72 replies to this topic

[Acutus]

Figured I'd try and start a journal and see how it works out.

the colony was collected on 4/18/19 out of a piece of tree cookie that was being removed after laying on the ground for 10 -12 years. It broke open and as the ants fell I saw a Queen and decided to collect it.

I'd say except for a few stragglers the entire colony was collected from the piece of wood using a bug vacuum and Aspirator? While carefully breaking apart the wood. We actually collected 2 queens during this process.the first queen had a couple of workers in her tube the second queen did not. Not planned totally by chance.

All workers were placed in the out world of an AC Hybrid 2.0 Camponotus Nest and allowed to find the nesting area. Once there was a fair number we took one of the water tubes off and replaced it with the first queen tube with 2 workers. Workers from the nest entered, seemed to rub antenae with workers in the tube then all proceeded to enter the nest. Afterwards many workers entered this vacated tube. We waited for them to clear out then added the second Queens tube with no workers. This ended horribly with the Queen killed in like 2 seconds. it was quick and brutal. Not sure why that queen was there as no more ants were found in the wood. All the workers and the first queen got along fine.

After things settled a Small apple slice was added to see if the ants would even eat and quite a few workers came out to enjoy the apple for a couple days. 

 

Since the first day the ants have been fed every day. In addition to the apple slice we added a couple drops of Honey which only lasted a short while. the amount of honey was increased each day until it was about 2/3 of a water bottle cap. After 7 days they slowed up on the honey a bit and now only take smaller amounts. Protein is given in the form of insects. Small beetle grubs about 4  a day and mealworms about the same amount are taken voraciously whenever offered!

 

This is the Colony setup

 

This is the colony today 4/27/19

 

Edited by Acutus, February 17 2020 - 1:17 PM.

[ANTdrew]

Wow! What a colony. Look forward to hearing about their progress.

[Acutus]

So I peeked in today! They had a bunch of brood when captured but there appears to be much more. Also all the captured brood were very small. You can see in the pics that many are developing larger! They are eating Protein in the form of Insects everyday but have slowed a great deal on the sugars, I give them Honey.

 

Sorry for the poor photography but I literally just stick my camera under the lid and take a few pics then view the pics so as not to disturb them looking in the nest too long.

 

 

Edited by Acutus, April 30 2019 - 3:29 PM.

[Rstheant]

Feed them Sunburst or hummingbird nectar sugar mix, instead of honey. Honey works, but there are more reliable options. Here is a thread discussing the topic.

Edited by Rstheant, April 30 2019 - 3:43 PM.

[YsTheAnt]

Honey works just fine, no need to buy more product is your ants like what you are using. Sunburst is an excellent option, but it's not necessary if your ants are receptive to what you are using now.

However, if your ants are no longer liking honey, sunburst works great.

Edited by YsTheAnt, April 30 2019 - 5:03 PM.

[Acutus]

Honey works just fine, no need to buy more product is your ants like what you are using. Sunburst is an excellent option, but it's not necessary if your ants are receptive to what you are using now.

However, if your ants are no longer liking honey, sunburst works great.

 

 

Feed them Sunburst or hummingbird nectar sugar mix, instead of honey. Honey works, but there are more reliable options. Here is a thread discussing the topic.

 

Thanks for the info! I read the thread. Didn't really see anything that convinced me that Honey is inferior but I do make sugar water for my bees and I have Humming bird nectar too. Which is really just sugar water colored red. I'm gonna give the ants some of these as well and see. BTW I use straight Honey I do not mix it. I also don't use a big feeder just a water bottle cap.

[ConcordAntman]

That’s a fantastic captured colony! Good luck with it. One thing to watch out for with honey is that the foragers can sometimes get stuck in it and drown. My founding colonies are much smaller and I’ve lost some nanitics that way. I switched to hummingbird nectar in Byformica liquid feeders.

Edited by ConcordAntman, May 1 2019 - 4:47 AM.

[ANTdrew]

Yeah, your life will be so much easier with the byFormica liquid feeders, and I can vouch for the Sunburst. Because it has a preservative in it, you could just fill a big feeder up and forget it for a while. I did only honey water for a long time, but I recently switched to Sunburst, and my ants seem to prefer it.

[Acutus]

That’s a fantastic captured colony! Good luck with it. One thing to watch out for with honey is that the foragers can sometimes get stuck in it and drown. My founding colonies are much smaller and I’ve lost some nanitics that way. I switched to hummingbird nectar in Byformica liquid feeders.

 

 

Yeah, your life will be so much easier with the byFormica liquid feeders, and I can vouch for the Sunburst. Because it has a preservative in it, you could just fill a big feeder up and forget it for a while. I did only honey water for a long time, but I recently switched to Sunburst, and my ants seem to prefer it.

 

Thanks Concord!

 

The colony has actually learned to put debris in the honey for footing and then drink! If I had more colonies and maintenance was an issue I' may look at the feeders but for now I actually enjoy feeding them and watching them. Oh and Honey doesn't need preservatives!

[ConcordAntman]

It’s allegedly Spring in New England 🙄 and I’ve got our hummingbird feeders out so there’s always a supply of fresh nectar for my ants. I also have freeze-dried mealworms for bluebirds and the ants like that too. Keep us posted on your progress!

Edited by ConcordAntman, May 2 2019 - 11:05 AM.

[Acutus]

Friend and I fed some termites to the girls today!

 

[Acutus]

Here's a typical view of the Out World. Lots of froagers out all the time.

 

 

[TennesseeAnts]

I hear little ones! Nice job collecting that colony. I'm a little jealous...

[Acutus]

Ooooooppps! Yeah I forgot to mention ignore the kids in the background! They couldn't stay quiet long enough! LOL

[ANTdrew]

Haha! Sounds like my house. I have two human larvae, too.

[TennesseeAnts]

Haha! Sounds like my house. I have two human larvae, too.

[Acutus]

Hey guys! Here's a video of the entire Colony as I have it set up. There is brood EVERYWHERE!! Many more Ants seem to hang in the Out World than used to as well.

One major thing that concerns me is the HUGE trash piles accumulating in the right side corners near each. Do I need to be concerned?  As most of you know l'm not real experienced so please chime in if you see anything that concerns you. 

Thanks!!!

 

[Kaelwizard]

I am surprised I was able to see the queen under all of those workers! 

[Acutus]

Well I think we've had a decline in workers. there don't appear to be as many as there were but there are TONS of brood in all stages so I'm not really worried. They did finally clear out the one trash pile (the upper right corner in the previous video). I had to re-do the cotton in one of the water tubes cause they had pulled so much I was afraid it would breech and flood.

[TennesseeAnts]

I love C. chromaiodes. Their majors can get huge! Since I have been feeding my large colony more protein, some HUGE majors have eclosed! One of the largest is 14 millimeters! Your colony's queen is of the rarer red version. Mine is black with red legs.