7 replies to this topic

[ANTdrew]

I'll be picking up a small C.castaneus colony from a fellow ant keeper this week, and that has me wondering how to be successful with this species? Most of the journals I've read about them describe how they just sort of languish and dwindle away in captivity. Has anyone had success with this species, and if so what is the secret? They don't seem to be just like any other Camponotus...

My plan is to go as naturalistic as possible with a soil set up. Or perhaps THA formicariums would be best. I'd like to try mimic their diet of termites as much as possible.

[Acutus]

I'm going to follow this closely as I am very interested in this species as well. I have a queenless colony and they are pretty much just hanging out. They do eat  meal worms and such but they don't really forage like my other Camponotus Colony. I assumed this was due to not having a queen.

I also didn't know about the termite thing. I'll start collecting termites for them.

I know where a colony of these ants resides and I'd like to collect it cause it's in a bad spot (i eventually have to clear this area) but it's in the ground completely and if I dig I'm probably gonna end up with a queenless colony again.

 

Good Luck! Looking forward to seeing your success!!

[TennesseeAnts]

I would go THA myself. Mack at THA has had success, maybe you can give him a call.

[FeedTheAnts]

I had the most success with a dirt setup. My colony grew pretty well in it, but once I put them in a test tube they slowly started to die off. If you do a dirt setup them try to use a mix that is mostly orange clay, that's what they like to nest in the wild. Using clay dirt will require you to make the setup very deep, because otherwise you will have troubles with hydration. Putting a rock at the surface also helps with keeping the dirt hydrated, and give the ants a place to nest.

[ANTdrew]

Thanks, FTA-

This is exactly the direction I was thinking. C. castaneus abound in my mother's garden where the soil is loamy but with a high clay content. I was planning to use that as I think there must be some part of the micro-biome in soil they need to thrive. I'll put a flat rock for them to nest under and that way I can just trickle water over it to hydrate the set up.

[Acutus]

so did you get the colony? Hows it look? Pics if possible!

[ANTdrew]

I emailed Mack from Tarheel Ants, and he responded with some good tips for this species. He said the most improvement would come from giving them a lot of variety in their diet and getting them out of the test tube ASAP. My plan is to give them a lot of wild fruits like mulberry, serviceberry, pawpaw, and persimmon along with a wide range of insects. I’ll move them into a bio-active terrarium with their preferred soil type soon, too.

[Acutus]

Cool!! Really looking forward to seeing this all work out for you.