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Post by Wood~Ant on Oct 6, 2017 12:47:43 GMT
Tried a small spider, but they didn't seem too keen as they tore off a leg and left the rest uneaten. I haven't been able to find any very small insects like mosquitoes yet.
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Post by jeoff82 on Nov 14, 2017 6:29:28 GMT
That's a shame. I have noticed that ants sometimes move as far as possible from the rest of the colony when they are about to die. I have seen Formica do this on a few occasions.
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Post by Wood~Ant on Nov 14, 2017 8:10:48 GMT
That's a shame. I have noticed that ants sometimes move as far as possible from the rest of the colony when they are about to die. I have seen Formica do this on a few occasions. Yes, she refused to be coaxed back into the nest, and it's always a bad sign when a queen leaves the safety of the nest and is out for 3 days. I feel sorry for her workers and larvae, as the colony is doomed to die out now.
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Post by Zarbi on Dec 6, 2017 8:19:25 GMT
Looks like your C. substitutus are doing very well. How are they at drinking honey water, as it sounds like they have a a really good appetite these days?
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Post by Wood~Ant on Dec 6, 2017 8:31:38 GMT
Looks like your C. substitutus are doing very well. How are they at drinking honey water, as it sounds like they have a a really good appetite these days? They don't get stuck in it any longer, but swarm over the drinking pot and get stuck in to drink every drop as fast as they can. Little beggars have to fed fast though or a few workers will rush out of the roof door and escape if they get the chance, and they move very fast and run off at top speed, so I have to catch them quickly and hope no more escape when I pop them back in the nest.
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Post by TenebrousNova on Feb 12, 2018 1:57:58 GMT
Regarding what you said to me earlier about trying to move your Camponotus turkestanus queen and last worker back into a test tube, it occurred to me that maybe they need to be kept in the test tube for longer before being introduced into a larger nest? I've learned to my cost a few times that colonies less than 15 workers strong tend to run into issues when I've done that. I guess we could compare the test tube to a sort of large claustral chamber, since ants tend to expand their nests to match the growth of their colony, according to their needs at the time. Personally, I try to keep my colonies in their test tube until there's either enough workers that I can't feed them without them escaping, or the water reservoir dries up. Of course, I could be talking utter nonsense since I've seen you raise some small colonies in larger nests without issues. Just a thought of mine!
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Post by Wood~Ant on Feb 12, 2018 9:19:11 GMT
Regarding what you said to me earlier about trying to move your Camponotus turkestanus queen and last worker back into a test tube, it occurred to me that maybe they need to be kept in the test tube for longer before being introduced into a larger nest? I've learned to my cost a few times that colonies less than 15 workers strong tend to run into issues when I've done that. I guess we could compare the test tube to a sort of large claustral chamber, since ants tend to expand their nests to match the growth of their colony, according to their needs at the time. Personally, I try to keep my colonies in their test tube until there's either enough workers that I can't feed them without them escaping, or the water reservoir dries up. Of course, I could be talking utter nonsense since I've seen you raise some small colonies in larger nests without issues. Just a thought of mine! Good comment TenebrousNova and for valid reasons. I find it depends too on how shy the species are, as I was told that C. turkestanus nest under stones in complete darkness and don't like a lot of disturbance. My mate in Thailand says that they love honey or sugar water, but will only take very small insect prey until the colony has at least 20 or more workers, and some have to be majors to even tackle a small cricket. They don't touch mealworms or large crickets, and even wax worms need to be cut into very small portions. I hope to be getting a few more species in late April, so I now have plenty of empty nests ready for what may come.
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Post by TenebrousNova on Mar 22, 2018 15:36:49 GMT
From photos I've seen, Camponotus japonicus have bright gold bristles covering their body. Certainly an attractive looking ant, good luck with them!
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shane
Ant Photographer
Ant Species Image Gatherer
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Post by shane on Apr 11, 2018 16:19:52 GMT
Think I may try a colony of Camponotus Xiangban. Was thinking to get a colony last year but had lots on with my dad also passing away. Grate videos by the way, I hope there boost in numbers large or small.
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Post by TenebrousNova on Apr 24, 2018 17:50:54 GMT
I see from your Camponotus herculeanus video that your queen, like mine, struggles to grip onto the floor of those acrylic nests and has to skid her way around.
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Post by Wood~Ant on Apr 24, 2018 20:59:56 GMT
I see from your Camponotus herculeanus video that your queen, like mine, struggles to grip onto the floor of those acrylic nests and has to skid her way around. She seems to be adapting better the longer she is in the nest, getting more confidence and a better grip on the inner chambers where the hydration pads are located.
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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 29, 2018 12:33:39 GMT
Happy there doing so well "japonicas" The Queen for this Camponotus looks stunning.
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Post by deansyme on May 11, 2018 11:29:15 GMT
Glad to see the Singularis doing so well especially after the fright at the start with the winged males. Also the fact they are so long lived workers as that has been a while now, but then they don't move much! Just sit there jaws open ready lol. What do you estimate the colony size to be now?
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Post by Wood~Ant on May 11, 2018 12:31:56 GMT
Glad to see the Singularis doing so well especially after the fright at the start with the winged males. Also the fact they are so long lived workers as that has been a while now, but then they don't move much! Just sit there jaws open ready lol. What do you estimate the colony size to be now? About 37 including the queen, and 17 larvae plus 22 eggs at a rough estimate. They do well on honey water and big flies.
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Post by TenebrousNova on May 16, 2018 21:20:04 GMT
Hope the mitis do well for you!
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