3 replies to this topic

[dominatus]

My Camponotus decipiens outworld is a 20g aquarium  filled with rocks (for drainage) then dirt. I am growing small plants and grasses and have roaming earth worms, isopods, and springtails. I enjoy this natural set up and much of the ant waste is simply food for the decomposers and the plants, instead of mold and fungus. This works well for the Camponotus decipiens as they will only nest in soil as a last resort, much preferring spaces already hollowed or easily hollowed that are above ground and somewhat dry. Think under bark, in dead branches, logs, and any wood already softened or hollowed by termites and insect larva. I have no worries about one day finding the queen and / or the majority of the colony hunkering down underground as it were.

Would my random stowaway Camponotus floridanus colony, once they need an actual, big outworld, behave especially different? I know these guys are going to like moisture a lot more then my C. decipiens so keeping the soil damp for the plants and isopods will not be deterrent for them, so I am thinking of just making a grout landscape in their outworld. If y'all think they will be too attracted to a clean hollowed space above ground with sawdust to clear to bother with the soil though, I'd love to make another live plant and active biosphere outworld. I wouldn't make the soil sandy like I imagine they would normally experience, so perhaps that would also make the soil nesting less likely. 

I really think they might just dig though, I know when I visit my sister in Florida I see them in trees, half buried logs, under logs, and somewhat in the dirt under a build of plant detritus. They really seem to not be too picky, only preferring the hollow wood but really making due with any location they can defend against all the other types of ants out there. I'm no expert and that is a really limited observation of what was probably one huge colony they have on their property. It had several satellite nests surrounding an old dead tree filled to the brim with their colony.

 

Should I give the dirt outworld a try when the time comes? Who out there has some experience with Camponotus floridanus behavior?

 

Thank y'all.

[ponerinecat]

Camponotus as a genus tend to not be too specialized in terms of nesting material. I've never kept these ants, though, so I'm not sure.

[123LordOfAnts123]

Camponotus floridanus in sandy, well drained areas that experience frequent fires nest almost exclusively subterraneanly; often at the base of trees, but sometimes out in the open. Nesting long term in dead wood laying on the ground in fire prone areas would be hazardous. Interestingly, floridanus from these areas are very dark in color, almost black. Perhaps an adaption to the black bits of charcoal and other burned material that litters the ground of said areas. Formica archboldi (the only dark colored member of the pallidefulva group) is almost only found in similar habitat and is hypothesized to have adapted a dark coloration for much the same reasons.

[dominatus]

Camponotus floridanus in sandy, well drained areas that experience frequent fires nest almost exclusively subterraneanly; often at the base of trees, but sometimes out in the open. Nesting long term in dead wood laying on the ground in fire prone areas would be hazardous. Interestingly, floridanus from these areas are very dark in color, almost black. Perhaps an adaption to the black bits of charcoal and other burned material that litters the ground of said areas. Formica archboldi (the only dark colored member of the pallidefulva group) is almost only found in similar habitat and is hypothesized to have adapted a dark coloration for much the same reasons.

My queen is very red with only a slightly darkened head. The ones I saw at my sister's house lived in a disturbed / urban area so no fires and were very red also, looked just like my Camponotus decipiens at first glance besides the obvious size difference. Very interesting they have colorforms based on habitat.

 

My queen's nanitics are very dark but they are so tiny. I kind of hope her regular workers will be the bright red she sports.

 

I think I will just go with a grout landscape, I am probably asking for a headache trying to have a soil and bioactive outworld with these guys. Oh wells...