8 replies to this topic

[Aliallaie]

Hello

i have a 1 year old camponotus chromaiodes colony. They’ve been growing and doing well. Recently I had to remove the heating cable since they were moving to the outworld with everything I’m guessing because it was too hot. So recently I have noticed they were eating their brood. At one point I even saw the queen sharing a brood with 2 workers. I placed food for them, meal worm, crickets, even roaches. They don’t touch it. They haven’t ate any of it. And I spaced all this feeding out I didn’t give it to them all at once. The roaches I gave them last night, this morning I checked and it was in their trash pile. I noticed more brood spread out throughout the nest, some in pieces some in trash pile. One worker was eating one. Their brood is almost gone. Anyway, can anyone help me out I don’t know what is going on. 

[TennesseeAnts]

My colony did this last year whenever they got male larvae that hatched from uneaten trophic eggs. Maybe yours are doing this too?

[Aliallaie]

My colony did this last year whenever they got male larvae that hatched from uneaten trophic eggs. Maybe yours are doing this too?

Oh ok, but that means almost all brood are male? And is this something that they’ll recover from? 

[TennesseeAnts]

My colony did this last year whenever they got male larvae that hatched from uneaten trophic eggs. Maybe yours are doing this too?

Oh ok, but that means almost all brood are male? And is this something that they’ll recover from?

How large are the larvae? If those are surviving trophic eggs, they'll recover. Also, how large is the colony?

[Aliallaie]

The brood are at the after egg stage, sort of like small white worm stage. Before they become cacoon. They’re about 20-25 workers. The past 3 months they’ve sort of been dying a lot too. 

 

 

My colony did this last year whenever they got male larvae that hatched from uneaten trophic eggs. Maybe yours are doing this too?

Oh ok, but that means almost all brood are male? And is this something that they’ll recover from?

How large are the larvae? If those are surviving trophic eggs, they'll recover. Also, how large is the colony?

 

[OhNoNotAgain]

Wait, did you remove the heat and then they started eating brood?

If so, my C. fragilis did that when I turned the heat off for winter. They actually ate the largest pupae - they really seemed to enjoy eating their sisters - and they only really stopped when I turned the heat back on.

[Aliallaie]

Hmm odd, basically now I think of it yes. But the heating cable was keeping them around high 80s and as mentioned in another post they were all moving to the outworld. After removing the cable they are in low 70s. 

Wait, did you remove the heat and then they started eating brood?

If so, my C. fragilis did that when I turned the heat off for winter. They actually ate the largest pupae - they really seemed to enjoy eating their sisters - and they only really stopped when I turned the heat back on.

[OhNoNotAgain]

Maybe try about 80F, somewhere in the middle? Also make sure some part of their nest is cooler so they can utilize temperature gradients.

[Aliallaie]

Ok I’ll go ahead and try. I don’t know if I mentioned they don’t seem to be eating regular food either. They don’t touch it and if they do they placed it in their garbage pile. 

Maybe try about 80F, somewhere in the middle? Also make sure some part of their nest is cooler so they can utilize temperature gradients.