7 times before deciding friend or foo or food. 

Have you considered creating a barrier with PTFE? I'm not sure if it works for this species but I am going to try it.

[shane]

Apr 3, 2015 23:05:48 GMT @trueviper said:

Apr 3, 2015 22:56:01 GMT shane said:

I may try them in a worm wold set up moded to a ant world with a tube to foraging box.

I will have to always keep the lid on box for this species of ants cos feeding them well... cannot keep lid off for long, they are very nippy runners when it comes to

feeding time and up and out of box in seconds, they seem to have no fear and always sensing with they antennas over 7 times before deciding friend or foo or food. 

Have you considered creating a barrier with PTFE? I'm not sure if it works for this species but I am going to try it.

Nothing works for this ant species cos they tip tow thou it and if I add something smelly I know other ants don't like, they get clever and hold they heads and

antennas up high  to avoid it. So only option is to keep lid on. 

[Deleted]

They sound like they have a lot of character for insects

[shane]

Apr 3, 2015 23:16:26 GMT @trueviper said:

They sound like they have a lot of character for insects

they are a clever species of ants. Next to "Formica lemani" which are more like a rouge species

[Wood~Ant]

Apr 3, 2015 22:56:01 GMT shane said:

I may try them in a worm wold set up moded to a ant world with a tube to foraging box.

I think you will find that both queen and workers are too big for the thinner Ant World Shane, but a Worm World connected to a foraging arena will work just fine.

[shane]

Apr 4, 2015 7:14:04 GMT Wood~Ant said:

Apr 3, 2015 22:56:01 GMT shane said:

I may try them in a worm wold set up moded to a ant world with a tube to foraging box.

I think you will find that both queen and workers are too big for the thinner Ant World Shane, but a Worm World connected to a foraging arena will work just fine.

That's what am thinking of doing  .

Just need to find now a nice foraging box to connect to it that's clear. Most plastic box's I find are misty to see though, But I'll keep looking.