32 replies to this topic

[Ender Ants]

Capture Date: July 25, 2019 

 

Queen Specs:

Coloration: Dark yellow/orange head, and thorax. Yellow abdomen, 3 brown stripes along the top

Length: 1 cm 

 

==

Finally getting more of these journals out, and as the title says, I've finally found some Camponotus festinatus queens again. Really excited to keep this species, since I found one back in September 2017, but that one had died. Caught 4 alates, and 3 drones. One of them has successfully mated, and that queen has taken off her wings, while the others I don't think they have mated. 

 

==

First batch Update: August 1, 2019 

 

The queen with wings in this photo had maybe 2 mites on her, but I don't see them anymore. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Ender Ants, June 3 2020 - 2:50 PM.

[Derpy]

Dang, what a beautiful queen, didn't even realize we had this species in California.

[Ender Ants]

August 11, 2019: 

 

Full Clutch Update: 

 

Both queens have a larger egg pile. The dealate has a larger master than before too. The two other queens don't look like they are fertile though, so I may need to find drones for them. 

 

 

 

Edited by Ender Ants, August 12 2019 - 1:42 PM.

[Ender Ants]

August 17, 2019: 

 

​Saw the two mites on the alate. One under her head, and another on her thorax. Going to give her lemons, and see if the mites will transfer hosts. They look like parasitic mites too, very sad news If she dies, I will brood boost my other queen.

 

 

 

 

 

Dealate is doing alright with more eggs. 

 

Edited by Ender Ants, August 17 2019 - 1:35 PM.

[ponerinecat]

Those have really narrow heads compared to other camponotus.

[NickAnter]

That is what I thought too. Especially after looking at my C. vicinus.

[YsTheAnt]

I tried using tweezers to squish some of the parasitic mites on some P. rugosus I caught (after failed attempts at removing them) with decent success.

Maybe it will work for you?

[Ender Ants]

I tried using tweezers to squish some of the parasitic mites on some P. rugosus I caught (after failed attempts at removing them) with decent success.

Maybe it will work for you?

'Mite' try it after I test out the lemon. Just put in a piece so I'll see how it goes. The mites moved a bit, which is first, since I haven't really seen them moving too often. The lemon scent could be calling them.

[Ender Ants]

September 2, 2019: Cocoons 

 

​The dealate queen had about 5 cocoons during this time, where the other queen had around 3. About a month and a half has passed since I first captured these queens. They received workers faster than some of my other non-camponotus queens, which are still at the egg/larvae stage. 

 

 

 

 

September 15, 2019: First Nanitics Eclose

 

Both queens had their first nanitics; the palest workers out of all my other species I have seen so far. 

 

Dealate w/ 3 workers:

 

 

 

 

 

Other queen w/ one worker:

 

Edited by Ender Ants, September 20 2019 - 4:37 PM.

[Ender Ants]

October 12, 2019: More Workers!

 

Both colonies are growing steadily, and their abdomens have started to deflate now that winter is almost here.

 

 

Dealate w/ 7 workers:

 

 

 

 

 

Alate w/ 3 workers:

Haven't seen the other mite, so maybe the workers were able to take it off. The one under her head is still there though

 

Edited by Ender Ants, October 12 2019 - 4:25 PM.

[YsTheAnt]

You sure those are C. festinatus? They look an aweful lot like C. fragilis.

[Ender Ants]

You sure those are C. festinatus? They look an aweful lot like C. fragilis.

They could actually. I didn't know whether they were fragilis or festinatus because they looked very similar. The fragilis queen pictures were more yellow than this queen, but the workers still look similar so I'm not 100% sure.

[Ender Ants]

October 25, 2019: Something Mite Have Happened

Worker Count: 5

 

I checked this queen today, and noticed she no longer had any mites on her! The one that was under her head was gone. I don't think it moved since it was there for a long time, and I haven't seen the second one in a while. Maybe the workers killed it? Maybe its under the wings? Only time will tell.

 

 

 

 

Edited by Ender Ants, October 25 2019 - 6:57 PM.

[Dnail]

how often you gave them food? i have starting colony Camponitus and never success with them before 

[ant007]

So penetrate the life of ants and seize moments !!! my enthusiasm and congratulations.

[Ender Ants]

how often you gave them food? i have starting colony Camponitus and never success with them before 

Since I've been giving them fruit flies, it would take them about 2-4 days to finish them. So every 2-4 days I fed them freshly killed fruit flies. I would feed them honey once every 1-2 weeks.

[Ender Ants]

May 7, 2020: New Homes

Follow me on Instagram for more active updates on all my colonies: 

https://www.instagram.com/ender_ants/

 

 

Colony #1 (Dealate)

Worker Count: 10 + 5 cocoons & brood

 

This colony has been moved to a tubs and tubes setup since their test tube ran out of water. I wanted to see if they would move the substrate, but it looks like they don't, even if it is watered. I also noticed that they put some larvae outside right in front of their test tube on the sand, so that the larvae can spin cocoons. I have been feeding both colonies more food lately, and I think the queens have laid their first batches, and the larvae have been turning into cocoons quicker as a result. The red liquid is Hawaiian Punch, but they covered up their parchment paper with sand. So I placed it on the moth wing instead, and they drink it from there. 

 

 

 

 

 

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Colony #2 (Queen w/ wings)

Worker Count: 4 + 2 cocoons, 1 larvae & small batch of eggs

 

I actually have no idea what happened to the other worker, because they were at 5 in the last update. Before I had them attached to another test tube to try and move them, but after 2 months I decided to move them into a tubs and tubes setup. One must have escaped during that time, since they are the fastest ants I have ever kept. They could probably keep up with me if I walked at a normal pace (not an exaggeration). Unlike my other colony that has settled down, sometimes a worker would run to the top when the container moves a little. Scary moments. 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Ender Ants, May 7 2020 - 2:08 PM.

[Ender Ants]

June 7, 2020: Majors have arrived

Follow me on Instagram for more active updates on all my colonies: 

https://www.instagram.com/ender_ants/

 

Colony #1 (Dealate)

Worker Count: 16 workers, 1 major & 9 cocoons

 

This colony is doing really well. They still move their brood right in front of their test tube up against the glass, with a bunch of the workers around. Its cool to see how much they're progressing this year! I hope to find more this year and see how they make a claustral cell in some sand setups. 

 

 

 

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Colony #2 (Queen w/ wings)

Worker Count: 6 workers, 1 major & 3 cocoons

 

Wow, its already been one month exactly since the last update. Didn't expect this colony to get a major so soon, giving them much more protein really did help. I gave them a smaller test tube to move into since the old one ran out of water. Now they have more space, and more water again. 

 

 

 

 

[Ender Ants]

July 7, 2020: Moving soon?

 

Colony #1 (Dealate)

Worker Count: 27 Workers, 1 Major & brood 

 

Looks like more protein really helped this colony by a lot! Once they reach around 40 workers, I'm thinking of moving them into a formicarium. Which formicarium? You'll have to wait and see. Off-topic, but I realized I've updated these colonies every month since May. Hopefully I'm not jinxing myself and will remember to update again on the right day in August.

 

 

Soon they'll be filling in their second test tube.

 

 

The colony is having their first bite at cereal. They also had their first death, which they later tore apart and placed in their garbage pile. She was probably around 10 months old, unless I missed other workers being torn up after dying. 

Edited by Ender Ants, July 7 2020 - 9:01 PM.

[KitsAntVa]

Wow these are cool ants they are very similar to our eastern carpenter ants (C. Castaneus) which I have yet to have found.