Hi all, I have been having trouble with my crematogaster colony. They have been eating their eggs, and i'm not sure why. how much preotien do they need? And how sensitive are they?
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Crematogaster eating brood
Started By
Temperateants
, Sep 21 2019 7:22 AM
5 replies to this topic
#1
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Posted September 21 2019 - 7:22 AM
Temperateants
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#2
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Posted September 21 2019 - 9:58 AM
RushmoreAnts
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They are extremely sensitive. How often do you check them?
"God made..... all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds (including ants). And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:25 NIV version
Keeping:
Formica cf. pallidefulva, cf. incerta, cf. argentea
Formica cf. aserva, cf. subintegra
Myrmica sp.
Lasius neoniger, brevicornis
#3
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Posted September 21 2019 - 11:11 AM
ANTdrew
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How big is the colony? They need a lot of protein, too.
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.
#4
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Posted September 21 2019 - 1:29 PM
Temperateants
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They are 7 workers now. They are on their 3rd generation. Thanks for the replies.
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#5
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Posted September 21 2019 - 3:03 PM
DJoseph98
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I had this kind of issue when first starting out mine.
First: Reduce the number of times you check on them directly to reduce stress that leads to brood destruction.
Second: Feed them more protein just in case they are laying eggs as food for their larvae (which happens).
Third: If you are feeding them directly into their tube, provide a secure outworld to leave food instead. Every time you open and place food in a tube, they probably think their nest is insecure and being invaded.
If none of these things work, maybe you have a bad group, maybe they aren't wanting to start anymore brood so close to winter (I don't quite know if this is a thing for Crematogaster), or maybe they just aren't ready to start another generation yet. The actions I specified above are pretty much the only things that YOU can do to improve their colony health. Anything else is up to them.
When my Crematogaster queen had her first nanitics eclosing, she killed several because I got too excited and checked on them every day. Reducing the number of times I checked remedied this and now I have a colony of about fifteen to sixteen workers a month later with a nice brood pile.
The most important thing is patience. These changes won't show results for AT LEAST a month (the time for a new worker to develop from an egg). When the colony becomes sufficiently large (hundreds probably), checking on them shouldn't cause as much an issue. They can just be sensitive in their young/small colony days since they know they don't have the numbers to defend themselves sufficiently.
First: Reduce the number of times you check on them directly to reduce stress that leads to brood destruction.
Second: Feed them more protein just in case they are laying eggs as food for their larvae (which happens).
Third: If you are feeding them directly into their tube, provide a secure outworld to leave food instead. Every time you open and place food in a tube, they probably think their nest is insecure and being invaded.
If none of these things work, maybe you have a bad group, maybe they aren't wanting to start anymore brood so close to winter (I don't quite know if this is a thing for Crematogaster), or maybe they just aren't ready to start another generation yet. The actions I specified above are pretty much the only things that YOU can do to improve their colony health. Anything else is up to them.
When my Crematogaster queen had her first nanitics eclosing, she killed several because I got too excited and checked on them every day. Reducing the number of times I checked remedied this and now I have a colony of about fifteen to sixteen workers a month later with a nice brood pile.
The most important thing is patience. These changes won't show results for AT LEAST a month (the time for a new worker to develop from an egg). When the colony becomes sufficiently large (hundreds probably), checking on them shouldn't cause as much an issue. They can just be sensitive in their young/small colony days since they know they don't have the numbers to defend themselves sufficiently.
- spartANTS and ANTdrew like this
Current Colonies
1 x Camponotus nearcticus (Monogynous), 1 x Crematogaster cerasi (Monogynous), 1 x Formica cf. subsericea (Polygynous Two-Queen), 1 x Formica cf. pallidefulva (Monogynous, single worker),
1 x Lasius cf. americanus (Pleometrotic Founding, now Monogynous), 1 x Tetramorium immigrans (Monogynous)
Current Founding Units
1 x Formica cf. subsericea (Monogynous)
Up-To-Date as of 9/15/2020
#6
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Posted September 21 2019 - 3:59 PM
ANTdrew
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I second everything DJoseph said. Definitely get them an outworld to forage in and constant access to nectar. This whole idea of waiting for a lot of workers for an outworld is bogus and stressful for a colony.
- DJoseph98 likes this
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.
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