4 replies to this topic

[englishlist]

I have a Camponotus novaeboracensis Colony started last year. It has 10 workers before hibernation. I leave them beside the basement window for 3 months and stopped the hibernation at the end of Feburary. 3 workers dead after hibernation. Another one dead in a few days. Queen ant started to lay eggs right after the hibernation. The colony was forging for about 2 weeks and stopped. I noticed that one worker is missing (could be escapsed). There are lots of eggs (20+). But there doesn't seem to be much development (all eggs are in similar size). Would you consider the colony in a normal status? Any suggestions? Thanks.  

 

 

https://youtu.be/VElFCEEKsIg

[ANTdrew]

What temperature are you keeping them? A little more warmth may kickstart the brood development, but go slow and do NOT bake them.

[Manitobant]

If you haven’t already, I would recommend heating them with a heating cable. Its especially useful with camponotus and helps kickstart their growth after hibernation.

[englishlist]

I usually keep my room temperature between 21°C to 23°C. 

 

I put the colony in front of a window for the first 2 weeks. The temperature reached 28°C under sunshine. I thought the temperature might changed too much. 

 

I moved the colony to my electronics area. (router, modem, NAS, etc). The environment temperature is higher than room temperature. It's usually around 24°C to 25°C. I have a camera just in front of the nest area with temperature reading 30°C by a laser thermometer. The temperature of the nest area beside the camera is about 26°C. I saw the colony move eggs constantly. Sometimes towards the camera while sometimes away. Is it too much heat? I am thinking to move the nest to a cooler area and use the camera as the only source of heat. Would it be a good idea?

 

I blocked the small chamber on top of the picture by a cotton ball and open the big chamber with the water tower. The colony managed to loose the cotton ball and moved to the small chamber. Will they move back to the big chamber with water tower when the small chamber is too hot?

 

[englishlist]

The colony is doing OK without any change. It starts having cocoons and larvae at different sizes. New workers are expected in a few weeks.